Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year

[barx1963]

Just had a look here to view the shortlist https://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/astronomy-photographer-year/galleries/2020/shortlist as I know a few aussies have made it. I understand that the website only features a selection of images,not the full shortlist, but when you examine the 11 images posted we get:
Deep Sky 1 Image
Solar System 2 Images (1 of which is a reprocess of Juno data)
Eclipse 1 Image
Aurora 3 Image
Nightscape 4 Images

Additionally, all 3 Aurora shots and the eclipse shot have terrestrial foregrounds so we have 8 out of 11 images with the earth as a dominant feature. One of the nightscape images actually featured the earth and clouds, not even one non-terrestrial object included!! Hmmmmmm! Not denigrating the efforts of nightscape photographers, but personally not sure the people selecting the shots to showcase know a lot about astronomical imaging?

[Nikolas]

Diego Colonello got shortlisted Well done mate

[Paul Haese]

You can add another deep sky image. I was short listed for this image. (http://paulhaese.net/NGC1316%20AG12.html)
My first shortlisting for a while. Pretty happy with that.

[Nikolas]

Congrats Paul Great image

[andyc]

And a Moon image ;)


Malcolm, you do have a case about the nacreous/iridescent cloud shot (I'd agree it's not terribly astronomical, even if nacreous clouds are high and cool), but I'd argue that other good nightscape/Milky Way images are almost all about the composition with interesting foreground/setting. That's a huge part of a really good nightscape. Having chatted to the judges a bit last year, they care a lot about the visual story and artistic composition, and less about the technical expertise of a shot (which is why last year mine got up over Damian Peach's more technically brilliant entry). The judges are a motley crue of astro professionals, but also artists, media, a comedian among others, so they will have some unusual choices in there. Clearly, if you can combine artisticness, a story and top technical expertise, then you have a good shout! I think with deep sky it's harder to have a distinct story, so then it's more about the framing and imaging/processing craft to create a gorgeous image (of which several here do very well of course!)


Well done everyone though, pretty significant Aus representation!

[Ryderscope]

Well done Paul. Congratulations. Just making the shortlist in this competition is an achievement.

[Peter Ward]

What?! An aging heavy metal band is now judging at Greenwich?!

But, perhaps you meant "crew" :doh: :D

[barx1963]

I am quite sure the actual full short list is fine, it was more the selection of shots that ended up on the website that was baffling. I love a good nightscape but it was a little frustrating to lick on the link and see exactly 1 deep space shot! BTW, I included the lunar shot in my counts of nightscapes as realistically the dominant feature in the shot was a building!!

I don't know if there is anywhere that the full short list can be found?

Malcolm

PS Oh and well done on your effort, cracking shot!

[Paul Haese]

Quite a few years back, I pulled a second place with a saturn image in the ROG and a year or so after that I got a HM of my Venus transit shot, which is still on permenant display at ROG. That alone probably means more to me than all the other awards I have collected now. And; yes it is a tough competition now.