Soft rains

[Peter Ward]

The reason for the cryptic title will become apparent when you read the associated text on the linked page below.

I was rather chuffed to receive an email from Royal Greenwich Observatory that the "non-oil-painted" version of this image
is shortlisted at this year's Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the year awards. I like this one better.

The false colour palette choice was not arbitrary.

Colours of the actual fires were sampled from press images of the devastating fires that destroyed vast swathes of the Australian landscape were used.

While the media now bangs on about COVID19, it has unfortunately taken
the issue of climate change off the evening news-feed (not that it ever was really mentioned). Hopefully next summer will be kinder to our countryside and RFS and CFS volunteers.

The link is here (http://www.atscope.com.au/BRO/SoftRains.html)

[multiweb]

:lol: Andy's fockerized you mate! :P

[Peter Ward]

Nah... Starless images have been around long before Andy spruiked the technique.

Greenwich is more of an "art of astro" event. The Malins is for the purists.
But very nice to get a gong in either. :thumbsup:

[The_bluester]

Wow, that is a very eerie image, particularly as like so many in Australia I have been affected by fire (A receding memory of 6 years ago now and thankfully we were fairly lightly touched, but it comes fresh to my mind every time I smell eucalypt smoke in the summer)

[Andy01]

Ha ha Marc! :lol::lol::lol: Seems I’ve gained a reputation- I guess that’s a good thing? ;)

Congratulations Peter! You’ve really pushed the envelope there :thumbsup:
Not sure I would be brave enough to use a PS filter like that, but in context with the story it works very well :)

Reminds me of a past visit to a modern sculpture exhibit, I liked the pieces on display but I had no idea what I was looking at. Later on I was given a personally guided tour of the exhibit by the curator, who explained what each artist was attempting to show, and off went my horse blinkers! Suddenly it all made sense!

Sometimes we need the artists statement to fully appreciate what our often untrained/uneducated eyes are seeing.

Top marks! :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
Note to self- Hmmm - must go poke around in PS filter menus now ;):lol::lol:

[marc4darkskies]

Oh my!!!!! All I see are WORMS, WORMS, WORMS!!!

What's the world coming too? Are astro comps becoming the astro equivalent of the Archibalds? I guess your compelling background symbolism sealed the deal!

In any case, congratulations for being the first!! :thumbsup: (:lol:)

I'll now refer to such images as being "Warded". Get it? A Warded image! ;)

[Peter Ward]

:lol: Just so we are clear, RGO picked the NON-oil paint filter image.
Same data, just sans paint-effect....which I rather like :P

Yes... I get the (sooo laaaame) joke. :)

But....I figure I'm doing something right...as my tally to date is around 70 National and International AP a-Wards. :painting:

[Peter Ward]

Ta Andy...and Noooooo! Move away from the Photoshop filters :lol:




Eerie. Thanks. I like that.
Indeed I hoped this image would be poignant for those affected by the fires.
The temperature hit 100 F degrees in Siberia this northern summer...and our pollies are still spruiking coal. Jesuswepped. :mad2:

[marc4darkskies]

Ahh! I didn't read carefully enough. The RGO is forgiven! ....
... But you're not! ;) :lol:

[Slawomir]

Very striking image and a very powerful message.

Congratulations on being shortlisted Peter :thumbsup: