Long Exposure and Astrophotography
The night sky and our cosmos have been a source of inspiration for art and culture since the beginning of human civilization. I am very fortunate to have spent time in some fantastic dark sky regions such as in Germany, Austria, and the USA. The technique of long exposure and the practice of astrophotography have surprisingly inspired and redefined my approach to music.
A quick explanation regarding long exposure - in normal daylight conditions, we generally have an exposure value of something like 1/500 or 1/1000 of a second. This is the time your camera is taking to collect light in order to produce the image. In night or astrophotography, common exposure values can be anywhere from 10, 20 seconds or more. For deep sky objects like galaxies and nebulae, one needs to expose for hours, days, and beyond.
Long exposure can be compared to a musician's internalization of a piece of music. Internalization allows maturity in expression and freedom in performance. This is a process which takes place over time, perhaps even over a lifetime. Musical interpretation also develops from the understanding of music beyond its written notation, which is similar to how long exposure allows us to see beyond the limitations of our eyesight.
In a photo session, things may not go as planned, so one must be prepared to react resourcefully on the spot. When being outdoors and in the dark, one is surrendering oneself to the elements, which is an act of humbleness. These are also key qualities for a performer.
These concepts may not sound like anything new, but to experience them in a non-musical context has been very telling for me and has influenced my work in both music and photography.
A quick explanation regarding long exposure - in normal daylight conditions, we generally have an exposure value of something like 1/500 or 1/1000 of a second. This is the time your camera is taking to collect light in order to produce the image. In night or astrophotography, common exposure values can be anywhere from 10, 20 seconds or more. For deep sky objects like galaxies and nebulae, one needs to expose for hours, days, and beyond.
Long exposure can be compared to a musician's internalization of a piece of music. Internalization allows maturity in expression and freedom in performance. This is a process which takes place over time, perhaps even over a lifetime. Musical interpretation also develops from the understanding of music beyond its written notation, which is similar to how long exposure allows us to see beyond the limitations of our eyesight.
In a photo session, things may not go as planned, so one must be prepared to react resourcefully on the spot. When being outdoors and in the dark, one is surrendering oneself to the elements, which is an act of humbleness. These are also key qualities for a performer.
These concepts may not sound like anything new, but to experience them in a non-musical context has been very telling for me and has influenced my work in both music and photography.