Practical Astrophotography Podcast

We chat with Ernie Jacobs, an astrophotographer from Buffalo, New York, about his journey in Astrophotography. He has been practicing astrophotography for six years, starting with a Dobsonian and cell phone then graduating to a 80mm triplet with a DSLR on an EQ6-R. Over the last three years, he has made significant progress in his imaging and processing skills.

We chat with Kurt Kimbrell, an accomplished astrophotographer with over six years of experience. Currently, he works with Woodland Hills Camera and Telescopes, where he contributes to marketing and sales efforts. Kurt's favorite location for astrophotography is Marathon, Texas, a small town that is dedicated to preserving the dark sky. He became acutely aware of light pollution as Crowley and nearby towns began to expand, resulting in fewer visible stars. Kurt's objective is to raise public awareness of the impacts of light pollution on our environment and the night sky. His particular area of expertise is deep sky astrophotography.

We chat with Jason Dain. Jason is an accomplished astrophotographer. He has won national awards, received recognition from NASA, and has been published in national and international periodicals for his deep space and wide field imagery. 

Currently, he has 3 setups including a Sky-Watcher Esprit 100 with ZWO ASI2600mm camera on an EQ6R-Pro mount, a Sky-Watcher Esprit 120 with ZWO ASI294mm camera on an EQ6R-Pro mount, and a Samyang 135mm f/2 lens with a ZWO ASI294MC pro (color )camera on a Sky-Watcher EQM35-Pro mount. 

Jason shoots from his Bortle 4/5 backyard just outside of Halifax but also takes some of his deep sky gear with him when he goes out to shoot the Milky Way. He is an advanced astrophotographer with a technical background in IT and uses PixInsight for image processing.

We all have favorite summer objects to image. We discuss a few popular summertime targets for your next summer outing.  With a bit of planning, your imaging sessions will be enjoyable and productive.

Ed Guenther from Ephemer ADK joins us as we chat about his journey in Astrophotography. Ed is a budding astrophotographer whom we met at NEAF. We talk about his new interest in astrophotography along with his planning of astrophotography experiences and star parties in the Adirondacks. Ed first learned about the stars while hunting with his dad, an Army Air Corps-trained navigator, and avid outdoorsman. His astrophotography is mostly solar, lunar, and planetary imaging with a cell phone/rack mount on 8" or 16" Newtonian reflectors. He also enjoys wide-field nightscape astrophotography that includes people.

We have all experienced Clear Nights of Frustration when imaging. We discuss some of our tips for avoiding frustration and how you can maximize your imaging time under clear skies.  With a bit of preparation, your imaging sessions will be enjoyable and productive.

Have a Listen and Let us know your thoughts.

Charlie Bracken Joins us as we chat about his journey in Astrophotography. An expert astrophotographer, he is know for The Deep-Sky Imaging Primer (Now in its 3rd edition, fully revised and expanded to include the latest cameras, technology, and software.), The Astrophotography Sky Atlas, and The Astrophotography Planner and his latest book, The Visible Universe (Look for a review in the magazine.).

Alex Curry, Co-Founder of Telescope Live, Joins Practical Astrophotography as we chat about his Astrophotography journey and how you can start your journey as a beginner with Telescope.live data repository. 

Episode Notes: 

Richard Keele Joins Practical Astrophotography as we chat about his Astrophotography journey. Richard is a software developer and Professional Photographer by day and an Amateur Astrophotographer at night. Richard is known by many as a Photoshop ninja. He is also a  Meade brand ambassador.