Dave McCaskill
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davemccaskill.art
Dave McCaskill
@davemccaskill.art
photography, wine, craft beer, cooking, dogs, apparently a curmudgeon based in Indianapolis, IN.

http://davemccaskill.art
Just in time for Cyber Monday, go check out my 2026 calendar of night photography around the Midwest. Mostly shots of the Milky Way, with some star trails and Aurora Borealis thrown in for good measure.

www.etsy.com/listing/4414...

#supportsmallbusiness
November 30, 2025 at 7:40 PM
This is a bittersweet photo. This was Peanut’s orthopedic bed. It got him through the last couple of years of his life before we lost him 5 months ago at the ripe old age of 17.

Gizmo finally feels like he can make it his own. Somewhere Peanut is looking on with his goofy smile.

#rescuedogs
November 25, 2025 at 12:46 AM
I’m sensing a pattern in my winter reading list…

#photographersUnited
November 20, 2025 at 4:49 PM
I regret not going out 2 nights ago to shoot the aurora. Last night despite challenging conditions I managed to catch it with a time lapse in Brown Co St Park south of Indianapolis. Still trying to figure out a glitch with my intervalometer, but I'm still pleased with this.

youtu.be/xySwMQA0a48?...
aurora borealis captured in Brown County State Park
YouTube video by Dave McCaskill
youtu.be
November 14, 2025 at 1:51 AM
I took advantage of clear weather a couple of nights ago to photograph Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon). I could have used a longer lens to highlight the comet, but I prefer to show it in context of the surrounding landscape. Cold, windy, and the windmills were spinning.

#PhotographersUnited
#Indiana
October 25, 2025 at 10:45 PM
Not sure how this is going to post on Bsky, but here we go.

The Milky Way really put on a show a couple of nights ago at Brown Co St Park, IN. Not bad for a Bortle 4 area.

3 image vertical pano with 8 stacked images in each spot. (click for the full image)

#photographersUnited
#astrophotography
September 20, 2025 at 10:46 PM
A free bag of popcorn AND a coupon for getting vaccinated? Holy shit. What a great deal. Woohoo!

#fluseason
#covid
#vaccines
September 4, 2025 at 2:31 PM
This is my first astro time lapse video, and it was a holy grail time lapse to boot. The 2nd night I camped at Garden of the Gods in Shawnee Nat Forest the weather was perfect. 3 hours, 1 photo every 20 sec.

#MilkyWay
#PhotographersUnited
September 2, 2025 at 11:06 PM
I spent 3 nights camping in SE Illinois last week, looking to photograph the Milky Way. This was the first night, from a spot where I had photographed before.

#photographersUnited
September 1, 2025 at 10:37 PM
The sunset last night at Garden of the Gods in Shawnee National Forest in IL did not disappoint. You can just see the waxing crescent moon getting ready to set.

#photographersUnited
August 26, 2025 at 2:27 PM
I recently spent 3 days camping up in Door Co. WI. Hoping to get Milky Way photos, but the weather didn't cooperate.

This is the next best thing, my first star trails photo of Eagle Bluff Lighthouse in Peninsula State Park. Already planning for my trip next year though.

#PhotographersUnited
August 6, 2025 at 10:09 PM
“Go up to Door Co, WI” they said.

“They have an Internationally Certified Dark Sky Park”. (that closes at 11:00pm 🙄).

Last 2 nights. Hazy, cloudy, foggy, and windy as f*.

*sigh*

When the weather doesn’t cooperate, adapt and pivot. 😎

#PhotographersUnited
July 31, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Northern Wisconsin isn’t too shabby. Nothin’ more to say. That’s the post.

#PhotographersUnited
July 30, 2025 at 5:00 PM
So Final Fridays a couple of nights ago was a bust. Storms came in and the organizers cancelled the outdoor events. *sigh*

As a consolation, here's another Milky Way shot from Garden of the Gods, IL a couple of weeks ago.

#PhotographersUnited
July 27, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Come see me! This Friday. 😊

Final Friday in Old Town Greenwood, IN. I'll be on the north side of Main St.

Come chat and hang out. Take a look at my photos in print. They look a lot better in print than they do on social media.

#PhotographersUnited

www.restoreoldtowngreenwood.org/finalfridays
July 21, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Reposted by Dave McCaskill
Americans have really got to unlearn the propagandist indoctrination that socialism is bad.

It means that everyone has what they need, resources are shared, and we care for the earth & those around us.

We've been taught to hate it so capitalists can keep exploiting us and working us to death.
July 5, 2025 at 11:13 AM
I spent a few hours last night SW of Bloomington IN photographing the Milky Way. This was about an hour before official moonset @ 12:45 am. I wish I could say that I had planned the MW on the left side of the image, but I was just hoping to get an image of the fog rolling in. 😁

#photographersunited
July 4, 2025 at 4:56 PM
This is awesome. 😎
I got permission to share this, and I'm extremely grateful for that.

The Onion got this letter from one of our subscribers in Alaska. She works with dementia patients and decided to leave a copy in the car for each one.

This email made my year. Read it and you'll see what I mean. People are good.
July 1, 2025 at 11:05 PM
New blog post on losing Peanut, our rescue dog.

TL/DR: he gave us over 8 years of joy from his 16-17 years on this earth.

We'll always miss his goofy smile and unbridled joy of living. He was the best rescue we could hope for

www.davemccaskill.art/2025/06/the-...

#rescuedogs
#puppy
#whosagoodboy
June 29, 2025 at 2:52 PM
I managed to get my first Milky Way panorama done at Garden of the Gods, IL before I had to cut my trip short for "reasons".

Each trip out shooting in the dark is a learning experience (watch your camera bag so your lens cap doesn't roll out and bounce away down a cliff).

#PhotographersofBlueSky
June 27, 2025 at 9:38 PM
My “office view” this morning.

Garden of the Gods in IL.

I spent a couple of hours in this spot last night photographing the Milky Way. I’ll probably come back tonight and fix the mistakes I made last night.

#PhotographersUnited
June 26, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Leadplant (Amorpha canescens) is one my favorite native plants in the Midwest.

Once it's established (2 years or so), it can live for decades. Very low maintenance, its tap root can reach up to 10 ft deep. This time of year it's covered in deep purple and yellow flowers.

#PhotographersUnited
June 18, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Nothing to see here. Just a happy little mushroom living its best life.

#PhotographersUnited
June 16, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Posting for no particular reason a photo of my dad. He piloted night missions in Halifax and Lancaster bombers for the RCAF in WW2 over Germany. Not more than 24 years old in this photo. Reading his flight logs is chilling.

One of the OG antifa MF’s who first saved us from fascism.

#NoKings
June 14, 2025 at 12:10 PM