Mountain Life
  • Daily Content
    • Trips & Expeditions
    • Climbing
    • Mountain Biking
    • Mountain Lifer
    • Multiplicity
    • On The Trail
    • Paddling
    • Photography
    • Skiing
    • Snowboarding
    • Stay & Play
    • Surfing
    • The Great Outdoors
    • The ML Interview
    • Travel
  • GEAR
  • VIDEOS
  • STORE
  • Magazines
    • ML Coast Mountains
    • ML Rocky Mountains
    • Vie En Montagne
    • ML Blue Mountains
    • ML Annual
    • ML Subscriptions
  • ABOUT
    • What is ML?
    • Our Team
    • Newsletter
    • Adventure Grant
    • Distribution
  • Podcast
  • Contests
  • CONTACT
    • ML Agency
    • Advertising
    • Contribute
Subscription Form

Get notified of the best News

Social Links
Instagram 22K Followers
Facebook 25K Likes
Twitter 5K Followers
Pinterest 1K Followers
Vimeo 34 Followers
LinkedIn 0
22K Followers
25K Likes
5K Followers
1K Followers
Mountain Life
Mountain Life
  • Daily Content
    • Trips & Expeditions
    • Climbing
    • Mountain Biking
    • Mountain Lifer
    • Multiplicity
    • On The Trail
    • Paddling
    • Photography
    • Skiing
    • Snowboarding
    • Stay & Play
    • Surfing
    • The Great Outdoors
    • The ML Interview
    • Travel
  • GEAR
  • VIDEOS
  • STORE
  • Magazines
    • ML Coast Mountains
    • ML Rocky Mountains
    • Vie En Montagne
    • ML Blue Mountains
    • ML Annual
    • ML Subscriptions
  • ABOUT
    • What is ML?
    • Our Team
    • Newsletter
    • Adventure Grant
    • Distribution
  • Podcast
  • Contests
  • CONTACT
    • ML Agency
    • Advertising
    • Contribute
  • MULTIPLICITY
  • The ML Interview

MULTIPLICITY Spotlight: David McColm, Deep Passion for Deep Sky

  • March 31, 2015
  • Ben Osborne
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0
0
0
0
Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0
Share 0
Share 0

We’ve talked to David McColm, AKA the Nightwatchman, not too long ago. A man that suffers through the late night cold and snow in search of his prize: breathtaking photos of the sky. The Milky Way, sunrises, the path of the Moon, and most recently, the Northern Lights that made it down to our celestial viewpoint not too long ago.  On the night of MULTIPLICITY (for which you can buy tickets here) you can expect David to explain what goes on behind the scenes for one of his teeth-chattering sessions with jaw-dropping results, and 7 lessons he’s learned over the years when it comes to capturing the beauty hidden above us.

-2

ML: First off, talk the reader through a typical set up and execution of these iconic photographs.

David: There are probably two main types of setups I go through when going out on a shoot – the planned shoots vs the spontaneous (run & gun!) shoots!  The latter is quick & easy to describe.  For shooting (mostly) unforeseen events like the aurora borealis, I simply have my camera & other gear packed (usually already in the car) & ready to go at a moment’s notice.  So when I get a “notification” or simply an idea that the aurora might be visible, I roll out of bed, get dressed and head to the car and to a couple of pre-determined locations.  And then comes the part that can take some patience since I might be out there for hours waiting for the light show to begin.  And fortunately, sometimes it does!

-4

The other type of shoot involves planning & factoring in things like the weather, how the clouds are “behaving”, the kind of access I have to a location (be it hiking, skiing, sledding, snowshoeing and/or lifts, etc), snow conditions, the moon phase, the camera gear I have at my disposal (for some shoots I’ll borrow a specific lens from Nikon), and so forth. Then all of that gets factored in to the kind of image or time lapse I’m trying to capture.  I have a revolving bucket list of images I’m trying for that I can only hope to capture when certain conditions all come together.  And then it’s ‘simply’ of matter of getting out there and hoping that I don’t mess it up!

ML: Do these photo adventures mess up any of your day-to-day routines, or is there enough going on that you have become a night owl?

There’s no question that being a predominantly night sky photographer plays havoc on many aspects of one’s life.  Maybe first & foremost, it’s not always the healthiest lifestyle, in that it messes with your sleep patterns; maybe counter-intuitively, it’s difficult to get proper exercise; eating habits can get weird & simply bad; and your social life … wait, what social life ?  Haha! But at the end of day, when you capture that shot, yes, it’s all worth it!  

-3

ML: How on Earth did you get into this? Not every photographer decides to stay up all night for one picture.

As far back as my memory goes I’ve been enthralled by the night sky, space travel…  So once digital camera technology had advanced to the point that I could shoot that place – space! – well, and available for a reasonable amount of money, I was ‘all in’!  I guess I’m still just that kid at heart – but now with a fancy camera to play with…

Tickets for MULTIPLICITY are still available.

Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0
Share 0
Share 0
Related Topics
  • David McColm
  • MULTIPLICITY
  • WSSF
Ben Osborne

Previous Article
  • Stay & Play

JumpCamp: Last Tribe Standing at Forbidden Plateau

  • March 30, 2015
  • Ned Morgan
View Post
Next Article
  • MULTIPLICITY
  • The ML Interview

MULTIPLICITY Spotlight: Darcy Turenne, Behind the Lens, In Front of the World

  • April 2, 2015
  • Ben Osborne
View Post
You May Also Like
Caroline-Cote-Antarctica
View Post
  • The ML Interview
  • Trips & Expeditions

Caroline Côté en mission solo jusqu’au pôle Sud pour sensibiliser à la fragilité de nos hivers

  • Mountain Life Media
  • November 10, 2022
Caroline-Cote-Antarctica
View Post
  • The ML Interview
  • Trips & Expeditions

Caroline Côté’s South Pole Solo Mission to Raise Awareness of our Fragile Winters

  • Ned Morgan
  • October 28, 2022
Canadian-Museum-of-Nature-Arctic-diving-expedition-Savoie-and-colleague
View Post
  • Mountain Lifer
  • The ML Interview
  • Trips & Expeditions

Searching for Kelp Forests and other ‘Marine Superstars’ in Canada’s Western Arctic

  • Mountain Life Media
  • September 13, 2022
Jamie-Mocrazy-portrait
View Post
  • Mountain Lifer
  • Skiing
  • The ML Interview

Jamie MoCrazy: Thriving after Traumatic Brain Injury

  • Mountain Life Media
  • May 17, 2022
Helly-Hansen-search-and-rescue-helping-hand-OVERBECK_HH-SAR_4503
View Post
  • Mountain Lifer
  • The ML Interview
  • Videos

Friday Flick: What it Means to be a Search & Rescue Responder

  • Mountain Life Media
  • April 29, 2022
Greg-Hill-solo-touring-Selkirks-Revy-BC
View Post
  • Skiing
  • The ML Interview
  • Travel
  • Trips & Expeditions

Greening the Revy Backcountry with Greg Hill

  • Ned Morgan
  • March 14, 2022
Spencer-OBrien
View Post
  • Snowboarding
  • The ML Interview

Friday Flick: Precious Leader Woman

  • Mountain Life Media
  • February 25, 2022
ML-CM-cover-graphic
View Post
  • Features
  • Mountain Lifer
  • On The Trail
  • Photography
  • Skiing
  • Snowboarding
  • Stay & Play
  • The ML Interview
  • Travel
  • Trips & Expeditions

ML Coast Mountains: The Optimism Issue – Out Now

  • Mountain Life Media
  • February 11, 2022

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Featured Posts
  • Fjallraven-Nuuk-Parka-daniel-blom-photo_jacket 1
    Gear Shed: Multisport Winter Roundup
    • January 26, 2023
  • Brian-Hockenstein-surfing-Iceland-water-and-ice-ML 2
    In the Land of Water & Ice
    • January 24, 2023
  • Marie-Pier-Desharnais-A-Womans-Experience-on-K2-flag-crop 3
    Marie-Pier Desharnais: A Woman’s Experience on K2
    • January 23, 2023
  • Paul-Manning-Hunter-Kananaskis-River-surf 4
    Behind the Photo: Rockies Edition
    • January 19, 2023
  • knorthphotography.Beverly-Glenn Copeland-crop 5
    Beverly Glenn-Copeland: Finding the Universal Broadcast
    • January 17, 2023
RECENT POSTS
  • Wachs_Fairly-Mellow
    Friday Flick: “Fairly Mellow” at Fairy Meadow Hut
    • January 20, 2023
  • Season-Pass-Skis-and-Splitboard-both
    Gear Shed: New Season Pass Skis + Splitboard Exclusive to evo
    • January 15, 2023
  • Vincent-Colliart-Caroline-Cote-antarctica-sunset
    Canadian Explorer Caroline Côté Reaches South Pole in Record 34 Days
    • January 13, 2023
Social Links
Instagram 22K Followers
Facebook 25K Likes
Twitter 5K Followers
Pinterest 1K Followers
Vimeo 34 Followers
LinkedIn 0
INSTAGRAM
mountainlifemedia
22K Followers
ML staff and gear partners highlight the latest jackets, boards, crampons, hoodies, insoles and bindings in alpha order. #Linkinbio to learn more!
Adventures like this one require an inspiring team. @timemmett is a longtime friend, adventure partner and extraordinary human; an explorer, pro climber, surfer, freediver—you name it. @luca.freediver is an incredibly talented freediver, fresh off breaking the Canadian national freediving record (85 metres). The fourth man on the team, @brianhockenstein, is a filmmaker and multi-talented snowboarder always ready to jump into the fray and capture the magic. - words Jimmy Martinello. #Linkinbio to learn more!
We came in search of the connection of the human spirit to both art and adventure, whether climbing from the depths of moulins and ice caves, breaking through ice while paddleboarding fjords, climbing icebergs, freediving between tectonic plates or surfing cold waves.
A thousand and one things could have gone wrong, but she made it to the top:  @mariepier.desharnais is the first Quebecois woman to climb K2.
Mountain Life is a proud member of the @printreleaf_ community. So far we've offset our print by having 1,737 trees reforested since joining in 2019! 🌲
GUESS WHAT! It's FRIDAY! Here's a flick to kick off the weekend for all you warriors.
Behind the scenes of three action photos from ML’s Rocky Mountains edition.
The @banffmountainfestival 2023 Signature Image Search is on🚨
In 1986 @beverlyglenncopeland recorded Keyboard Fantasies using an Atari computer, a keyboard and a drum machine. After releasing it on cassette and selling maybe 50 copies, he went back to writing for Sesame Street and making the odd guest appearance on Mr. Dressup. In 2015, a cassette made its way to Japanese collector Ryota Masuko, a record store owner with a big online presence, who quickly bought, and then sold, all the Keyboard Fantasies cassettes he could find. Record labels worldwide lined up to reissue the hidden gem on vinyl.
MUSIC SERIES TICKET SALE IS NOW LIVE 🗣️
Follow

Subscribe

Subscribe now to our newsletter

ML staff and gear partners highlight the latest jackets, boards, crampons, hoodies, insoles and bindings in alpha order. #Linkinbio to learn more!
Adventures like this one require an inspiring team. @timemmett is a longtime friend, adventure partner and extraordinary human; an explorer, pro climber, surfer, freediver—you name it. @luca.freediver is an incredibly talented freediver, fresh off breaking the Canadian national freediving record (85 metres). The fourth man on the team, @brianhockenstein, is a filmmaker and multi-talented snowboarder always ready to jump into the fray and capture the magic. - words Jimmy Martinello. #Linkinbio to learn more!
We came in search of the connection of the human spirit to both art and adventure, whether climbing from the depths of moulins and ice caves, breaking through ice while paddleboarding fjords, climbing icebergs, freediving between tectonic plates or surfing cold waves.
A thousand and one things could have gone wrong, but she made it to the top:  @mariepier.desharnais is the first Quebecois woman to climb K2.
Mountain Life is a proud member of the @printreleaf_ community. So far we've offset our print by having 1,737 trees reforested since joining in 2019! 🌲
GUESS WHAT! It's FRIDAY! Here's a flick to kick off the weekend for all you warriors.
Mountain Life
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Advertising

Input your search keywords and press Enter.