By now I assume that anyone into photography knows about comet Neowise, and many have tried to get photos of it. Count me in that second group. And while eventually I was successful, that didn’t happen right away. That’s why I try to plan for failure.

Like many, my first attempt to photograph the comet was when it was appearing before sunrise earlier this month. That failure was due partly to clouds, and partly to too much artificial light in the area. I tried to shoot it staying close to home. Anyone who does star photography understands that the further you can get from populated areas, the darker your sky will be. Which meant I needed to do some research, then some driving.

Dark Site Finder is a great way to check for light pollution in the area you’re going to visit. For me, that meant heading to the Flint Hills of Kansas, about two hours from my home. However, I didn’t want to do all that driving and not be able to make any pictures (if clouds formed, I’d miss out on the comet). Which meant I needed a Plan B.

I’d already done a fair bit of research on the internet looking for old schoolhouses and churches in my area, and had made a list of a few I could investigate. That’s because I didn’t just want a photo of the comet, I wanted something interesting in the foreground. Plus, it was possible I’d find some locations that I’d simply discover while driving between the others. Picking out three on my list that looked promising, I left mid-afternoon last Monday, which would give me time to visit them before dark. That way I’d have time to see if they might work for a comet photo while also having a chance to shoot them in late day light. And, I’d  see if they might work for a night/light painting shot if the comet didn’t work out.

Of the three, the first could work with the comet, but there were a few homes behind it in the direction where the comet would appear, and their lights might create a problem. However, looking at Sky Guide (for both iOS and Android), the school still might make a nice photo looking the other way, with the Milky Way behind it.

The second was up on a hill, so with stars around it might be a nice picture, but since the comet was appearing low on the horizon that night, not a good candidate for the comet then.

And the third definitely wouldn’t work because there were too many trees around it. It did, however, make a pretty good “sunburst photo” right then.

This was the third spot I tried, and while the trees meant the angle wouldn’t be a good for the comet’s expected location, it still made a nice photo then. Nikon Z 6, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 100, 1/400 at f/22 in Matrix metering, -3.0 EV, Nikkor NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S lens at 17mm.

At that point, I decided to work my way back to the first location and see if I could find anything promising on the way. While driving, I noticed a small white church and cemetery off in the distance. Finding the roads to take me there, it looked like it could be a good candidate. No lights in the area and a clear view out to the northwest horizon, where the comet would appear. It was also a good spot to shoot through sunset, so worked on some other photos. As the sky darkened, clouds started building in from the north. And that was the end of seeing the comet. But not the end of my shoot.

Nice pairing of an old church on the plains of Kansas and a sunflower sculpture. Nikon Z 6, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 100, 1/160 at f/6.3 in Matrix metering, -0.3 EV, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S lens at 23mm.

Suset, and hoping for an appearance by Neowise. Unfortunately, those clouds on the horizon would build and block it. Nikon Z 6, Aperture Priority, Shady white balance, ISO 100, 1/160 at f/6.3 in Matrix metering, -1.0 EV, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S lens at 25mm.

Over the last few years I’ve come to love doing night photography, and especially when I can add light to the scene. I’d brought my night lighting kit, so went to work. The church made an excellent subject, both with the sunset fading behind it, and looking the opposite direction with a sky full of stars. Finishing that, I packed up and headed back to my first stop of the day, a beautiful old brick schoolhouse.

Lemonade out of lemons. Adding one Lume Cube to the far right to light the front of the church, and balancing that light for the evening sky. Nikon Z 6, Manual exposure, Sunny white balance, ISO 1000, 30-seconds at f/4 in Matrix metering, Nikkor NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S lens at 15.5mm.

Arriving, I started with an old church nearby, which was challenging because a home across the road had a dusk-to-dawn light. I tried lighting to fill in the shadows, but eventually settled for shooting it as is. Then I moved to the schoolhouse. As hoped, the Milky Way was curving down above it, which made for a pretty good picture. Then I used the self-timer to allow me to get off to the left and add some light to the building with my headlamp. That worked okay, but then a car came by on the road behind it and added just the right amount of light to not only the building, but some trees as well. Great! But there was still one more stop to make.

I struggled to fill in the shadows on the front of this old church, then realized the shadows actually looked better. NIKON Z 6, Manual exposure, 3800K white balance, ISO 1600, 20-seconds at f/2.8, Nikkor NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S lens at 32mm.

Jupiter and the Milky Way on a moonless night with an old one-room schoolhouse. Nikon Z 6, Manual exposure, 3800K white balance, ISO 2000, 30-seconds at f/2.8, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S lens at 26mm.

On the way down that afternoon, I’d passed an abandoned house just off a small two-lane road. Getting back there now at nearly 1am, I didn’t have to worry much about traffic. Setting up one of my Lume Cubes on a 7-ft stand to the far left, I framed up the house with the trees surrounding it and night sky behind. Playing with exposure and lighting, I wrapped that shoot up in about 45-minutes and headed home, beating sunrise by a couple of hours. But of course, I wasn’t finished with the comet yet.

My favorite photo of the night was the last one, this abandoned home off a small road. Lit by one Lume Cube on a tall stand at far left. Nikon Z 6, Manual exposure, 3800K white balance, ISO 3200, 30-seconds at f/4, Nikkor NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S lens at 14mm.

Saturday night, my wife joined me for a second drive down into the Flint Hills, this time going to that one little schoolhouse perched on a hill. Now that the comet was appearing higher in the sky, I thought it might be a good location, and I’d seen another photographer had been there the night before with good success. And, the forecast look good. Arriving, I discovered I wasn’t the only one with that idea, as about a dozen photographers were setting up. We had a clear sky, bright comet and great location before clouds once again moved in.

I finally got a nice photo of Neowise with a good foreground at Lower Fox Schoolhouse in the Flint Hills of Kansas. I’d tried for the comet nearly a week before, but clouds blocked it. Persistence paid off. Nikon Z 6, Manual, Sunny white balance, ISO 2500, 15-seconds at f/3.5, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S lens at 30mm.

Am I done with the comet? Probably not. There’s still one spot I’d like to try, also down in the Flint Hills. But again, I won’t go there just for that. I saw another location, an abandoned railroad depot, and I’ll plan to visit that late in the day on my way there. So whether the comet shoot works out or not, I still expect to make some good pictures. Having a Plan A is important, but having a Plan B might mean the difference between making pictures or not.

(if you want to get out and try to photograph Neowise, make sure you read this detailed “how-to” by photographer Matthew Browne)

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