This photograph of Mount Fuji San holds a special place in my soul. I previsualized it half way around the World in Canada before flying to Japan to capture it during the Geminid Meteor Shower. I rented a car and searched all around the mountain for 4 days to find the the perfect place to photograph the Geminids over Mount Fuji with no light pollution. I discovered that finding a perfect night sky photograph location devoid of man made light pollution near Fuji San is impossible. I looked everywhere! But, I finally settled on this beach along the shoreline of Kawaguchi Go for the show.
I set my camera up as the last light from blue hour faded and waited with a full battery pack and freshly formatted empty memory card shooting continuous hoping for that perfect shot. I had gambled on a trip around the World for perfection, and now it all came down to luck. But luck has a funny way of finding those are prepared.
Three times during the night the entire night sky was lit up three times by an especially bright meteor in amongst the hundreds that entered our planet’s atmosphere that night. While reviewing my images the next morning I saw one meteor half entering the from the left. Then I found another leaving the frame on the right. And then, The perfect meteor entered the atmosphere directly over Mount Fuji.
And, to top it off, the meteor started it’s entry into our home World from the constellation of Orion and his sword. This is Orion’s Light Saber!!
Luck? No. I planned this photograph for a month on the other side of the planet before flying across our largest Ocean to seek out a tiny little beach on the side of a lake where I *MIGHT* get a good shot. Luck finds those who are prepared! And, I want to share this once in a lifetime gift with you.
