Astrophotography
Competition 2022

There have been over 100 brilliant entries into this years competition.

Thank you to all that entered and good luck.

Prize winners will be announced at the opening of the Winterstellar Exhibition at Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery on 17th June.

Jury Prize Winner

Mt Cargill Communications Tower by Yang Zheng

Mt Cargill Communications Tower by Yang Zheng

Judges Comment.

“I think the story this is telling is the best. Its bold human elements are its best feature and connect people to their universe. Astro photos can feel cold and remote but this makes me think of a sleeping city full of people with their comms spire and its glowing red light reaching out to the heavens. It really puts me in the shoes of the photographer, clicking his shutter on a cold windy dark night overlooking the city. And I love its complementary textures, lights and colours (that bush-clad hillside with the soft cloud!). I could look at this for ages and find it provokes all sorts of thoughts and story lines – it delighted me.”

Competition Judge – Naomi Arnold

Prize:

Composite Category & Overall Winner

That Cabbage Tree by Michael Cookson

Natural Category Winner

Moon over the Taiaroa Head Lighthouse by Dilanka Wijesekara

 

Artist’s Comment:

This is one of my dream shots. I planned this shot ages ago, and finally, I succeeded in my 8th attempt. The Aramoana is windy and cloudy most of the time. It is tough to find a clear sky to capture the full moon rising over the horizon even though it is in clear middle of the sky. Very dark thick clouds always cover the horizon. In my last unsuccessful attempt, I realised that the Taiaroa Head lighthouse is approximately 56 meters high from sea level. Then the next full moon rising day, I successfully plan this shot.

Artist – Dilanka Wijesekara

Judge’s Comment:

The judges have a full appreciation of the planning that has gone into capturing this image (and the perseverance in trying again and again when conditions just don’t work out). Even here, we can see that cloud near the horizon was very close to ruining the image. Timing and positioning are critical. While the PhotoPills app is an excellent resource for planning these images, but we know from personal knowledge of this site that a variation of just a few meters in camera position can make all the difference. The image has been captured at a time of the year when the location of the full moon on the ecliptic keeps the photographer positioned at the southern end of the Aramoana Mole, still some distance from the lighthouse. This helps with image scale and accentuating the “large moon illusion” created with a telephoto lens. In end, well worth the effort.

Competition Judge – Paul Le Comte

Prizes:

Highlands Motorpark

Mustang U-Drive.
Value $395

Plus

Photo Warehouse

$100 Gift Voucher

Composite Category Runner Up

Coal Pit Road Aurora by John Ecksmann

 

Judge’s Comment:

The judges appreciated the technical ability in producing this image. We also found it delightful that an otherwise everyday rural scene (stock yards) was chosen as a backdrop for a super massive panorama of the Aurora/Astro night landscape, firmly placing this image in its surrounds, Central Otago.

Competition Judge – Paul Le Comte

Natural Category Runner Up

Blackhead Star Trail by Yang Zheng

Blackhead Star Trail by Yang Zheng

Judge’s Comment:

The judges kept coming back to what at first impression is quite a brutal nightscape image. The dark tones, solid star trails & heavy angular shapes of the quarry all add to a strong visual image. What blew us away was the confidence the photographer had in keeping their shutter open to the night sky for over half an hour! More often than not when making star trail images with a subject in front, multiple images are taken over a long period of time & composed together in post-production. But to make the decision to make this image in one shot is a bold move that paid off.

Competition Judge – Paul Le Comte

Prize:

2022 Prizes

Prizes for this year’s Winterstellar Astrophotography Competition include:

Highlands Motorpark

Mustang U-Drive
Value $395

Photo Warehouse

$400 Gift Vouchers

2022

Competition Judges

Astrophotography Competition 2021

Check some of the excellent work we received at last years Competition here.