A Weekend of Photography

Morgan Robertson

Photographers across the country rose early Saturday morning with extra batteries, tripods and solar filters to witness the Solar Eclipse–and I joined their ranks! But to see it in its full glory, I had to travel to Corpus Christi, which, even without an eclipse, is a great way to spend a weekend.

One of my favorite aspects of LEAP has been my introduction to photography, and this weekend I brought my love of photography to the next level. My familial connections to photography and astronomy gave me the perfect opportunity to join my aunt and uncle, Suzanne and Chris Bowers, and grandparents, Darlene and Robert Robertson, in Corpus Christi, in the direct path of the Solar Eclipse.

After Professor Yawn outfitted me with the correct equipment and some tips for shooting, I made my way southwest bright and early Friday morning. We hit the ground running with a day full of adventures! We began by conducting tests of my new homemade filters and with the guidance from Aunt “Zan,” we decided we were ready for hours of shooting the following day.

Eclipse

Aunt Zan and I rose early to enjoy sunrise on the beach and to stake our claim to prime eclipse-territory. Originally we were located on the beach and were met with 25 mph winds that would have made for an uncomfortable 3 hours of shooting. After scouting with her trusty sidekick, Willie, Aunt Zan came upon our new favorite feature in Corpus: a shipping container!

We set up shop away from the winds and sand, and eventually a few other photographers caught on to our stroke of genius.

After some slight adjustments, we settled in to watch this amazing experience. I did run into some complications due to the cloud coverage and the darkness of my filter… but we adopted and waited for clearer skies.

Luck was on our side and the clouds provided some drama to our photos. Rather than attempt to describe the wonders of the Eclipse, here are just a few photos of what I captured.

Other experiences

In a typical LEAP fashion, I would be remiss if I didn’t stop by the local art museum to get a taste for the creative tones of the city. The Art Museum of South Texas, located right on the beach, was a perfect stop for Aunt Zan and myself. My favorites from the collection were a Dale Chihuly and Jesús Moroles. Another great feature of the Museum was a strategic window placement that provided an amazing view of the USS Lexington.

We also made sure to take advantage of our proximity to the beach to practice some long exposure shots during sunset, and sunrise.

We all learned this weekend that Corpus Christi is known as the Birdiest City in America and we made sure to take advantage of this fact! Here are a few photos from Hans and Pat Suter Wildlife Refuge and Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center.

A pelican landing series…

And a pelican taking flight…

The last shots of the evening from Roberts Point Park.

I would like to express my sincerest gratitude toward my grandparents for being the perfect representation southern hospitality and towards my Aunt Zan and Uncle Chris for fostering my love for this creative art and their constant encouragement.