Winner of the Astronomy Photographer of the Year | Full Story >
Last year, I lost a great friend and photographer, Tim Schallberger. I was so fortunate to spend many nights underneath the stars with Tim. His witty sense of humor, kindness, and patience were unmatched, always going above and beyond for others.
During one of our numerous outings, he and I got to experience an unexpected, magical sunset in the Three Sisters Wilderness. We were out in the backcountry, scouting amongst the jagged peaks, and found an incredible vantage point. On a narrow ridge, we found a spot barely large enough to fit our tents. We made dinner, lost track of time chatting away, and out of nowhere a soft burst of light illuminated the sky and snow banks around us. We jumped out of our makeshift chairs with our cameras and Tim screamed, “Holy crap! The sun is setting right in between the peaks! We’ll definitely have to tell people we planned this one!”
Tim turned into a full-blown, addicted aurora chaser a few years ago. I believe this is the photograph he would have selected for his favorite image from 2021.
Tim, there’s not a day that goes by I don’t think about a memory we shared. You will always be missed, but I’m so incredibly grateful for the time and experiences we shared together under the stars. Until our next hot chocolate…
-Brad Goldpaint
