Hello there! We are Rafe and Stephanie Grigar-the creative duo behind "What the Light Showed Me." We're passionate about everything related to dark skies, so when we came across this amazing opportunity, we knew we had to seize it and bring our dreams to life! Our expertise spans across various fields - from astrophotography, wildlife, and landscape photography to portrait photography, digital content creation, philosophy, poetry, and songwriting. On top of that, we're seasoned outdoors enthusiasts, equipped with a reliable vehicle and top-notch camping gear. I will do my best to keep this brief but I want to convey why we believe collaborating would be incredibly beneficial for both parties involved.
Our Ideal day of creating on your side of heaven would look thusly:
Morning: Wake up before the sun to capture the sunrise and accompanying wildlife. Usually we have some kind of meditation or mindfulness during this time. We would be happy to take folks out with us, on site to capture landscapes and wildlife as well. During this time we also search for interesting foreground for our astrophotography and night time lapse videos. During the heat of the day we will typically continue hunting for foreground, hiking, and usually some kind of nap so that we can stay up all night :)
Evenings: we like to be near to the location we have chosen for our nightly astrophotography session. Typically I have will have at least 5 cameras setup and running during this time. 2 cameras for a wide field time lapses, 1 camera for deep space imaging, 1 camera for astroportraits and general astrophotography, and then typically a “go pro” of some sort to record ourselves working and creating, as well as show the set and setting that we are working in, and provide a behind the scenes glimpse for folks that are interested in hiking/photographing/dark skies etc. This connection from the artist’s processes to the art tends to be a meaningful piece of the puzzle in connecting with audiences in our experience. Then, Depending on the night and if the moon is making an appearance we will typically stay up until 3-4am to make sure cameras are still capturing what we have them set on, take a quick siesta, then rinse and repeat.
Below you will find just a few of our favorite nightscapes, wildlife, astro portraiture, and general astrophotography.
As I’m sure your faculty is aware, our dark skies across the globe are disappearing rapidly. For me as a human, a dad, and an artist- this is a heartbreaking fact. There are stats that say that 90% of the global population has never seen the milky way, and that percentage is only going up as dark skies disappear. For me, my connection to the earth and my mental health are inextricably tied up in one another. The more time I spend IN the wilderness and UNDER dark skies, the more clearly I see my role on this planet.
My Outreach Proposal would involve a two forked approach:
1-
To raise awareness about as many of the incredibly unique aspects of Big Bend as possible through still images, video, as well as interviews and music written on site and inspired by our surroundings: from ecology, to wildlife, to the quality of air and darkness of the skies. As content creators and photography influencers, we feel we could offer a unique perspective in this approach that would both draw people to visit the park and teach them how important is is to tread delicately and interact harmoniously with the environment.
We would be more than happy to arrange demos and workshops on landscape, wildlife, and especially astrophotography (or even night sky observation for the laymen). We would also be happy to provide public mindfulness/meditation sessions throughout our stay if there is any interest.
2-
To create digital content as we experience our residency by documenting our time creating at Big Bend ignorer offer a realistic, hands on approach to potential future visitors, investors, and artists. We see this happening in the in a long form video form supplemented by stills. This approach offers both a valuable behind the scenes look at the creation of art inside of Big Bend, as well as the opportunity for potential visitors to get an idea of what they would need in order to enjoy the park more fully and safely. We are used to recording this content in a way that is accessible and enjoyable to the general public, therefore we feel like our creations could really benefit the Bend with tons of fresh, unique, multimodal content that could be used for years to come to show people the magic of Big Bend.
Below you will find some of our astro time lapse work!
PROSE/Journalism
Last spring on one of my first astrophotography expeditions I happened upon this barn at about 2am. I was immediately smitten. It was beautiful and only about an hour south of my house. It also had a very very very isolated road behind it with 0 traffic.
I always prefer to announce my presence, but sometimes at 2 am that’s not an option, so I stay on public spaces. I figured the roadway would be safe enough and I got one of my first shots That I was really proud of shooting with this barn. After getting a few shots of the barn I went to the road behind and got some really decent milky way shots, especially for being so close to home.
I visited the barn and the road a few more times, but could never get there early enough to introduce myself to the folks that lived adjacent to the barn (opposite side of the street).
Fast forward to now:
I hadn’t been there since last year so Monday night I took off before sunset with the mission of meeting the barn owners before bedtime. Sure enough, as I crested the hill that led to the barn I could see two trucks in the driveway. Success. As I walked up the driveway I started to rehearse the conversation in my head
“hello, you don’t know me, I’m not selling anything. May I take pictures of your barn and then hang out on the road behind your house all night?”
There had to be a better way to say it. I rang the doorbell while still deep in thought of how to initiate this conversation.
The door opened much more quickly than I would have anticipated and I was greeted by a tall older man in his mid to late 70’s. As he cautiously cracked the storm door a ball of fur escaped between the crack, through my legs, and out into the yard. It was a BEAUTIFUL tri colored Australian Shepherd.
I learned quickly that the homeowner’s name was Perry and his pups name was “Mick”, as in “dundee.” I loved them already. Mick and I were almost immediately engaged in a decent wrestling match in the grass as he lapped up the attention. Perry told me that she was especially excited to have company because he hadn’t been feeling well and It had been a few days since he’d felt up to playing fetch.
Then it hit me….
“Would you be willing to trade 30 minutes of fetch for permission to take pictures of your barn after the sunsets?”
“The old barn there? You want pictures of it???”
“To be honest, it won’t be my first time taking pictures of your barn, but it will be my first time stepping foot on your property. I’m a big fan of your barn!”
I showed him the shot I had gotten a year prior.
He looked up at me and said “I can’t believe that’s my old barn. My goodness. You are more than welcome anytime you want here and behind the property. Is there any way you could get that picture to me?”
The smile on his face made me very happy. I told him I’d absolutely give him any picture he wants. He gave me his email address and phone number and said I was welcome anytime. After a long game of fetch I bid Mick and Perry a fantastic evening and thanked them for their hospitality.
Today I ordered Perry and Mick a nice canvas print of this shot. I’m excited to see his face when I pull up next time with my pups to give Mick some company while I shoot and a big ole canvas that Perry can hang above his couch of his “ugly” barn.