Photography

The daylight social centre of our star party is the swimming pool. At night, the reclining lounge chairs accommodate binocular observers. (Nikon FE, Fuji Sensia 200 slide film.)

The 7th annual Costa Rica Southern Star Party ran from January 16th through 23rd this year. We usually have excellent observing conditions and clear skies, but this year was exceptional. Virtually every dark hour was free of clouds and rich with celestial rewards.

Last February's spectacular morning conjunction featuring Mercury, Jupiter, and the Moon (from top to bottom) as seen from Costa Rica. Mars was also part of the scene, though it's not visible at the scale this picture is reproduced. (Nikon FG, Kodak E200 film.)

Each year I lead a stargazing trip to a dark-sky location in Costa Rica. While preparing for the upcoming tour (which runs from January 16th to 23rd), I found myself looking through pictures of the 2009 event and realized that I had never posted any of them. So, here are a few favourite shots from last February’s visit to that warm and pleasant land.

When I was a kid, our family camera was a Brownie Starmeter. Mom and dad weren’t exactly avid photographers, so most of the time the camera remained stuffed away in a drawer, emerging only at Christmas or for birthdays. That particular camera is long lost. However, I recently chanced upon the same model at our local Value Village and snapped it up in a burst of sentimentality.

Every photographer I know has more than one camera. Some have three or four, while others have so many they could put a small camera store to shame. Okay, maybe that's just me. But no matter how many you have, there's probably one in the bunch that you regard as your “main” camera. This is the one you reach for when you’re going out specifically to take pictures. For me, that camera is a Pentax 645N. And it’s as perfect a camera as any I’ve used.

This simple, easy-to-build mount provides the perfect introduction to long-exposure astrophotography.

Round stars. That’s the difference between astrophotos captured with a camera that tracks the sky’s motion versus one that doesn’t. Traditionally you’d make a tracked photo by placing your camera piggyback on a telescope with a motorized equatorial mount. But that’s a lot of equipment to deal with if all you want are some nice-looking constellation portraits or a shot of a newly discovered comet — especially if you have to travel to reach your favorite dark-sky destination.

On top of ol’ Smokey. A mix of cloud and smoke from forest fires made for spectacular sunsets, but hazy night time viewing at this year's MKSP.

I made my 25th consecutive trip to the Mt. Kobau Star Party last August. Although there wasn’t much stargazing to be had this year, I still had a great time. Here are a few pictures of the event.

Mt. Edith Cavell, Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada.
(Camera: Pentax 645N; Lens: 75mm; Film: Provia 100F; Exposure: 1/125sec at f/11)

In June 2009 my wife and I had another lovely camping holiday in the Canadian Rockies. Here are a few photographs from that trip. If the lack of astronomy in this selection strikes you as inappropriate for a web site that bills itself as "a place for stargazing enthusiasts," just consider these extreme close-up views of the solar system's most beautiful planet. Works for me.

A couple of people have written asking about the image adorning the top of my home page. To be honest, I picked it without really giving the nature of its appeal a lot of thought — I just liked it. But by way of answering an e-mail, I've decided that what it comes down to, at least to my eye, is the magic of twilight.