Friends of Bodie Day Weekend

Last weekend I think we had our coolest 26 hour period in the park yet.  It was very different in that we didn't start the night on Friday in our typical meeting room, but that seemed to disperse photographers more for the hours of Milky Way shooting to follow.  There are some very cool and original shots being posted, and I already have some new ideas to try and some trial concepts to improve upon when we return on Aug 24 and Oct 12/13.

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Shots from Bodie Aug 9/10
 +Lori Hibbett and I had a particularly fun time in Bodie last weekend: helping attendees of our night photography access enjoy the Milky Way all night, attending the Friends of Bodie Day event, and seeing volunteers play characters from Bodie's past in the cemetery as part of the exclusive evening program for Bodie Foundation members.  

Lori and I camped outside of the park after the night photography workshop to shoot the Perseid meteor shower, but we discovered that we had forgotten our sleeping bags!  It was a chilly night at 37 degrees under a couple of cotton blankets (and beach towels, jackets, whatever else we could find).  After a morning at Friends of Bodie Day and an interior tour of the Standard Mill we ran home in the afternoon to pick up sleeping bags for Perseid meteor shower shooting that night.  We arrived back at Bodie in time for the Bodie Foundation BBQ, chatted with many customers from the past year, and headed up to the cemetery in groups to hear stories from Bodie's past… from the standpoint of the historical figures themselves.  What a cool experience!  The Bodie Foundation does something different every year, so they'll come up with a 27th new idea for the after hours evening program next year.  Everyone who goes to Bodie with us becomes a Bodie Foundation member for the next year, and the BBQ dinner and evening program is only $25, easily the best value special program you'll find in Bodie, and a great way for the Bodie Foundation to thank its supporters from the past year.

After the evening program a few of our 2012 and 2013 customers joined us in a remote campsite for a little wine and cheese as we waited for twilight to give way to stars and the Perseid meteor shower.  When it became dark enough we moved a short distance to a high and wide valley with a 360 degree view so we could shoot meteors in any direction. We left the cameras going all night, and after a few good nights of hard sleep, I was able to put together a video of the 2013 Perseids: Perseid Meteor Shower 2013.  Did I say hard sleep?  I meant hard work… while I slept.  This astrophotography stuff is tough I tell 'ya!

Our last two nights of access to Bodie at night are coming up August 24 and October 12: http://www.jeffsullivanphotography.com/blog/bodie-night-photography-workshops/I probably won't do as many Bodie workshops next year.  They sure are fun and it's great to raise thousands of dollars to help the park, but it's a tremendous amount of work and I'm probably going to focus on more profitable itineraries in other stunning locations, without the astronomical fees for access.

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