The Darker The Night, The Brighter The Stars

from Welcome Home to Pontotoc 2021

Lively Lake

BY DAVID HELMS | Photography by Dr. Terry Wood

Milky Way shines over barn in Highway 6 East.

Most photographers—regardless of their level of expertise—are always looking for that perfect light in which to take a beauti-

ful picture.

Dr. Terry Wood, of Pontotoc, is no exception to that quest.

Wood has literally taken a million pictures over the past 10 years. And to him, photography is more than a hobby. It’s a passion.

In his travels he has taken spectacular photographs of cities, iconic landmarks, landscapes, beautiful architecture and wildlife in Iceland, Canada, Italy, Spain, Germany, England, Scotland, Austria, Czech Republic, Sweden and Nicaragua. He has photographed hundreds of sunsets in the Rocky Mountains, Yellowstone National Park, Glacier National Park and Banff National Park in Canada.

But his passion for photography is not all about finding the perfect light.

That’s because Wood also loves astrophotography (also known as astronomical imaging), which is photography of astronomical objects, celestial events, and areas of the night sky.

Dr. Terry Wood readys for another photoshoot.

Wood has taken pictures of the sun, the moon, comets and eclipses, but his favorite astrophotography subject is the Milky Way.

And photographing the Milky Way means finding the perfect darkness.

“To photograph the Milky Way you must find a place that’s totally dark,” Wood stressed. “And it also means no moon and no clouds in the sky. The only light you want is the lights of the Milky Way.”

“The darkest place around here to get the best pictures of the Milky Way is around the Randolph area.”

The need for darkness is not the only limiting factor in photographing parts of the galaxy.

“The Milky Way is more visible at different times of the year,” he explained. “In the winter time, say November to February, you can’t see it. But in March your opportunities begin and you need good views of the sky in the southeast and southwest.”

“The best months for shooting the Milky Way are June, July, August and September. In the spring you get your best pictures at 4 a.m. to 5 a.m., in the summer it’s best to shoot from 10:30 p.m. to 2 a.m,., but in the fall you can get good photographs between 8:30 and 10 p.m.”

“Some people get seriously into astrophotography, utilizing big telescopes. But I just use a big wide angle lens and expose my pictures for about 25 seconds.”

Wood said he’s careful not to trespass on someone’s property in his search for astrophotography locations.

“I get landowner’s permission to take pictures on their place. It’s not as simple as just going outside and shooting pictures. All the right conditions have to come together.”

Milky Way at Zion National Park in Utah Milky Way over Randolph cotton field.

“I’m always looking for something picturesque locally to showcase along with the Milky Way. I love taking pictures of of the Milky Way over Lochinvar. It’s such a beautiful, historic place and the lake they built gives you great reflection. It’s really neat.”

“There are some churches and other places I’d love to include in some Milky Way pictures but there’s just too much exterior light, it’s not dark enough.”

Wood said he does rely on some computer technology to help him monitor the Milky Way and other celestial events.

“I have a program on my computer that helps pinpoint where the Milky Way is going to be visible based on my location. It will show me the direction at various times. I have to keep track of the moon cycles. I plan a lot of my trips around when the visibility of the Milky Way is going to be good.”

Who would have ever thought that some new technology would help keep a fellow in the dark.