I'm Phil Mosby. Almost 2 years ago I quit my comfy web dev job so I could live out of my van and shoot astro-landscape photos full time. This last July, thanks in large part to Reddit, I was able to hang one of my pieces at the James Webb Space Te...

Ngl, I read the title as 'I'm Mr Moseby'. In light of this, what are your thoughts on running in the lobby?

Not in my lobby.

How's your brother Ted?

Classic Schmosby. It's funny how many HIMYM comments I get on Reddit.

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Edit: Of all the comments to gild. Thanks ya honorary Schmosby.

You know, Mosbius Photography has a nice ring to it.

In all seriousness though, great job on the astro photography and congrats on living out the dream!

Thanks!

How many times do you get 'Classic Schmosby' because that's what I was coming to comment...

Almost every time I post on Reddit :)

Hello Mr. Mosby, what is your policy on running in your lobby?

Had to google that one. Turns out I'm against it.

Have you ever shit in a bag? I'm quite familiar with van life. It's not glamorous, as much as Instagram models would like you to believe.

haha no I have not. But I own some of these throwaway "portable toilet bags" that you can buy ... just never had to use them (knock on wood).

Agreed, it's definitely not all glamorous, but the freedom is awesome.

I've done it a few times, they're not that bad. Carrying it around with you afterward though...

Haha I bet

Is it an astrovan? If not, do you call it that anyways?

Hahaha .. no it's not, and I can't believe i've never thought of that. I call it the "Time Machine" because ... when out travelling, I never have the excuse of "Not enough time to stop". With a van, you can sleep pretty much anywhere, and it takes away a lot of the normal travel pressure that would otherwise be an impetus for passing by potential adventures or photo ops.

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She's a Chevrolet Express 1500, btw.

Describe how the van smells, please.

Not bad. I keep it pretty clean most of the time, and I don't let dirty laundry pile up.It's such a small space it can get messy reallllly fast so you gotta stay on top of it.

Dude I know you! We used to work for a company in Reno together for a little bit, right?

Hah yes indeed ... does your name start with a J? Did you move to San Diego? I think I know who this be!

Yep, you got it.

I just moved to Phoenix for a new job. Started 3 weeks ago.

I've actually lived out of my car at 2 different times in my life, and it actually wasn't bad at all!

I'm at work right now, but when I get home, I'll read your whole post and stuff.

Hope the new job / move works out for ya man. Good to hear from you, now I know your reddit username so I'll be keeping my eye out for you!

How long did you plan this while working your dev job?

I thought about it for a few years, and I was actively shooting that whole time on the side. But I really started to plan it for about the last year I was there. Maybe 9 months. And in the last 6 months I put things into overdrive, saving every penny I could, getting the van ready, cancelling my lease, etc.

I highly respect your dedication to doing what you love doing in life. Carry on and I hope you succeed beyond what you’re expecting.

Thank you.

Are you just bill Cosby living off the grid now?

Shhhhhhh

What is your advice for people stuck in shitty jobs that want to change their life like you did?

Make an escape plan, and then do it. It really helps that I already knew what direction I wanted to go in. The "What" was never a question for me, I just had to figure out the "How" (and I still am!)

Edit: To add something besides just motivational platitudes: Before doing this I really considered what the WORST thing that could happen was, and I weighed that against the thought of dying an old man without ever trying to fulfill my dreams. There was no question which was "worse".

This is the hardest path I've ever walked, but like I said I've not regretted it for a single second, and I can't imagine any amount of money luring me back to the desk.

I think the biggest obstacle for anyone in this situation is finance. I know it's quite a personal question but how much did you save before pushing the big red button and quitting?

Less than $10k.

After buying the van and having equipment and such, I presume.

Right. That was pure "living" money.

I think even more important than that is how much money is there for you to rely on in your future.

I had friends who did this sort of thing and all of them had serious insurance in the form of well off parents.

I'm not saying this is that situation but it sure is nice knowing if everything falls apart you can move into the mother in law unit and regroup.

My family is not at all "well off", but they are supportive and they won't let me go homeless or starve should it come down to it. I am blessed for sure.

Do you think alien life forms exist beyond earth? If so, do you think we can make contact with them before both you and I die?

Yes. Yes I do believe they most likely, in all probability, in some form, exist.

No, I don't think we'll make the kind of contact where all of humanity now knows "there are aliens!" before you or I die.

THAT BEING SAID - there was a 24 hour period about a year ago where I thought I had captured something ALIEN in nature, and I was actually creeped out about sleeping in the woods for a minute there.

Let me see if I can dig it up ...

Ok so last year while camping, I captured what I deemed a "double pulse meteor" and posted about it on /r/astronomy: https://www.reddit.com/r/Astronomy/comments/6pci8q/interesting_double_pulse_meteor_ive_captured_many/

Most people told me it was an iridium satellite, but I also noticed that it had gotten cross posted to a ufo subreddit, and people over there were saying "ohhh see this kind of thing is really ufo's sometimes..."

I literally didn't think anything of it, just shrugged it off because ... ya know ... Internet. But then, the next day I was looking through photos that I took at almost the same spot but the morning after the double pulse ... and I came across this ... https://i.imgur.com/WQOd0jk.jpg

Just ... zoom in on the top left corner of that photo and tell me that's not a flying saucer.

Spoiler: In subsequent photos, it is clearly an airplane, but for about a day there I questioned everything I thought I knew about the world. It was sweet.

Is that last photo the right link? I don't see anything there...

Yeah it's the right link. Gotta zoom WAAAAY in.

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Ah fine I'll do it for ya: https://i.imgur.com/3uKMVcA.jpg

Holy shit, insane catch

When I first saw that, I was almost done editing the photo and thought it was just a spec of dust that needed to be removed with the healing brush tool. But RIGHT as I was about to get rid of it ... I zoomed in. Felt a legit chill down my spine.

Do you have any regrets?

I wish I would have used the super sweet dental insurance that I had at the corporate job more wisely. I believe I got $2k / year and that last year I didn't even go in for a cleaning. Smh.

Also, how do you brush your teeth since your in a van?

I have two five gallon water containers that are usually full. I brush. I rinse. I spit. :)

Are you generally taking Navy showers? Tell us more about the logistics of the van.

I live in Lake Tahoe, so there are days when I'll rinse off in the lake and forego a "real" shower, but most days I use those at a local campground early in the morning. I drop my dollar and no one seems to mind or notice.

Man that is fantastic. I grew up going to a lake and for my money a rinse in the lake was as good as gold. Shower 2-3 times a week.

Heck yeah.

Opinion on pineapple on pizza?

I know this will be a very unpopular opinion, but: I can take it or leave it. I won't turn down pizza because of some fruit, but I don't order it that way myself.

What did you like/dislike the most about being a developer? Was there any specific event you can remember that made you start focusing on changing careers?

I did freelance for most of my adult life, and it was fine although the lulls between jobs occasionally got me down, and I never really got good at bidding / estimating jobs, so I finally decided to go the "corporate" route. I liked it a lot for the first few years, but eventually the forced hours at the desk reallllllly started to bring me down. I was already shooting photos constantly and building my business on the side, and that last year of web dev all I could think about when I was at my desk was making my escape and doing photography full time.

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Days when there was interesting light or weather going on outside and I was stuck inside were like murder at the end. I know many, many people can relate. I planned for my "new life" for about 6 -9 months before pulling the trigger and quitting.

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The thing I like most about web design / dev is the problem solving and the creativity, and now when I do some web development for my own business I truly enjoy it.

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It's nice to know I have it as a backup option, but I hope to never have to do so.

I am a software engineer intern and I feel like software engineers burn out around 35 or so (I have 25 coworkers and none are older than 35) then pursue other opportunities. So good on you, I have always enjoyed creating things so I think I have found my initial calling. I really enjoy your hexagon artwork and truly plan on purchasing one once I have more financial freedom.

Anyway, your whole situation is very interesting and reassuring. I hope I don't burn out but I hope that if I do I can follow in your footsteps and pursue a passion aftwords.

Best of luck.

Thanks for the good words. Honestly though, although I was a bit burned out on web dev, it was more passion for photography that drove me to quit the job and pursue this path. I could have more or less happily stayed in that position for a long time if I wasn't obsessed with something else.

WOW you are living the dream! I'm a web developer and I'm just starting to get into astrophotography. How amazing that it's now your profession, so happy for you!

I'm pretty sure you saved up before you quit your job. How long did you calculate the money should last you?

I realllllllly didn't know how long it would last, and I was overly optimistic about how quickly I'd be making "good money" haha. I did what anyone would do though, added up my monthly bills (which even without rent are close to $1k) and went from there. Awesome that you are getting into astro photography, feel free to drop me a pm sometime once my inbox cools down if you have any questions or just want to talk shop.

What were some ways you found to boost your art following before you had enough of a one to take the plunge?

Step one: You need a way to capture those "leads" and let people start following you. Social media is important, and I mainly use Facebook and Instagram , however you're at the mercy of those platforms, and neither one will give you "full access" to your own followers. The most important thing for me has been building an email list. At first I was requesting emails when someone would try to download one of the photos from my website, but now the bulk of my emails are collected via my Auction website. With email, you control your list, and as long as you keep sending people good content that they want to see, they will open your emails which can lead to sale (or at least views).

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Once you have a website up that is focused on capturing leads, then you can focus more on sharing your photos on sites like Reddit, Flickr, etc ... and every view (as long as you have a small watermark) has the potential to turn into a new visitor. If your work is good, then at least once in a while your content should go semi-viral, and when it does you want to be ready to help some of those new people follow your work.

could we see what the inside of ur van looks like? would be great to add to r/vandwellers as well! Congrats brother!

This was from my very first solo trip, and I've gotten rid of some of that gear, but this will give you an idea:

https://i.imgur.com/16rdS6c.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/cKrNxR4.jpg

The back is the "kitchen", solar panels on the roof for the refrigerator / charging stuff, and the bed pulls out to a Full size for when my girlfriend comes camping with me.

Thanks for the good words!

Please tell me the "if you're happy and you know it clap your..." bag has the t-rex on the back. :)

IT DOES and actually that bag was a Reddit Secret Santa gift that I received!

awesome. love your photography work. Greetings from Germany.

Thank you!

Do you ever consider upgrading to a larger RV?

I think my next rig will be a Ford Transit Hightop. Similar to a sprinter. More headroom, but still small enough to fit in tightish spaces.

What are some of your short term (within 2 years) goals? What do you hope to achieve in the long run?

I want to open my own, physical gallery in Lake Tahoe. It will be like no other gallery, with an entire room dedicated to the Glow-painted astro photos, where you walk in, here a chime, and the lights dim from bright, to black light, to dark, and back again. Another whole room dedicated to the odd shaped canvases I like to make like the hexagon clusters. And a whole metal wall of my awesome canvas / wood magnets, so there's something people can take home for less than $20. That is my main goal right now.

That’s amazing, I’d most certainly stop by if I was in the area. I sure hope you achieve your dream, you’re certainly on the right path. Best of luck!

Thank you very much.

Do you have any advice for an amateur photographer wanting to learn how to shoot like you? I have a simple set up with Canon 70D, Canon 18-155mm lens, and a tripod.

If you're talking about shooting night sky photos, start by googling the "Rule of 500". It's the basis of astro photography (although I use special tools to be able to "break" that rule)

Having followed you for quite some time , I only ask this, Why did you ?

Username checks out.

:)

Thanks for following me I'm glad you like my work!

Love the hexagonal piece you made and the "glow paint" series you did. I'm definitely going to have to check out the rest of your work!

I'm currently in school for computer science but I've always felt called to astronomy and art, even though I've been feeling they're both a bit out of reach. I am trying to get into astrophotography but I am really just starting out.

Aside from checking out lonelyspeck.com, do you have any recommendations for how I can pursue my passion for astronomy and art and/or how I can zero-in on some sense of direction with that?

I'm not particularly passionate about computer science but I figure it could erase my college debt the fastest and most easily support me financially so that I can later pursue my passion. That being said, I would be ecstatic to find something that incorporates astronomy and programming.

I would love to talk more with you about how you have gotten to where you are now, the steps (deliberate or unintended) that led you here, and where you're going next. Feel free to PM me if you ever have the time, and thank you for doing this AMA.

Hi there my friend. How about you PM me in the next couple of days once my inbox cools off? I'm getting so much action from the AMA that I fear it will slip through the cracks if I am left to do the pm'n, but I'd be happy to talk with you more about all of this. Thanks for the comment.

How did you wash?

I used the showers at a local campground. I'm up daily by 5:30am so they're not busy when I'm there and no one seems to mind. :)

What kind of people/organizations make up most of your buyers?

I'm curious because I'm surprised that you can find enough paying customers to make the financials work. I mean, it's awesome that they are out there and you can connect with them to do what you love, I'm just not in a place where I can see anything about that market, so I'm curious what it's like.

I see that some photographers do the YouTube/Patreon thing to share their adventure and (I presume) increase their marketing reach. Any interest in doing something like that? I hear it only triples the workload :D

I like that approach because I'm at least as interested in the process of how people go about doing their thing and their experience doing it as I am about the output. It's particularly neat for artists because it can give me a stronger connection to the artifact.

I sell almost entirely to private individuals, so far. I couldn't do it if I was limited to local sales. Although at first most of my sales went to people I know, now most of them are to strangers from the Internet! There may not be a ton of buyers for this type of art, but if you can reach them they're out there. No, I don't use Patreon (although I've considered it) nor do I do anything to promote my "van life", it's all about the photography.

Very cool story. A lot of us full-time office folks secretly dream of this wandering lifestyle (or at least I do). A few questions:

• How much money did you have saved up before you took the plunge and quit your job? (meaning, easily accessible money. Not money in 401ks, etc, that you couldn't access without penalty.)
• How long did it take you to reach the above financial amount?
• Did you have any passive income when you decided to quit your job? If yes, how much of your anticipated expenses did this cover?
• Any unexpected hardships of living in a van? Was it an issue finding a place to sleep?
• How did family/friends react to the drastic lifestyle change?

I know people are squeamish when it comes to talking about money, and most of my questions provoke those squeamish reactions. If you could even just talk in terms of percentages ("I saved 50% of my money for 5 years"), I would appreciate it. Of course, specifics are better :)

Thanks so much for this AMA. It really got me thinking.

Hey there, sure I don't mind answering a few questions about the finances.

1) I had much less saved than most would be comfortable with, less than $10k.

2) Eh, I don't know. I was saving off and on for different things and making ok money as a web dev so it didn't take THAT long. Now it would take me much longer haha.

3) I did a tiny bit of freelance work that first year for the old company that I had previously been full time employed at. That made up probably 10-20% of my income the first year, but I haven't done any side gigs at all this year.

4) In Tahoe it's pretty easy, and I often just park at the print shop. Without the shop, van life would be a lot harder. Also without my amazing girlfriend who lives about an hour away, and my mom who also lives about an hour away. Their support (and occasional place to crash and do laundry) has been invaluable and I know how lucky I am to have them.

5) Most people are just envious and / or supportive. I was lucky to have the freedom to be able to do this. Everyone has a dream, but I know not everyone is in a position to pursue their dreams, at least not to this extent. I don't think a single friend or family member gave me grief over it, although my girlfriend was concerned at first. Now she's just proud and supportive. Thanks for the questions.

As someone who wants to do what you are doing, any recommend reading on photography?

Would you recommend with starting with a low end DSLR, or jump full in with something like the K70, a more advanced, but still entry DSLR.

I started on a Nikon D5100. It's full featured, but has a cropped sensor which is not great for full light. Any full featured DSLR will be great to learn on, you only need to upgrade when you've maxed out the resolution (because printing) or some other aspect of the camera that is affecting the quality of your shots (like the noise you'll get in low light on a cropped sensor). As for reading, the internet is so full of amazing info these days. Start by making sure you know the relationship between f-stop, iso, and shutter speed. This is the basis of all photography, and once you understand how each one affects the photo you will be able to branch out into more specific topics like night photography. If you've already got the basics down and are looking to get into astro stuff, start by googling the "Rule of 500".

Feel free to drop me a pm sometime (after this ama is over) if you ever have a specific photography question and I might be able to help!

What was the driving force or faith that made you believe in your heart that it was time to move on. Easy to stay comfortable, especially when you are making money.

How did you take that leap of faith and know tomorrow will be better than today?

Thank you

I was desperate like a thirsty man, but it was my soul that was dehydrated, and I knew only one thing would quench it.

Heyyyy! Congratulations on taking that leap! My wife and I have a similar plan. We'll be quitting our jobs to pursue full time travel out of our 4Runner starting next April. Any words of encouragement or advice?

Just good luck my friend, and don't let the world or anyone's expectations stop you from pursuing your dreams.

At any point, did you doubt that you were good enough to make a living off of this? Did you have a "reverse escape plan"?

Yes, of course I had my doubts. But I also have a lot of confidence in myself to learn anything (I'm one of those people who is lucky that way) and I knew my work was only going to get better. But let me tell you, I had imposter syndrome terribly as a web developer and I still have it sometimes as a photographer. Until I talk to other photographers, and realize that I know my shit for the most part. I also know what a high standard I hold myself to, and that no one else looking at my photos (ok very few people) will ever look at them as closely as I do, so if it meets my standard to be "released" it will almost certainly appeal to someone else. Are there better guys out there, with better gear, real mountaineering skills that let's them shoot from the top of peaks I can only gawk at, etc? Of course. But I know I am shooting good photos, and I know I am getting better by the month, and so I try not to dwell on the doubts.

Edit: No, no reverse escape plan, but I know I can always do web design / dev on at least a freelance basis if I have to, which gives me some comfort.

Any idea when you'll be doing well enough that you don't have to live in a van? Getting out of the van would be my top priority personally. That must suck. I tried to take a nap in my car a couple weeks ago and it was way too uncomfortable.

Haha well .. I'm hoping to move up to multi-room opulence sometime in the next year, but it's really not bad. I sleep great in the van and it's not like I'm "hanging out" in there.

Plus my girlfriend lives an hour away so I'm in a house / "real bed" occasionally.

Do you like to use specialized equipment like Star Trackers? I want to get more into Astro but I always feel unprepared

The only specialized equipment I use is, indeed, a star tracker. You can take brilliant photos without one, but it allows you to capture more detail with less noise, which is essential to me. Start with the "Rule of 500" and when you're getting awesome shots that are just too noisy, upgrade to a star tracker (or start taking many shots and stacking them, another way you can reduce noise but not my preferred method).

This is my dream! I currently work as a software developer but ultimately want to be a wildlife photographer. My question is when did you start learning/practicing photography? And how long did it take for you to be comfortable publishing your photos and thinking it could pan out into an actual full time job?

I started shooting about 20 years ago in high school (am 37 now) and it was an off and on hobby for most of my life. In about 2011 I started to take it more seriously again (because I finally got a new DSLR after years without one) and that's also when I got into shooting the astro landscape stuff. Posting the occasional photo to /r/earthporn and getting good feedback started to build my confidence, and about a year and a half before quitting my job I invested in a large format printer because I new I wanted to be able to print my own stuff and I was getting occasional requests for prints from friends and people on the internet. Eventually I knew I was never going to reach the level I wanted to being stuck at a desk for 8+ hours a day so I chose to go for it.

Do you make all of your income from print sales or do you have other incomes, like stock photography or clients?

99% print sales.

Did you move around a lot? How did you find places to park?

In a small mountain town like Tahoe it's easy, just head down a dirt road, don't bother anyone, don't even THINK about having a campfire, and you'll be fine. But this last summer I've been parking right here at my print shop most nights for convenience.

One place you want to go to but haven't yet?

So many. But right now I've got my eye on the Southwest US for this upcoming winter (after heading back to Death Valley for my now annual sojourn) and Western Canada / Alaska for next summer if I can pull it off.

Where is the best location in the United States to see the Milky Way? Not only by the brightness/lack of light pollution, but the probability of having clear skies.

I've always wanted to go camping for a few days under the Milky Way but I'm afraid I'll choose a location that will be cloudy and/or overrated.

Head out to the desert if you're worried about rain. I'm a huge fan of Death Valley (although Milky Way season is pretty unbearably hot down there) or the deserts of Nevada (like the Black Rock Desert where burning man is held) because they're a short drive for me. Tahoe, where I'm based, is great we get more clear days than a lot of places in the world and the light pollution isn't bad. Don't worry about a particular outcome, just get out there!

How you suggest someone(like me) to pick up the courage and say fuck i am doing it?

Make a list of the WORST things that can happen. Do you have backup in the form of a couch you can sleep on if things got bad? Do you have skills to fall back on should your plan fail? Yeah? Then you're not gonna die. But if you do die without really trying for something you want, will you not be filled with regret? What's more important to you, satisfaction and knowing you tried your hardest to milk the rock of life for some soul food, or comfort?

Do you have any tips for beginners that wants to get into landscape Astro but can’t afford expensive equipment?

If you already have a DSLR and basic photography knowledge, start by goolging the "Rule of 500".

Outside of personal projects, are you still interested in working as a web developer in the future, or did you burn out?

I will always be doing some form of web dev for my personal projects, but no, I have no interest in doing it for anyone else ever again :)

I started designing websites when i was 16 (in the 90's) so I've put in enough time.

What kind of chairs are those guys sitting in in the command center? The red ones.

Good question, I don't know. They were very comfortable though.

Are you going to sell anymore of the glowing. Ight type paintings? I would absolutely love to have one >.>

Thanks, I have several of these for sale on my website right now actually: www.phil.camera/glow/