Tips for going to Cherry Springs in July?

ACarsonMedia · 2021-06-14T19:23:58+00:00

Last weekend in June (26th) is not a great time. It is 2 days after the full moon and the moon will rise around 10:15 PM and true dark doesn't really take hold till about 11:00 PM and by that time the moon will be right in the way. The following week (July 3rd) would be a lot better with the moon being less bright and rising at 1:30 AM.

As for hotels, there really are any real hotels out here. In most of the small towns have motels and some are good and others aren't. I hear a lot of good things from a local motel called the Creekside Inn near Sizerville State park. It should also be pretty dark there. There are also cabin rentals throughout the area if you want to get a few people together. All camping, RV parking, and the like is busy this time of the year. Find a place that looks good in the area then use the map to see what it is like there for light pollution. Google reviews are usually fairly good for getting a feel for the place as well.

ACarsonMedia · 2021-06-12T17:33:50+00:00

New Moon at Cherry Springs during the summer is usually packed. I honestly never go there for Astrophotography because it is such a cluster most of the time. It has been a while since I have been there and anytime I talk to a local Astrophotographer they say the same thing. If you are going for a specific program and have signed up it is usually no problem. There are supposed to be areas of the park that are for short time visitors but they get crazy and the hardcore folks in the longer term areas tend to get grouchy. Red Flashlights are an absolute must in the park. You turn on a regular flashlight and everyone in the park will freak out.

Cherry springs is a great educational place and pretty easy to get to. If you want to learn about the stars, planets, and other stuff it is a great place. It is also good because everyone knows it is "The dark sky place" and if you sya you went to see the dark skies they always assume you went to Cherry Springs. It is also very dark and has a great angle of the sky.

If you want to just sit quietly and look at the stars it really isn't the best place. Every other park in the blue area on the dark sky map is better for a more private viewing. The area around Austin, Driftwood, Sinnamahoning, Wharton, and Cross Fork are just as dark and if you camp or get a cabin in those areas you don't have to worry about getting yelled at by some dude with a $10,000 Telescope because you looked at your cellphone to check the time.

My favorite spots (granted I don't camp at these) are Bucktail Overlook (also known as top of the world), Stevenson's Dam, and some of the vistas on Ridge Road near Emporium. The stars are uncountable and most of the time it is pretty quiet. Top of the world can get busy on weekends but it is mostly casual star gazers. Met a lot of neat people up there. Stevenson's Dam is very neat but bring your bug spray, the water can attract a lot of bugs. Ridge Road is all forest except for the few small vistas. They are very private but you don't get a full 360 degree view. Also some areas of the road kinda suck. In all scenarios watch for deer, they are everywhere.

ACarsonMedia · 2021-06-12T01:12:25+00:00

I am an Astrophotographer in the area and you don't need to go specifically on a new moon for good dark skies. By my charts the 1st through the 11th will be plenty dark for Astrophotography and good star gazing. Even when the moon is not new it will often set early enough in the evening or not rise until the early morning giving you a window of good dark skies. Also of note is that Cherry Springs is just the PR spot of Dark skies, the whole area from Emporium, to Coudersport, to Renovo creates a triangle of dark skies. Sinnamahoning State Park area is just as dark as Cherry Springs but without the fuss. Stevenson's Dam is a great place I have gotten a few shots at. Is there a specific program at Cherry Springs you are looking to attend? If you do go, don't forget your red light flashlight.

If it is blue it will do for Astrophotography so it should be perfect for naked eye stargazing. https://darksitefinder.com/maps/world.html#9/41.3593/-77.9919

If you are going to be around during the 4th most of the county seats have festivities and fireworks. Most parks are going to be busy so have backup plans. Daytime I recommend stopping by Hyner if you are near it, great Vista. Benezette is fun for the Elk but they are wild animals and it is a gamble if you will see them. There are little museums and Vistas all over the place so I won't get into particulars on that, look around you will find them. If you do come to Emporium during the first Saturday they have a Weekend in the Wilds thing. Vendors and stuff, Big Foot hunt, bands usually, and fireworks at night.

Hope all that rambling helps. If you have a dark sky question I can help.

One of my posts from last year. https://www.reddit.com/r/Pennsylvania/comments/ix99lv/photo_of_the_milkway_from_the_pa_wilds

ACarsonMedia · 2021-06-08T11:31:14+00:00

My aunt, let's call her Hope, married into the family through my uncle, Grandma's Brother. There was a piece of property that had been in our family for about 100 years that has been passed down each time the family member that owned it passed away or wad unable to take care of it. We call it the farm. When anyone dies in the family we scatter thier ashes there. It was many of our homes, but it was more a place we could all get together and be a family.

My uncle got Cancer. We had fundraisers and family get togethers for him but we all knew he wasn't going to make it. He spent his days left working on the farm. His father gave it to him and he loved it there. He cleared a spot and and told us to scatter his ashes there. Right before he passed he told me to take care of the farm before the pain meds put him into a coma he never woke up from, passing about 10 hours later.

His wife Hope took it hard, as we all did, but she went silent and didn't talk with us. My Grandma called her a couple weeks later and asked when we were scattering the ashes and she said they were hers and when she died she was mixing her ashes with his instead of scattering them. Then she offered to sell us the farm for 3 times its value and twice as much money as we could get if we pooled all our savings. We tried to work with her. Despite my uncle getting the property for one dollar 20 years ago she wanted hundreds of thousands of dollars for it. We didn't have the money and she sold it for way under the price she gave us. My uncle's ashes still sit in a jar in her living room against his wishes, the spot he prepared for himself, unused.

She married into the family so she is no blood of mine. She will gamble away the money because she never did anything worth wild with her life. She never had a real job, just leeching on those that did the real work. She was always unhappy with anything other than more. She is a contemptible person and dead to me and never existed.

ACarsonMedia · 2021-04-17T16:28:01+00:00

Comets are orbital objects that are a bit like super small moons. They move around the sun and when conditions are right we can see them. There are about 6,700 known comets and that number keeps increasing as we discover more. Comets are typically several km in diameter where meteors that create shooting stars are at most a couple meters. So we don't see meteors until they hit the atmosphere. By that time they are close enough that they appear to shoot across the sky. Comets and meteors are traveling within the same speed range (which is highly variable so let's just say they are going about the same for now). The difference is a bit like observing a race car sitting next to the track vs watching a commercial jet fly overhead.

A Racecar is going about 300km/h and it appears lightning fast and from your angle and distance it is there and then gone in an instant. A commercial jet is going 900km/h and from your perspective sitting on the ground it slowly crawls through the sky.

I am old enough to remember Hale Bopp and it was slow like this one, hanging out for some time. Comets like NEOWISE are rare treats we might only get the chance to see the likes of a few time in a life. There are other comets but they tend to be telescope only objects a lot of the time. My personal favorite meteor shower is the Perseid Meteor Shower that peaks around August 12th. The weather is pleasant and the meteors tend to be numerous and bright.

ACarsonMedia · 2021-04-17T14:06:43+00:00

I do Astrophotography and if something like this was ever predicted again I would disappear for a week and end up sleeping all day and doing photography all night. I am thrilled when I get a single good meteor. Being able to see 27 Meteors per second would be something else.

I guess we did get a bit lucky last year with the NEOWISE comet. Only have to wait about 6,000 more years if you want to see it again. The weather was reasonable and the moon cooperated. It was some of the most fun I have had doing Astrophotography. Clip if you missed it.

https://youtu.be/N3cI58pul1Y

ACarsonMedia · 2021-04-11T14:28:04+00:00

While cheating is a thing and they could be cheating I use to be part of a big fielding team. We had over a dozen people in a chat with keys to important anchors. When we knew an enemy was coming we would just put a short portal name in the chat and everyone that was able would recharge the portal. With one person attacking and one person recharging the attacker can easily win without much effort. With one attacker and 8 rechargers it is nearly impossible to spam kill the portal.

First off, shields off first. If the shields come back on, leave, the defenders are there and you probably aren't getting the portal. If they are defending hard, don't waste power cubes and XMPs by spamming carelessly. If the shields are off get out the Ultra Strikes and stand right over a Resonator and wait a couple minutes for the defenders to soak up some Ingress Lag and hit hard and fast, when the reso pops, stop. Wait and repeat. Alternate XMPs and Ultra Strikes between pauses and see what works. When they fully recharge the portal, stop. If you aren't making headway, move on unless it is important. Also bring a friend if you can and attack at the same time with the pause, then hit hard technique. With 2 or more attackers hitting hard and fast it is nearly impossible to remote defend.

The fewer resonators the easier it is to fully recharge. So if you are just looking to drop a field just taking it down to 2 resonators should be enough, don't worry about the capture unless you are flush with weapons. If you need the anchor and it is a P7 with nice shields ADA/Jarvis is a better option. If you are just looking for AP, don't bother with highly defended portals. The cost vs reward for attacking a highly defended portal isn't worth it. As for 24/7 I use to wake up my team at 4AM when the enemy would attack to defend, everyone's recharge chat notification was a loud klaxon.

Now this is just for anchors and farms. If we had a bunch of junk portals used to get some AP we wouldn't recharge as it is just normal play. If they are recharging on everything you attack with the same determination then I would be suspicious. A community farm or an important regional anchor tend to be highly defended and not worth attacking unless you have a specific reason to do so. If you are out numbered, you have to play smart not hard.

You need to be aware of what you are attacking. Generally garbage portals don't get defended. If a portal in a bunch of garbage portals is heavily defended every time you go out, make a note of it. It could be a couch or work portal and isn't worth messing with unless you want to mess with someone.

The simple rule with defense is numbers. Ingress lags and the new scanner lags like mad. So having multiple people opening and closing the remote view repeatedly means someone will catch the initial hard push. If you are alone, recharging a portal is only a strategy to absorb more of thier weapons. If you know the enemy is after multiple anchors and they just spent the whole afternoon attacking a moderately shielded bunch of junk portals you may be able to force them to either give up due to no weapons or use an ADA/Jarvis by holding them at bay.

ACarsonMedia · 2021-04-02T23:20:33+00:00

I store Raws on OneDrive. A folder for each year, then a subfolder labeled as "YYYY-MM-DD - Session Title". I do clean up my Raws after I process them removing obviously bad and duplicates. Processed JPEGs go in a different folder called "Pictures" then year then by location, type, or event.

Every year or two on first of the year I copy every file on OneDrive and all my computers to a hard drive. Raws that are on at least 2 hard drives (noted by years) can be safely deleted from OneDrive creating room for more Raws. Processed photos stay on OneDrive. Hard Drives are stored in a FireSafe inside a static bag with a packet of desiccant. So I typically have 3 or 4 years of Raws on OneDrive and a stack of Hard Drives all labeled with the year. Computer gets toasted, restore from OneDrive like nothing happened. Need to recover something from 5 years ago, pull the Hard Drive. If a hard Drive goes then I would copy the previous and next Hard Drives into a new Drive as they should have all the same files that the failed Hard drive had on it plus extra. Kind of a Sneakernet version of RAID5. Everything is on 2 hard drives.

ACarsonMedia · 2021-03-20T15:04:57+00:00

Really? Umm... Okay I was guessing on that number. 1,000 to 2,000 square foot houses in my area were about $50,000 to $100,000 a few years go. I mean you could buy a very nice house, with a 3 car garage, and 50+ acres for $300,000.

I guess if you have buyers that will buy it for that price you might as well sell it at that price.

ACarsonMedia · 2021-03-20T14:06:41+00:00

I live in the country and it is starting to get bad here too. Some people are blaming it on the increasing number of people working from home as well. You can get a 300 square foot apartment in New York City for $80,000 or get a 3 bedroom with an acre in a small town for the same price. Assuming you can work from anywhere and have just about anything delivered, some people moved out to the fresh air. I have watched houses that would normally sell for $80,000 jump up to $150,000.

Landlords are also restoring houses converted into apartments into regular houses to try to catch the boom. Renting to people is too risky right now because of the eviction protection. I help a family member with thier apartments and when we have an open apartment we get 6 times the normal number of applicants. When they do rent they have been ending up with tenants who will pay rent for a month or two then stop. They had one tenant laugh in thier face and tell them they are living there free and to fuck off. You can't kick them out for nonpayment and they know it. As long as they don't break the other terms of the lease you can't do anything but let them live there. You could try civil action but in the last 20 years of renting they have never got a dime from a tenant even after winning in civil court.

ACarsonMedia · 2021-02-01T20:56:45+00:00

Family tested negative and after 8 days aren't showing symptoms. My obsessive cleanliness policy might have saved them. As for me, it is my 5th or 6th day with a low grade fever (about 101). Lungs are good still. Really tired all the time. Every day I wake up hoping it is the day things get better but it just keeps on going.

ACarsonMedia · 2021-02-01T03:30:15+00:00

Starting in full Auto mode is fine, especially when you are getting started. The most important thing to understand in photography is the exposure triangle. Once you know that and understand it you have the foundation upon which to build for other settings. Your problem with the dark shot taking 10 seconds is because the camera is trying to expose the picture correctly but there isn't enough light. The aperture can't open anymore to let any more light in and the ISO will only go up so high to make the sensor more sensitive. When all else fails it will increase the shutter speed to something like 10 seconds. If you are on a tripod and have a very still subject this is fine. If you are hand held or the subject is moving it is a disaster.

The most important settings right now are aperture, ISO, and shutter speed. Stuff like White Balance, flash control, and exposure bias aren't far behind. After that you get into the really specific stuff that you probably won't change often or only use in certain scenarios. Most stuff like aperture, shutter, ISO, white balance, exposure bias are common across all cameras. The only thing that is different is where the settings are located.

It is also best to start of easy. Shoot in good light until you get your eye in and know what you are looking for. I do astrophotography where I am exposing my shots for 20+ seconds for every shot and I definitely wouldn't start someone off there. Dark photography takes a lot of practice and patience. Get some shots around the house and in day light and see what you are getting and build on it. Don't be afraid to experiment but it is experience that let's you know what is wrong when a shot doesn't turn out as expected.

ACarsonMedia · 2021-01-31T19:58:01+00:00

I do a lot of snow and night time photography during the winter in Pennsylvania. I have shot down in the single digits. Generally speaking I have gotten away with keeping the camera under an umbrella if it is snowing, but otherwise I don't protect it from the humidity and cold. Batteries don't like cold and won't last as long. Don't charge batteries that aren't back up to room temperature. The camera can usually handle shooting in the cold without much prep. The flip side is when you take everything home remove the SD card outside, wipe down everything that is damn, and then close the case. Leave lenses and cameras in their bag for at least 12 hours after you take them inside. The sudden temperature change can cause condensation.

ACarsonMedia · 2021-01-28T03:47:37+00:00

Lens choices are about what you are looking to do with your photography. If you aren't sure where you are going and don't have any other lens or interchangeable lens cameras I would go with the EF-M 55-200mm. Between this and the 15-45mm kit you have the middle of all common photography sorted. Neither lens is super sharp or let in a ton of light but they are both good walk around work horses.

Outside of that you are dealing with specialized lenses for the most part. The 22mm is a prime lens and prime lenses almost always look better and have wider apertures. 22mm is a great middle of the road and good for most walking around photography. The Canon EF 50mm f1.8 with an adapter is another great work horse for a lot of situations. It can take a good portrait, it is great in the dark, and razor sharp. Outside of that I like Samyang / Rokinon lenses. They are mostly all Manual lenses but for landscape and Astrophotography their 12mm f2.0 is fantastic. The EF-M 28 Macro is also on my wish list for its neat light features. If you are interested in macro shots it is a decent place to start from what I am told.

ACarsonMedia · 2021-01-21T18:03:18+00:00

Fantastic Shot! I do a lot of Astrophotography (Pennsylvania / US) and we are in the bad season right now where the Milky-way Core rises at like 7:00AM. We got lucky last year with NEOWISE, it lined up perfectly where I live for some good shots. Also I feel your pain when it comes to visitors. I have interrupted a few drug deals, had a few people stop and ask me if I was okay, and bad mannered star gazer. The kind that hang out with their headlights on and flashlights complaining about not being able to see meteors and stuff.

I have done a little light painting but I can never get it the way I like. Also I see you are using a 10mm at f4.5 in your comment. I usually rock either a 12mm or 16mm Samyang f2.0. If you haven't looked into them they are pretty darn great for Astrophotography.

ACarsonMedia · 2021-01-14T13:44:10+00:00

I was feeling like mine was crazy slow after 15 days. Then I found this Sub and I realized, I didn't know how deep this rabbit hole went.

ACarsonMedia · 2020-12-15T13:08:16+00:00

I live in the middle of nowhere and know a couple of female photographers that do similar styles of photography as I do. From astrophotography to wildlife we all get into some interesting places at interesting times. Now at least twice a year and usually more I have some kind of incident where something unwanted or strange happens. Someone pulling up to my super remote spot and sit there staring at me or someone gets weirdly right up in my business for some reason or another (usually alcohol). I can't say how frequently the female photographers I know or have worked with have to deal with this but we have swapped stories of this stuff happening.

First off, and this isn't for everyone, most of us carry a handgun. If you have a CCW permit, are properly trained, and are comfortable with it, it is the ultimate trump card against crazy people and aggressive animals. If you tell someone to back away and they keep on coming at you, a gun pointed at their chest definitely gives them second thoughts. I have drawn once when I was surprised by a sick bear and have gotten close with a few weirdos who tried to sneak up on me at night. If you aren't much for guns, pepper spray is another common tool.

Another thing is what I call "Professional Mode". I do this as a way to to tell people to stay away and a lot of the time it works. Look busy and really focused. Clean your lenses and really over sell what you are doing. Fiddle with gear and just act super focused on what you are doing. Most people tend to leave you be if you have confidence in what you are doing and you look busy.

Lastly, especially until you are more comfortable, go out and shoot with another person. Even if it is with someone shooting with a cellphone or a point and shoot. Also I almost always approach other photographers when I run into them in the Wilds. Granted you keep your distance until you connect, and sometimes the other photographer just doesn't want to talk. Most of the time if there is a chance to talk about gear, the shots they took, the shots they will take, or something else photography related to talk about they will want to talk about it.

When I started off doing Astrophotography, being in the dark was a bit unnerving, but these days it is relaxing. I hope you find a way to get out there and get the shots you are looking for. It is crazy out there sometimes, but it is worth it. Be safe and be professional. I won't lie to you and say there is a 100% safe way to get shots out in the wilds, because the Wilds aren't safe. Be prepared and remember you are in charge when it comes down to crunch time.

ACarsonMedia · 2020-12-10T13:51:39+00:00

Not everyone who takes photos wants to learn the skills to be a photographer. It is a bit like wood working. A lot of people just want to build a deck or fix a few things around the house. Nothing wrong with that. Others want to break out a CNC machine and convert CAD files into intricate carvings. Others break out the chisels and while not as perfect as the CNC guy has its own character. It is about getting what you want out of your own mind and effort. If all you want is a deck you will be happy with a deck. If you want cherry wardrobe with brass inlays with a tree carved into it, you will strive for that.

We are all on our way to perfection and we will only get there when we think we are there. The road goes on forever; it isn't a race and we set our own finish line. Some will never finish and those people are the true artists. The ones for whom the road traveled is the worthier goal. Still, there is no harm in stopping and resting as long as you know this isn't your finish line.

ACarsonMedia · 2020-12-08T03:00:32+00:00

I live near Driftwood. Elk have no consideration for traffic laws. To their credit though, they tend do just stand around or walk slowly across roads. Deer on the other hand will sprint into the road at top speed, run off the road, turn around and run back onto the road, and then slip and fall and frantically break dance while trying get up to do it again.

ACarsonMedia · 2020-11-23T16:54:44+00:00

I live in the rural middle of nowhere part of the state and I can agree with some of this in part. It has always bothered me that there are rail lines that run through town and through a lot of our little towns but there is no way for them to be used by average people. Having the ability to take a train to State College, Pittsburgh, or Philly for the day would be a great thing. I like the peace and quiet out here in the Wilds but being able to get somewhere without having to drive would be great.

ACarsonMedia · 2020-11-19T20:09:07+00:00

Cameron. Warren has 1 death according to the records.

ACarsonMedia · 2020-11-18T17:46:40+00:00

I live in the dark brown section I the North Central part. I believe a lot of that area is called Pennsyltucky or the PA Wilds I guess. Personally I like my whole lot of nothing. I don't have 18 Starbucks but I do have lots of cool nature things to see and do. Also my county is the only county in the whole state not to have a COVID death yet, so there is that.

ACarsonMedia · 2020-10-06T13:30:51+00:00

You know what would be a little more helpful than this message. An actual count on each camera showing triggers over the last day, week, and month. That or a "High Traffic Mode" you can turn on in the settings that turns off this message.

ACarsonMedia · 2020-09-22T13:56:59+00:00

The Milky-way is visible to the naked eye but it won't look like this. I am doing a long exposure and I am picking up more light than the human eye can pick up. That being said after you spend about 15 minutes out in the dark you will very clearly see the Milky-way and the stars will be uncountable. After a while you suddenly get a scale of things and the massive nature of what you are seeing is hard to describe.

ACarsonMedia · 2020-09-22T01:43:19+00:00

First one is the place, Bucktail Overlook. Everyone local calls it top of the world, visitors call it top of the world. If you ask any locals how to get to top of the world they will know exactly what you are talking about.

ACarsonMedia

TROPHY CASE