Rob Lovato Photography

11/12/2025

Last night was my first ever opportunity to see the aurora and to shoot it. What a magical experience! Taken from the top of Smelter Mountain above Durango.

06/28/2024

I've been shooting exclusively the Milky May for over 10 years now. Even with all that experience I still learn new techniques, especially being out with friends to bounce ideas off of and get inspiration from. Gearing up for some workshops this summer, hit me up if you want to join us!

03/29/2024

Turn up the volume and go watch Variables!

https://youtu.be/WJQjaojzU7s

03/22/2024

Very proud to announce that some good friends and I are starting a new business. We will be providing Milky Way photography workshops and sharing all of our collective knowledge. Please help spread the word!

OtherworldlyMilky Way Embark on a celestial journey with three seasoned Milky Way photographers who are not only adept at capturing the splendors of our galaxy but also passionate about imparting their knowledge. Joining forces for a unique photography workshop expedition, this trio comprises indivi...

08/21/2023

Here's the product of a two week road trip through the southwest and some great synergy with my good friend Mary. We totally cured our NDD (Nature Deficit Disorder) in the process!

Created by Rob Lovato and Mary Teraji.Music by: Andrew Retana, the Druniverse

04/11/2023

I love collaborative art! Excited about more of this next week!

08/31/2022

The night I could have died… I’ve taken many photos from the desert at night, but this experience was different. There were wild horses & cows all around so I parked my truck right next to the tripod so that one wouldn’t walk into it. As I was enjoying the stars & letting my camera do it’s thing, I suddenly heard something big & heavy run across the road near me. I turned on my headlamp, went around the front of the truck & a horse was kinda jumping around & turning around across the road. It walked away, I returned to my camera and almost immediately heard the noise again. Went to the front of the truck & saw the horse doing the same exact thing, but this time I heard something. When I looked to my left I saw a very large snake near the truck hissing and rattling at me. Instant fear and the strong desire to get the eff out of there took over. I ran to the passenger side, grabbed my camera which was still taking pics, and jumped in the truck. I quickly put my camera away & backed the truck up to see this large Western Diamondback coiled up only 2 feet from where I was standing enjoying the stars a minute earlier. I don’t like to be melodramatic, but this was the first time I’ve ever felt like a wild animal was coming after me and I can’t help but to think that wild horse warned me of the danger and saved my life potentially.
Oh yeah, have you ever seen the desert in green, in late August?? I never have, that was the motivation for being out in the dark with the critters.
EXIF:
Canon 6d, Sigma (24-70) 24mm f2.8
Sky: 10 sec, f2.8, 10k iso - 10 images stacked
Foreground: 30 sec, f7.1, 200 iso

04/05/2022

Art!

12/18/2021

My second guitar that I “tatted” up with a wood burner. I love the idea of turning functional items into pieces of art. Would you trust me with your Martin or Taylor??

11/03/2021

“Photography”, I never should have tied that word to my social media name. I do many forms of art, astrophotography is just one of them. But to stay true to form, here are “photos” of a recent project. I’ve never sculpted before so I bought a chainsaw and carved these mushrooms from pieces of firewood. My mom & grandma gave me the idea to make them lamps, so naturally they got the first and biggest one.