Ballarat by Night

Ballarat by Night

by Jay Lawrence

So, what do you do when you have a special piece of photographic gear on loan, you need a really dark sky, some interesting foreground possibilities and the only new moon is right around the corner? Obviously, if you are Stan Sholik, longtime Desert Explorer, photographer and author, you head for Ballarat. Never mind that temps in the area are projected to be 120°+ for the next week. Prep the truck and try not to do anything too stupid. A breakdown could be ugly. No questionable rock crawling, no weird trails, just get the shots and stay hydrated.