Many couples left childless on a Friday night will search
for excitement on such a rare occasion.
My dear, sweet husband and I chose the extreme opposite as we retreated in
search of a photo opportunity. I was curious
to try an artistic form of photography called “star trails”. Knowing that conditions were not ideal for
perfect images I still was eager to see what I could do and I knew just the
place to go.
Sometimes it’s nice to be able to step back in time. While we all know this is not actually
possible we can visit places that seem to have been caught in a time of
yesterday. These visits allow us to
drift into a trance of semi-unconsciousness were all the hustle and bustle of
our daily lives are left behind.
Hidden in the woods of the Ozark National Forest such a
place exists.
On a piece of property maintained by a family who understands
that our past is an important part of who we are today, you can find the Union
School.
A building that sat vacant and
unloved since the 1970s has been revived and given new life due to the interest
of a young man generations removed from the daily activities of years past (Thanks Dustin). A
visit will cause your mind to explore what life would have been like had
you attended school, church or any of the other community events held here.
We arrived at our destination claiming squatter’s rights to
the far corner of the Union Schoolhouse yard and set up our mini-camp. While waiting for darkness to arrive we
ventured inside to experience a moment of yesterday.
The setting of the sun cast a warm glow
through large widows onto wooden planks of the floor and walls.
The feeling of awe was such that even the
layer of dust covering everything could not dispel.
Once the sun had set it didn’t take long for darkness to
take over. With the needed adjustments
made to my camera all that was left to do was sit back and take in the
greatness of the clear, starry night.
One by one, stars seemed to appear until
the midnight blue sky was sparkling like a sea of brilliant diamonds. A new and
different piece of history was being captured one frame at a time. Some 100 plus frames later phase one of my
first attempt of star trails was complete.
The next day, with the help of notes from a dear friend I
was able to create this image.
LIFE LESSON: Many of
the best things we can learn today come from knowing the things others learned
yesterday.
I enjoyed seeing the old building. It is a pretty place. I also enjoyed seeing your photography of the stars. Good job.
ReplyDelete