The most rewarding Monday of my life (so far) was the 22 hour rental car round trip from Seattle to Fossil, Oregon to capture the total eclipse. I had heard of the rare and nearly perfect conditions for the August 2017 eclipse earlier in the year and began prepping for the trip. Gathering gear, and people to help make the voyage from Phoenix to Seattle to Oregon took weeks of planning. In total, it was four people that populated a rented 2017 Ford Explorer (2/10 Do NOT recommend this vehicle) for a traffic nightmare of a drive to produce five photos and my first ever Youtube video.
"Diamond Ring" remains the most popular print in the history of Nikpictures.com
I am a frequent traveler and a lover of all things related to travel, all the while constantly mulling around the idea of starting a Youtube channel to showcase it all. I had shot and edited three test videos while heading to different cities, and decided the eclipse would be a fantastic first video on the platform. The eclipse raised some anxieties about how my gear would hold up, if the filters (Hoya) would protect my sensor, and ultimately if I could get the shot.
It was a sleepless Monday that bled into Tuesday and was almost exclusively spent in traffic. We ate the worst Mexican food I have ever had in my life, plenty of rest stop food and it was infinitely better than going to any job on a Monday. The opportunity to create images of such a major cosmic event and share them with the world is worth more than any amount of money. The day is burned in my mind and remains my favorite day of photography ever.