I have been fascinated by space since I was a small child. I remember getting a telescope for Christmas and sitting and looking at the moon on many clear nights. To this day it is always a treat to spend some time in an area with minimal light pollution and look at the stars. So, when I heard that a comet was going to be visible I made it a mission to get a good photo of it. The comet made its closest approach to earth on Saturday 10/12/2024, and I spent Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday night trying to get an amazing photo of it.

On Friday night the weather looked clear on the coast, so I drove a couple hours out to Ecola State Park and hoped to see it. Unfortunately I did not, but I brought the dogs with and they got a fun car ride out of it, so it was not a trip wasted. Saturday night I ventured into the Mount Hood National Forrest with a location I had picked out a week or two. The location involved a 2 hour drive each way, with the last 20 minutes or so being on a bumpy dirt road followed by a three mile round trip hike. I was lucky to spot a Cooper's Hawk on the hike up and got a great shot with the moon in the background. An hour or so later the comet made an appearance and I was able to get some shots.

I was not quite satisfied after Saturday night. I shot most of the photos with a unique lens I rented because I thought it would be perfect but ended up not quite fitting the bill and the focus ring was quite loose. I had another opportunity on Sunday, so I figured I couldn't pass it up and returned to the same spot, this time with a better plan and sticking to the lenses I routinely use. I showed up an extra hour early with a pre-written checklist for myself, setup my gear, then enjoyed a nice view and sunset.

The shot at the top of the page is from Sunday. The shot is pretty representative of the actual scene because Mount Hood and the foreground were being illuminated by the moon as the sun was setting. Looking back, adding up the time driving, planning, hiking, standing around on location waiting for the comet, and then sorting through photos, I would guess I spent about 24 hours to get these photos. The shot at the top of the site is without a doubt my favorite photo I have ever taken and probably will be for a while and makes it worth every minute.