06/17/2026
Scott Randolph - Resident Artist
Photographing the Milky Way is always thrilling, but it comes with its share of challenges. Finding truly dark skies, the right subject, and perfect timing is no easy feat. On this night, however, conditions aligned—it was a new moon, the sky was clear, and I was set up before midnight, less than 300 feet from the road.
Getting there was an adventure in itself. Walking through the Everglades at night meant wading through 20 inches of water, swatting away relentless mosquitoes, and carefully carrying my camera gear, tripod, and even a ladder through the wetlands. The sounds of the night echoed across the dark water, every splash and rustle heightened in the stillness.
But once everything was in place and I looked through the viewfinder, all those challenges melted away. The Milky Way stretched overhead in a brilliant arc, mirrored faintly in the water below—a reminder that sometimes the most rewarding moments come only after stepping far out of your comfort zone.
📷 TAMIAMI TRAIL MILKY WAY © 2019 | Scott Randolph | Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida