Art in Space, by JOhn Davis

Abstract:

Astrophotography is an exciting blend of science and art. While there are many tutorials, books, and videos dedicated to the technical aspects of astrophotography, there are few resources dedicated to the “art” of astrophotography.

Just as Ansel Adams employed certain artistic strategies in creating his beautiful landscape photographs, there are photographic strategies that can elevate your astro images from mere “snapshots” to works of “art”.

Using the concepts of Landscape Photography, we explore what makes a good “space landscape” photograph.

Topics include:

• Composition and the “rule of thirds”, as well as choosing the correct focal length for specific targets.
• The importance of color and contrast are illustrated through various examples of data stretching and combining (using curves and layering) as a way to focus the viewer’s eye on the most important elements in the photograph.
• The benefits of high resolution mosaics are discussed (i.e. increased detail and huge prints).

By considering the basic rules of photography and image creation, we can attain a more goal oriented strategy for image processing, rather than simply shooting then stretching and “see what we get”.

Prerequisites:

None

Daytime session (2 hours, with 10 minute break)

[date/time TBA]