The Tree - Fort Griffin, Texas
I returned to Fort Griffin Friday night to do some more photography of the night sky and the Fort Griffin ruins. Unfortunately I was not alone at the site this time as I was a week ago. Fort Griffin has become a popular place for photographers of the night sky and those wishing to learn how to photograph it. Friday night was, shall we say, crowded and the shots I wanted to take of the ruins did not happen due to said crowd.
Since it was apparent I would not get a chance to shoot the ruins the way I really wanted to without hogging the spot, I moved on to what is known as "The Tree". At last I found a spot not overrun with those wishing to paint structures with 1000 lumen flashlights and constant "focus checks" involving said flashlights aimed at all points of the compass. My desire was to light paint "The Tree" with the Milky Way in the background but using a different type of lighting and a technique I call fading.
This is the result. It was shot with the Fuji X-H1 and the Fuji 16-55 f/2.8. Exposure time was 25 seconds at ISO 3200.
Some advice for those wishing to shoot at Fort Griffin without being part of the crowd... go during the week or on a Sunday night. Friday and Saturday nights are beginning to produce a little friction between photographers. There are only so many hours of prime night time shooting and everyone wants to get their shots. If you are going to shoot the Milky Way go during the week of a new moon or when the moon is just a sliver and rising very late in the early morning hours.
Also, be sure to use bug spray containing Deet. The chiggers ate me alive last week but not a single bite last night. I wore snake boots with my long pants tucked into the boots and the exterior of the pants and boots were also given a good dose of bug spray. No, I have not run into a snake yet but there are rattle snakes at Fort Griffin and I prefer to be safe rather than sorry. Ask anyone who has ever been bitten by a rattler.. not a lot of fun.
If you do find yourself in a tense situation with another photographer or group, try to find something else to shoot away from them until they depart. I know, not a perfect solution but it's better than getting into an argument over who got there first and who has priority for shooting.
While I usually prefer to come back from such a long trip (six hour drive total) with more than one shot I like I have to admit if this was the only shot I brought back then I feel the trip was worth the cost and time invested.
Share the night. Share the light. Have a good night.