AdventuresNW
I used to feel so small when I looked at the night sky.
When I was young, my father and I watched Cosmos, the Carl Sagan show on PBS. Watching that show and seeing the imagery of those otherworldly celestial bodies gave me my first real sense of wonder. I remember listening to the theories and science of how the stars, galaxies, and nebulae came to be, and how big the universe is. It’s the first time I remember wanting to learn more about something. Fast forward 40 years; Now I can take the types of photographs that gave me such wonder as a child, to experience a closer connection to the universe. I don’t feel so small anymore.
My father and I also attended local astronomy club meetings and listened to the members share their stories about what they had observed and photographed recently. They brought their giant telescopes and equipment for all to see. The capability to see and photograph such far-away objects seemed like magic to me and beyond my reach. I remember being especially intrigued by the engineering and precision of the telescopes and all the astronomy equipment that made this possible. Perhaps this is where I started developing a fascination with photography equipment and figuring out how things work. One of the most popular telescopes at that time was the Celestron C8. One of the astronomy club members brought one of these big orange beasts to the meetings. I was in awe. This was the telescope to own, pictured in all the magazines, an engineering marvel.
Fast forward 40 years, and with a modern version of that telescope, I now have the capability to take the types of photographs that gave me such wonder as a child. The objects that made me feel so small and were so far away are now within my reach. It wasn’t until I started photographing these celestial bodies that I realized how large some of these objects actually appear in the sky. The apparent size of some of the nebulae you see would take up to four or six full moons in size. We can’t see them with our naked eye because they aren’t bright enough, there is too much light pollution, or they are predominately composed of gasses that our eyes don’t have the capacity to see very well. It would be quite a visual spectacle if we could look up and actually see what’s been right there the whole time. The camera equipment I use and the processing techniques I employ allow me to photograph these majestic objects. It makes me feel more connected to the universe, and I don’t feel so small anymore.
Damian Vines is a professional commercial photographer based in the Pacific Northwest. However, his astrophotography hobby truly inspires him and is what he’s most passionate about. Photographing and learning about the wonders of our universe are never-ending and ever-challenging pursuits. See more at https://damianvinesphotography.pixieset.com/photonsfromspace/
