The night sky seen above Glacier National Park in Montana, USA. In addition to the Milky Way, Mars can be seen near the peak of the mountain on the left. A single shooting star is visible as well in the sky above the left mountain peak.

A Shot in the Dark

July 19, 2018 in Landscape

Protecting and restoring dark skies should be a priority for communities around the world. As populations grow and cities expand, so too does the world's light pollution. Having the opportunity to see a sky filled with stars is a beautiful, humbling, and inspiring experience that everyone should have access to. But the issue is bigger than just our ability to look up and be awestruck. Light pollution can impact the development of plants, populations of insects, and many animals depend on dark skies for survival or navigation.

Some areas have been designated dark sky reserves in order to help preserve their dark skies. And some cities have begun to implement measures to help curb light pollution such as shutting off city lights, changing the types of bulbs used in street lamps, or installing shades that keep light from escaping upward into the atmosphere.

Have you ever had the chance to see the milky way in person? Do you have any dark sky reserves or other dark places near where you live? Or do you have to travel far to find a dark sky?

For more information, feel free to visit the International Dark-Sky Association.

A visit to Artist Point

September 04, 2016 in Landscape

I have visited Artist Point in Mount Baker National Forest several times for both sunrise and sunset, but I have always been foiled by low clouds and obscured views. On my way up this time I couldn't help but think to myself, "not again!" And as I arrived at the parking area my thick low lying cloud nemesis had already begun to obscure the views of Mount Shuksan and Mount Baker. However, I have been burned one too many times over the years after turning around too early and not giving the weather a chance to clear. So I grabbed my gear and headed out onto the trails around Artist' Point to scope out the situation. I knew that out west where the sun was setting the skies were clear and that if the clouds right on top of the area I was in broke up at all, I would be in for a treat. Needless to say, they did start to break up, and as the sun began to set in the distance, the clouds lit up with wonderfully beautiful light. And on top of that, the clouds continued to disperse and allowed for some awesome milky way shots later in the night.

Wayne Gretzky once said, "You miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take" and that quote can be just as apt at describing photography as it can hockey. Although you may not be successful on many occasions, the more chances you give yourself, the more likely you'll come away with a goal(or in this case, an image).

I ran into another pair of photographers who were arriving at the same time as I was, the husband and wife duo of Susan and Ron(www.susanholtphotography.com). They have a beautiful portfolio of incredible images and Susan offers awesome workshops in Yosemite. It was a pleasure to talk and shoot with them and help distract from the 30 degree temperatures! Definitely check them out if you get the chance!

Here are the photos from the evening in chronological order, with decreasing clouds all the way through.

Looking north east from the Artist Point area in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

Looking east across a pond as the sun lights up the sky at sunset near Artist Point.

Mount Baker appears from behind the clouds after sunset near Artist Point. The moon rises to the right of the mountain before dipping back below the clouds.

Mount Baker is consumed by twilight. The sun still illuminates the horizon in the distance.

Mount Shuksan during blue hour, reflected in a pond near Arist Point.

The distant Mount Baker towers over the landscape as the Milky Way streaks across the sky. The distant city lights of the greater Seattle area glow on the horizon.

Happy Centennial, National Park Service!

August 25, 2016

Today marks 100 years of the National Park Service.

In honor of this wonderful program and the lands that it serves, here are some of my favorite shots that I have taken from the various National Parks I have visited over the last year.

Here's to the next 100 years, NPS.

Bernie Sanders - Rally at Key Arena in Seattle

March 21, 2016 in Politics

Images from Bernie Sanders' rally at Key Arena in Seattle, WA on March 20th, 2016.

All images taken by Michael Hitchner.

www.mhitchner.com

Eastern Sierra

October 18, 2015

While I contemplate several upcoming trips this winter I cannot help but think back to some of the amazing places I have been so far this year. Below are just a few of my shots from a trip to the Eastern Sierra and Death Valley, but it should give you a great idea of what kinds of varied landscapes you can find in this region. If you enjoy photography, nature, or the outdoors this region is incredible!

Golden Gate and Super Blood Moon

September 27, 2015 in Landscape

Here are two shots comparing the morning and night views of the Golden Gate Bridge taken on the same day. The first shot was from around 6:30am and the 2nd was taken at 7:45pm during the Super Blood Moon in September of 2015.

Formula Drift Seattle - A Little Bit of Everything

August 09, 2015

This stop had a little something for everyone. From beautiful driving, to unexpected outcomes, and big crashes, Seattle was quite an event. The conditions also were changing constantly and would go from wet to dry to wet again throughout the day. However, through it all, Fredric Aasbo seemed at ease in the changing conditions. Leaving Seattle with a win was a great accomplishment for him and it puts him in a great place leading into Round 6 in Texas. Though Aasbo came out on top, A lot of drivers had some beautiful runs, and there were a lot of amazing(and some not so amazing) moments. Here are just a few.

Ken Gushi warming up for qualifying on day 1 of Formula Drift Seattle.

Dan Savage in his SIKKY Racing RX8.

Forrest Wang heading toward the last corner after some contact with a competitor.

Dean "Karnage" Kearney warming up his tires on day 1 of Formula Drift Seattle.

Bakchis and Gushi crossing the finish line after a great run at Formula Drift Seattle.

Daijiro Yoshihara Sliding around the last corner.

Denofa going door to door with Field in the 2nd to last corner at Formula Drift Seattle.

Chelsea Denofa talking about his upcoming round of 32 head to head drive on day 2 of Formula Drift Seattle.

Chelsea Denofa drifting through turn 1 which is a high speed banked corner at Formula Drift Seattle.

Dean Kearney finishing off a run in style at Formula Drift Seattle.

Kristaps Bluss leading Ryan Tuerck into the final corner, laying smoke all the way through the course.

Even dogs love drifting.

Kristaps Bluss making Ryan Tuerck work extra hard at Formula Drift Seattle.

Kyle Mohan slaying rubber at Formula Drift Seattle.

Patrick Gooden and Fredric Aasbo dueling in the round of 32. Lots of smoke in this series!

Kyle Mohan in his GT Radial RX8 navigating through the smoke being poured off of Alec Hohnadell's GetNuts S14.

Ryan Tuerck making it look easy in turn 2 of Formula Drift Seattle.

Justin Pawlak in his Falken/Roush Mustang, before the infamous encounter with Tyler McQuarrie.

Alec Hohnadell chasing down Kyle Mohan at Formula Drift Seattle.

Kyle Mohan's rotary powered 1000hp RX-8.

Dean Kearney and Vaughn Gitten Jr. sliding around turn 1 at Formula Drift Seattle.

Masashi Yokoi leading Patrick Gooden through the final corner during the round of 32 at Evergreen Speedway near Seattle, WA.

Masashi Yokoi charging through the finish framed through the barrier fence near the end of the course at Evergreen Speedway.

Fredric Aasbo and Dan Savage tearing up the track during the round of 32. Aasbo would go on to win the event.

Daigo Saito completely obscuring his opponent in smoke during the round of 32 at Formula Drift Seattle.

Alec Hohnadell on lead while Kyle Mohan chases during the round of 32 at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, WA.

One of the definitive fan favorites, "Mad Mike" Whiddett in his RADBUL rotary miata.

Ryan Tuerck signing a worn tire during the PRO autograph session on Friday.

Odi Bakchis leaving a smoke trail for Vaughn Gittin Jr. to follow at Evergreen Speedway for Formula Drift Seattle.

Some slight contact between Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Odi Bakchis around the last corner at Formula Drift Seattle.

Mad Mike leaving the entire track covered in smoke during a one more time lead run against Forrest Wang.

His next time through on lead against Forrest on their 2nd OMT, and again with an entire track full of smoke.

Ryan Tuerck having some trouble during the round of 32 in Seattle.

Matt Field doing his best to obliterate tires.

Patrick Gooden leads while Fredric Aasbo shadows his every move at Formula Drift Seattle.

Fredric Aasbo leading through turn 1 at Formula Drift Seattle.

Michael Essa doing his best to mimic Fredric Aasbo in the 2nd to last corner at Evergreen Speedway.

Mad Mike's RADBUL getting a checkup during the 2 OMT battle with Forrest Wang.

Ryan Tuerck making sure he needs a new set of tires on his next run.

Chelsea Denofa chasing after Fredric Aasbo on the long banked turn 1.

Fredric Aasbo laying down a smokescreen just before the rain starts to fall at Evergreen Speedway during the round of 8.

Vaughn Gittin Jr. leading Mad Mike Whiddett through the end of turn 1 at Evergreen Speedway.

Kyle Mohan leads Alec Hohnadell close to the wall out of turn 1 at Evergreen Speedway.

Ryan Tuerck chasing after Geoff Stoneback during round of 32 in Seattle.

Ken Gushi's team working on his car between runs at FD Seattle.

Ken Gushi's FRS

Ryan Tuerck and Chris Forsberg having a great time at the autograph session.

Aasbo, Hohnadell and Pawlak round out the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places, respectively.

Lunar Eclipse and Blood Moon - 2015

April 04, 2015

Had the opportunity to photograph the Lunar Eclipse and Blood Moon this year. Drove out to Eastern Washington to escape the cloud cover hanging over the western part of the state. The results were pretty spectacular!

Fall in the Northwest

November 04, 2014

I love fall. The vibrant colors, the cool air, and the first flakes of snow make it one of if not my overall favorite season. Here are a few shots from the last few days in the pacific northwest.

People's Climate March, Seattle WA

September 22, 2014

I had the opportunity to participate in the Seattle People's Climate march on Sunday. It was a great turnout, especially as I had only just heard about it a couple days prior and I am sure others were in the same boat! I am also incredibly happy about the immense turnout in New York. With a UN summit occurring this week, hopefully some real and substantial changes begin to take hold. The status quo will not change without the actions of huge numbers of people. That is the only way to bring about the change in mindset and process that is required to create the necessary change.