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| SUNRAYS MARCH 2015
ONLINE:
SCTEXAS.ORG
O
nMarch 23, 1840, just one year
after news of the daguerreotype
reached America, chemist John
WilliamDraper positionedhimself on the
roof of NewYorkUniversity and took the
first successful photograph of a celestial
object: the moon. Draper’s image (an im-
pressive one, even by today’s standards)
ignited a flurry of interest in the astro-
nomical possibilities of photography, and
scientists, hungry for ever-more detailed
images, became a driving force in the
rapid advancement of camera technology.
However, as astronomers turned their
camera lenses ever-deeper into the uni-
verse, our ability to view the night sky
unimpeded has diminished. Over the
years, the yellow haze of artificial light
has become so commonplace that, for
many, the standard night sky resembles
an unplugged television, the former
brilliance of distant galaxies blotted out
by a fog of light. Here in Sun City, one
photographer is determined to recapture
some of the wonders that lie beyond our
modern, incandescent veil.
“I’d always had an interest in astronomy,
but I just never had the time,” says Doug
Farrell, a former engineer and computer
programmer. “You can’t really stay out
late at night when you have to get up for
work at four in the morning.”
However, Doug knewhe wanted tomake
the most of his time in retirement, and
began developing a plan to followhis pas-
sions. “A couple years before I retired,” he
recalls, “I started to consider how I was
going to focusmy time.” A casual photog-
rapher all his life, Doug buckled down
on teaching himself the core concepts
of the craft, reading books, attending
workshops and seminars, and taking
all the pictures he could to improve his
general photo skills.
As his technique improved, his sub-
ject material became more particular.
“There’s so much to learn in every area,
it really helps to focus on what speaks
to you,” says Doug. “I like to get out and
shoot landscapes and wildlife, so I’m
what you’d call a ‘nature photographer’.
Starry, Starry Night
By Jaime Calder
PHOTOS BY DOUG FARRELL
Nightscape photographer Doug Farrell found the wilderness of northwestern Wyoming the perfect place to capture the
core of the Milky Way galaxy.
