Guiding Light
Capturing the Night Sky Over Historic Fort McKavett
There is a quiet, almost legendary atmosphere to having an entire 19th-century frontier post to yourself under the vast Texas night sky. Fort McKavett is only about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from home—a much easier trip than the nine to ten-hour journey out to Big Bend National Park in West Texas. It’s very dark there too; Bortle 2 which is a very dark and pristine sky! For a twenty-five-dollar donation to the park, you gain full access to the grounds overnight, along with a golf cart to easily ferry your gear across the silent settlement. For seniors, like me, it’s a fabulous place to shoot the night sky!
Creating My Vision for this Photo
On this visit, I had the entire historic park to myself. After parking Joy, I took a spin all over the property in the golf cart on the lookout for compositions and objects to potentially use to anchor the foreground of a night time shoot. Well, the obvious star of the show is the imposing ruins of the commander’s quarters. So that’s where I set up my OM-1, before those weathered limestone ruins, framing its architectural piers and chimneys against a brilliant and beautiful star-dusted cosmos. From that frame, I created my vision; the blend of ancient stone and a passing celestial visitor, which gives the scene a subtly magical, almost biblical feel.
Then it Became Our Holiday Card
When I showed the finished photo to Terre, the scene instantly sparked the feeling of Christmas in her. That memory stayed with us, and this year we finally decided to print it as our holiday card—a peaceful blend of Texas history and ancient starlight, to share with friends and family with the simple message inside; Peace on Earth.
Explore More of My Adventures
Step into the starlit silence of Fort McKavett, where historic stone ruins and a passing comet inspired a truly unique holiday Christmas card.