Chasing Neo
The journey to discovering photography again during COVID 19.
The pandemic has affected each and everyone in one shape or form. For me, I love the outdoors. Every year, my photo club and I would go on a small weekend or day trips around California to hike and capture the great outdoors. Not being able to explore and photograph had its toll. For example, I forgot how critical it is to research before showing up at a location. When Neowise (C/2020 F3) made headlines, I took it as an opportunity to photograph it and get back into photography. Obviously, I could have indulged in my photographic passion during Shelter in Place, but I have elderly parents and do see them pretty often. I avoided going outside as often as I could. Sunrises and post sunsets seemed like good opportunities to photograph while avoiding people.
Attempt 1:
In my initial attempt, I got lucky, and Karl (the fog) was not such an issue. I was able to see it clearly with the naked eye, but I forgot not to rely on others telling when you should go see something. I arrive 40 minutes before sunrise and it turns out it was brighter 1 hour before sunrise. I should have arrived earlier…Regardless, I was able to get a faint comet with the city skyline. The sunrise was well worth it too afterward.
Attempts 2 & 3:
Because Karl has a blanket over SF in July and August (we call it Fogust here), there has not been a single sunset for two weeks straight where you can see the sky. I drove out of the city in an attempt to capture it. On the second attempt. I got aligned myself to the wrong angle. A difference of 8 degrees is the difference between the city view and this tree below. I really couldn’t move 8 degrees to frame it with the comet without being on the other side of the bay. Therefore I framed it with the palm tree instead. It was still difficult because the clouds/fog was moving relentlessly, and Neowise is ever moving—dropping lower to the horizon— making it difficult to compose it with anything.
On my third attempt, I re-evaluated my angle and went to the other side of the bay. As good as the composition is, light pollution made it somewhat challenging to find and see the comet. Also, I was getting bored of not having any foreground in any of the closeups of the comet.
Attempt 4:
The issues at play are A. Karl the Fog B. Light Pollution. And C. Angle. Solution. I decided I could drive somewhere so that A & B are resolved and I can focus on issue C. The added benefit of going somewhere high above Karlis that I finally get to watch a sunset as I have not seen one for weeks now. The results are as follows:
Chasing Neowise has ignited why I loved photography so much. Beyond the technical aspects of the camera, I enjoyed researching, testing, and eventually documenting extraordinary things in this world. Just when I think I was bored and needed to travel somewhere, Neowise has made my own backyard similar to traveling to a destination. All this during a pandemic. It will be another 6000 years before it will return. At its closest point, Neowise is only 64.3 million miles from Earth. This would be one of the closest comets you will see in your lifetime (if you missed Halley’s in 1986). If you have the chance, see it before it leaves.
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