Hiatus

On August 1, 2013 I suffered a major heart attack.  I was in a rural area on a job site when I began to develop symptoms.  I was fortunate to have the assistance of the EMS community to get to a local hospital to get care, Life-Flight transported me to a Bangor hospital where I underwent angioplasty.  One stent was placed in my Left Anterior Descending Artery and I was discharged four days later.  

I was very fortunate to have the ambulance arrive before I went into cardiac arrest and died.  The ambulance crew was unsuccessful in bringing me back, but maintained CPR until arrival at the hospital where I was resuscitated. I was gone for over 15 minutes.  So, back from the dead and a great prognosis for a full life yet to come.  It was a very close call however.  

Back from the hospital and recovering

Since being back I have not pursued film astrophotography, but have been dabbling in digital work as it is less demanding.  I do have plans for continuing my analog work and will keep you all updated on future projects.

Legacy Astrophotography: Le Gentil 3

Deep in the skies overhead on a late summer night lurk the denizens of myriad suns. Le Gentil 3, the dark region just right of center, is sometimes confused for the Northern Coal Sack which resides between and Alpha and Gamma Cygni (extreme upper right hand corner).

Astronomy writer and amateur astronomer Ken Hewitt-White dubbed it the Funnel Cloud Nebula for its similar appearance to a tornado funnel cloud as seen with the unaided eye. Long exposure photography reveals many tendrils spanning into Cepheus to the north and its complex network of dark and bright nebula.

A visual feast whether using your eyes under a dark sky or enjoying photographs such as this one.

A mosaic of two frames combined for this view.

Each frame 50 minutes exposure Pentax 67 165mm @ f/4.8 on Fuji Superia 100 film.

The Doghouse

The Doghouse, a photo by Nightfly Photography on Flickr.

Where I have spent hundreds of hours since it was built in 2003. I can claim to have spent a "night in the "doghouse" and enjoyed it!

Most of my astrophotographs are taken here, under the dark skies of eastern Maine. A last holdout from the creeping malaise of lights.

Pentax 67, 75mm f/4.5 TAKUMAR, Superia 100 CN

The Northern Milky Way

The Northern Milky Way, a photo by Nightfly Photography on Flickr.

Assembled from a sequence of four 60 minute exposures in September 2011, this panorama extends from Scutum through Aquila and Cygnus, to Cepheus.

A pentax 67 with 105mm lens captured each panel on one night. The camera rode atop an equatorially mounted telescope while I hand guided and watched for aircraft, capping the lens and noting the additional time needed for equal exposure time of each frame.

Assembled successfully here for the first time in preparation for a very large print to be exhibited at a local museum.

Legacy Astrophotography: Northern Aquila

Legacy Astrophotography: Northern Aquila, a photo by Nightfly Photography on Flickr.

Film is still a valid form of astrophotography although few practice it.

The summer season will soon be upon us and target like this area in northern Aquila surrender their beauty to the lens

From September 4, 2011

165MM @ F/4.8 60 minutes exposure, medium format

Ektachrome Blue on The Rocks

Ektachrome Blue on The Rocks, a photo by Nightfly Photography on Flickr.

For the love of Ektachrome

and moonlight

and millions years old granite

and starlight

Lost between heaven and earth.

Enter 2013. There is still work to do... with film.