Astrophotography is a roll of the dice. Just like the casino games the odds are rarely in your favor, but still hard to resist. That being said, ask any photographer who's chased a starry night's sky and no matter what the odds are the gamble is almost always worth the chase.
On a rainy Saturday afternoon in August, a handful of students from the BPW met Chris Sanchez, our founder and avid astro-photographer, to discuss what seemed unlikely: photographing the stars. Despite the gray and soggy summer's day the instructor and students were betting on a miracle, somehow threading the needle to photograph between a cloud filled, storm-front, and a rising moon. The odds seemed stacked against the class.
Things starting looking plausible when the class met at Nubble Lighthouse around sunset. With clearing skies the group started scouting locations and photographing the idyllic scene with a lot of enthusiasm. As an added bonus, some students used ND (Neutral Density) filters to create amazing photos of dreamy waves and golden sunsets. However, none of this guaranteed a clear night for photographing stars. So, the group parted ways and was scheduled to meet at 10pm to begin photographing the night sky..
Upon arrival the group was surprised to find two variables that often devastate astro photographers: endless fog, and car headlights. However, with determination, resilience, and a little hope, the group made images until the fog began to thin out. By 11:00pm most of the fog had cleared but occasionally would return creating a fun and exciting roller coaster of photographic opportunities. Between the foggy patches the students were able to create beautiful starry & dream-like images.
Astrophotography may seem like a gamble, but to be honest, we believe you never really lose. The adventure and chase of astrophotography is half the fun; never knowing how mother nature will behave, sometimes you don't get exactly what you expect but still enjoy the experience.
Join us for our upcoming, "One-Night Astro Event" on October 6th, 2018, and to see more upcoming dates click here.
Below is a gallery of student's and instructor's photographs. Once clicked, please hover over the image to see photo credit. We’re so proud of all of our students!
