Amateur Photographer Captures NASA-like Space Images

Photography Tips

Amateur photographer Alan Friedman combines his passions for astronomy and photography by capturing photos of the sun, moon, and other celestial bodies from his own backyard. At a TEDx event, Friedman explained how, with relatively simple equipment, he gets stunning photographic results that you might expect to see from NASA satellites or sophisticated observatories:

Friedman considers himself a photojournalist, telling the story of the heavenly bodies for people who might not otherwise get to see it. One of his favorite photographic strategies, which he calls “lucky imaging,” involves pulling the best frames from video sequences. He is especially interested in the sun, and frequently photographs solar prominences, such as the one below.

Following is a selection of Friedman’s space photography, which includes the moon and planets (Via Boing).

The moon by day and by night.

A compilation of photos for the phases of Saturn.

As something of a poster boy for DIY, amateur astrophotographers, Friedman continues to produce impressive work from his own backyard. You can see his equipment setup below:

For Further Training on Night Sky Photography:

Capturing star trails and other night sky scenes is truly one of the most technically difficult forms of photography due to the extreme low light conditions. This new in-depth guide was released to help photographers thrive in these situations.

Found here: Shooting Stars – How to Photograph the Night Sky