Sometimes, our plans work out the way we want, and those are the days we will remember forever. In October, I went to Oregon for one week of photography. I spent the first two days alone at Crater Lake National Park and then on the coast with other people.

I briefly visited Crater Lake 18 years ago, and from that moment on, I always wanted to return with my camera to capture its beauty. So, this time, I planned to spend two days there and was hoping to get good conditions for a nighttime capture of the lake.

Two days before leaving, the forecast was very promising, but they were promising that I would have only one night of clear sky. And that was the night I was planning to get there from Virginia. The trip included two flights with a connection in Chicago and then driving 4 hours from Portland to the place where I rented a cabin and then driving up to the lake (another hour's drive). So, I woke up at 4 am to catch the flight from Roanoke to Chicago and from Chicago to Portland. Surprisingly, no delays or other issues were encountered.

The rental car pickup was also smooth, and I was on my way as planned. The drive to Crater Lake was also without any issues, although at a certain point, smoke from an old fire worried me about getting hazed on the lake.

I arrived at the camp on time to check in, and after dropping my stuff, I started my drive to the lake, where I arrived 20 minutes before sunset. To my surprise, there were already a few people there, some with cameras, some just with binoculars. After chatting with them, I realized they were there because the comet Atlas would have been visible that night! Sometimes, all the planets and the stars align, and we have our lucky day.

Indeed, that night, the moon also lit the lake from one side, creating the perfect combination of light for the kind of photo I had in mind. I had time to look around, set my tripod a little bit away and in a lower position on the ground than the others (we always aim to get something different from others), and then I just had to wait.

I took only 10 pictures that evening because the beautiful spectacle Mother Nature was presenting deserved to be watched in silence and with respect. Here is the one I chose to remember that evening.