It’s amazing how often we miss out on something that’s right in front of us. It’s not often we get to see the stars vividly, but they’ve been surrounding us since our existence. The lights that shine down on us are billions of years old, sometimes from stars that have long since flickered out. Talk about a missed connection. It’s no wonder, then, that when a photographer captures the night sky, we stand in awe. Our sky is the ultimate light show.
No one understands that better than talented photographer Royce Bair. Every single one of the Utah-based photographer’s shots look like they’re from a dream world. With over thirty years of experience under his belt, Bair has spent much of that time with his eyes to the sky. He has captured beautiful photos of the stars for years. However, it was only recently that he was able to capture our night sky along with the landscape surrounding it. Before the dawn of cameras with fine-tuned low light sensitivity, a choice had to be made. A photographer could either capture an extremely detailed sky or piece of land. One could not hold them together as one crisp piece.
It isn’t often that a single image causes us to catch our breath. Brilliant images of nature and the night sky can be found all over the internet. In fact, capturing the sky is a test for most photographers. It’s a challenge that strengthens a photographer’s knowledge and ability. However, in the hands of a veteran photographer, the night sky becomes something else entirely.
Thomas Zimmer, a well-known German photographer, has spent his life capturing beautiful landscape photos. He understands the elements necessary to capture the beauty of a scene. His work does not merely frame what is already there, but displays it in a way that inspires thought and awe. Recently, he captured the Milky Way in an astounding way over the island Sylt, in the German North Sea coast. The photo is dubbed “My God, it’s full of stars”--the final line in the book 2001: A Space Odyssey. The illuminated sky seems to open up, coming down to embrace the earth. It’s such a sight that the writers over at My Modern Met had to get the story behind it. After hours of taking photos, Zimmer describes his sudden inspiration:
“There were some stairs leading down the dunes and at the bottom, I took a last look. I realized that the Milky Way stood right above the stairs. I was stunned by the view. After setting up the tripod and the camera, I realized that something was missing at the top of the stairs: a human being staring at those stars.”
Indeed, the addition of one man changed the perspective of the image entirely. Zimmer’s quick thinking created an image unlike any other he’d taken that day.The story, however, doesn’t end there. For the full tale, check out My Modern Met’s write up.
To see more of Zimmer’s beautiful work, see his gallery here.