I don’t do a lot of selfies, but I made an exception at the recent Grand Canyon Star Party. The Milky Way there is bar none the best I’ve seen naked eye, or photographically. It’s a dark sky park certified by the IDA (International Dark-Sky Association), and at the South Rim we are at an altitude of about 7,000 feet where the air is thin, and you feel like you are walking among the stars at night. The dark lanes are ghostly and ethereal, as is the glow of billions of tiny stars, each of which alone is invisible, but together they sing a heavenly chorus that has been heard by countless generations of mankind in every culture on Earth.
For this “selfie”, I set up my Canon EOS Ra on a tripod with a remote release. I set it for 10 seconds, at ISO 800, with a 35mm Tamron f/1.4 lens wide open. A friend pushed the button once I had climbed a rock at Mather Point and spread out my arms to heaven. That night, the Milky Way was MINE. It can be yours too! You just need a dark sky, and maybe a small rock to stand on to get just a little closer 😉