Waving Hi To Loral O’Hara

Last night I went up to campus to photograph the International Space Station as it flew over campus. I got a late start leaving the house so I picked a close object that ultimately made a lot of sense. A Boilermaker flying over the Boilermaker statue should have been my first choice anyway. I like the idea of showing a couple of Boilermakers in the same photo. With last weekend being homecoming weekend it only made sense to photograph another Boilermaker in space. I don’t like the confined space of an elevator so I couldn’t imagine being in any part of the space station or the capsule to get up there. I do have a lot of respect for those that do though. Purdue really is the cradle of astronauts and I was lucky to get to photograph another one even if she is very far away. Look up the next couple of nights just after sunset and wave to another Boiler streaking by in the sky.

A Quick Setup

This photo really had to come together quickly. I realized that I had less than thirty minutes from when I saw that the pass was going to happen so I had to hurry. I quickly (and safely) made my way to campus to set the photo up. I had a general idea of where it was going to be, and I hoped that it would pass just over the hammer. This was more of a guess than anything, but somehow it actually worked out. The lights from just above me was actually hitting the front element of my lens so I had to stand on my tiptoes and use my hat to shield my camera. It worked, but if you were driving by the statue last night a little after eight and saw a fat man doing a ballerina pose it was just me. It was worth it to make this photo though. It had been a while since my last space station photo so it was fun to come up with another idea for one. Next time though I will plan it out a little better and give myself a little more time to get settled in.