- Thomas PiekunkaThis is my favorite from 2015 because it took a lot of planning, travel, permits/insurance, etc. and it came out 99% (could have used more moon light) as I had planned. I was so excited to be at Cliff Palace overlook and see the Milky Way arching over the ruin as I had calculated those months earlier. I feel a sense of accomplishment because I think the image captures the timeless quality that I was trying to convey.
- Jonathan AdamsThis is not necessarily my best shot from this year, but I'm pleased with it mostly due to the planning involved. As those who were on the alumni trip will recall, the weather was not exactly co-operative. (Nor was my airline, who lost my luggage with my tripod.) I stayed an extra night this time but that wasn't enough, the weather still stayed miserable until the day I had to leave. I booked another trip with a friend to hit Mono Lake and the Bristlecone pine forest, and this time his flight was cancelled delaying our start by nine hours, then the weather turned nasty again... until the day I had to leave.
- Bob RandallThis is my favorite night sky shot in 2015 because of the subject matter (love Mt. Shasta) and the unplanned way that I came to the shot: It was a bit like finding a $100 bill lying on the ground. I was driving up to Portland, Oregon on July 23rd for a family visit and had stopped at Castle Crag State Park around 5 pm for a hike up to explore the Crags.
- Sashikanth ChintlaI like this image as it was challenging to shoot and also think creatively to blend everything into a single image, the moon, setting milky way and the fall colors. First the location was challenging to shoot, i had to sit on a ledge with a 30-40ft drop off on 3 sides and in a 16degree weather. getting this shot in one go was never going to happen, had to shoot the foreground at low ISO for 10Min and the sky was shot with a normal 30" exposure.
- Melany SarafisNot necessarily my BEST nor most popular image of 2015, but the most special memory without a doubt! This was shot during my Artist in Residency tenure in the Petrified Forest National Park. After the park closed at sunset and all guests were "escorted" out, I had access to the entire park. This is the "Blue Forest" area, accessed from the teepees and ending up on the Blue Mesa. A trecherous hike in the dark, but worth it!
- Lynn ClauerMy nephew and I had planned a week of night sky adventure in hopes of an aurora in Alberta ~ weather forecasts for the area were disappointingly cloudy, but the skies cleared about an hour north of Edmonton. Our first plan (using various tools to scout with no time to visit) turned out to be in the middle of a reservation and not feeling comfortable with the intrusion, we headed north and noticed a sign for West Cove, which sounded like water, and found a boat launch.
- Lynda SandersOne of the wonders of the sky is that there is so much more there than we can see with our mortal eyes. The camera helps visualize a little of this. The Eye of Heaven is seen looking down over the Golden Gate in San Francisco. It is strong and ever-present, but not at all apparent to the casual observer. Each time we are out under the night sky the Eye is up there - visible yet invisible, well known to ancient mariners who used its help for navigating, and known to a fortunate few of us who are able to visualize it in our images.
- Kirsten TuckerI live in a very urban area, so much so that you need to drive at least 8 hours away to get good dark skies. Needless to say, I don’t get to shoot night skies often. I’d gotten a couple of okay Milky Ways shots before heading to Arches and Canyonlands with Brad this past spring, but I had high hopes for something better. Alas, Mother Nature had different plans - clouds, rain, more clouds. Four nights later, punch drunk and addlebrained from no sleep, with a broken ever-sinking tripod leg, I shot this pano. I wasn’t sure the shots had worked out at all until I was able to process them. Success! And, I know how to make a shot like this even better next time.
- Keith LiskI visited Crater Lake National Park for the first time in 2012. In the visitor center, a photo of the Milky Way arcing across the sky over Crater Lake was on display, and for sale in a number of different sizes and products. At that moment, I decided it was going to be a goal of mine to capture an image like that on my own, some day (or night).
- Kathleen KingmaThis composite photo, my favorite night capture of 2015, demonstrates perfectly a shared love of nature and being together. Life since I met Doug has been amazing. How lucky that we found each other!! Images were taken in August on Pinal Peak, south of Globe AZ.