Photographer Jamie Rea recalled the darkness of that night back in 2018 as he walked south of the Point Arena Lighthouse gate to capture the Milky Way taking shape over the Pacific Ocean.
He described it as a “total blackout.” In the black, Rea set up his tripod on the edge of the cliff, focusing on the bluffs of Point Arena for the foreground of the shot and capturing multiple exposures of the cosmos “to combine later for the starry background.”
That night, Rea had a desire to “see clearly into the beyond,” and the heavens proved clearer than he had ever seen.
Looking at the photograph now, Rea is reminded of the “feeling of being incredibly small.” Point Arena and the edge of the continent appear “shrunken underneath the behemoth that lurks beyond our reach.”
We are so excited to collaborate with Jamie Rea, Mendocino County-based photographer who specializes in astronomical and nature photography. As of late, he has been in the Montgomery Woods and Russian Gulch State Park photographing waterfalls and mushrooms.
His portfolio can be seen on his website at www.jamiereaphotography.com. Prints of his amazing work can be purchased as well.
Follow him at his Instagram below to see more of his work:
View this profile on Instagram
And now, as usual, we leave you with a literary tribute to today’s MendoMoment. The following poem was untitled written by A.E. Housman, an English poet who lived from 1858-1935:
Stars, I have seen them fall,
But when they drop and die
No star is lost at all
From all the star-sown sky.
The toil of all that be
Helps not the primal fault;
It rains into the sea,
And still the sea is salt.
MendoMoments, is dedicated to showcasing the land, animals, and people that make up Mendocino County. All Mendocino County residents and visitors are invited to participate. Send photographs to matthewplafever@gmail.com including a description of what your photograph depicts, where it was taken, and any other important details.
Earlier Chapters
- MendoMoments: The Joy of a Child on a Winter’s Morn
- MendoMoments: The Warmth of Santa Claus Eminates from a Fort Bragg Storefront
- MendoMoments: A Darkened Sky, A Quiet Home, A Leafless Sycamore
- MendoMoments: ‘Frost and Fire’- A Covelo Sunrise on a Chilly Morn
- MendoMoments: The Pacific Transforms as Days Shorten and Shadows Grow
- MendoMoments: Sunset at Blues Beach
- MendoMoments: Savage Waves Batter the Mendocino Headlands
- MendoMoments: Fall Colors in Ukiah’s Downtown
- MendoMoments: A Sherbert Sunrise Illuminates a Blanket of Fog Above Redwood Valley
- MendoMoments: A Roosevelt Elk at Sinkyone Wilderness
- MendoMoments: A Caspar Shack with the Patina of Time
- MendoMoments: The Nearness of Autumn Comes Into Focus on the Mendocino Bluffs
- MendoMoments: The Long and Winding Philo-Greenwood Road
- MendoMoments: Surfer Rides a Wave Under the Blood Red Sun of Smoky Skies
- MendoMoments: A Gray Whale Emerges from the Pacific
- MendoMoments: A Wake of Vultures Feast on a Carcass
- MendoMoments: A Glass Beach Squirrel Gets Ornery When It Does Not Get a Snack
- MendoMoments: A Barn Owl in the Backyard
- MendoMoments: Lost in the Maze of Brooktrails
- MendoMoments: Noyo Harbor’s Baby Ospreys Emerge
- MendoMoments: Memorial Day at Russian River Cemetery
- MendoMoments: Soaking Feet in a Cool Creek
- MendoMoments: The Super Flower Blood Moon Descends Behind Duncan Peak
- MendoMoments: A Little Library in the Hamlet of Hearst
- MendoMoments: Thunderheads Gather Above the Mayacama Mountains
- MendoMoments: Lake Mendocino Through the Lens of a Newcomer
