Happy Spooky Season! I’ve been wanting to capture this one for a bit. It’s a reflection nebula with a strong hydrogen-alpha cloud called “The Ghost of Cassiopeia.” I shot the Ha data in Roy and did a broadband session out at Causey Reservoir with Jamie Freeman when she visited. It could likely use more integration time, but I think it came out well. This might be a good candidate to revisit with a monochrome camera. In any case, I actually like the starless version despite the remaining noise. I did a bit of work on the star to get rid of the strong halos, and ended up overlaying a flare I shot using my cell phone light on my Sony A7 IV with the DZOFilm Arcana 45mm 1.5X anamorphic lens. I like how the final image looks. Target: Ghost of Cassiopeia Constellation: Cassiopeia Location: Roy, Utah, Bortle 7, and Causey Reservoir, Bortle 4 Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Air Mount: ZWO AM3 Scope: Askar 120APO w/ Flattener Filter: Askar ColourMagic D1 (Ha/OIII) and Luminance (clear) Lights: D1 – 104 x 300 sec, Gain: 100, Cooling: -10°C L: 36 x 300 sec, Gain 100, Cooling -20°C 60x Flats, Flat-Darks, Darks Total Integration Time: 11 hrs 40 min Stacked in Pixinsight with BlurXTerminator, StarXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator Finished in Photoshop

Man… this commercial for the Air Force Academy is coming out amazing. Easily some of my best work to date. I can’t wait to show it to you all. The visuals, music, voiceover, all working in lock step. The drone footage from Drew Armstrong really makes the reveal of the campus breathtaking. Making the shorter versions is going to be incredibly tough. So much great footage is getting left out of the 60-second version already. #vaguebooking

Made it home safe and sound. It was great seeing everyone at the DC Video Shoot Off, especially my shaven Wookie brother Parker Gyokeres, but I’m sooooo looking forward to getting some rest the next two days. And yes, I captured some upper cloud lightning on the way back to Utah.

Had a little fun filming on the DZOFilm Arcana 45mm this evening during the mixer. The camera is definitely my social crutch, but I think that’s okay.

I’d post a wingtip selfie but….. heading to DC for the DC Video Shoot Off. we will be streaming live for free, but in-person attendance is free too! I think there might still be seats available so register today!

It’s been a while since I last posted an astro image. It’s been a very busy summer. Target: Pelican Nebula Constellation: Cygnus Location: Monte Cristo, Antelope Island, and Roy, Utah – Bortle 3, 4, and 7 respectively Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Air Mount: ZWO AM3 Scope: Askar 120APO w/ Flattener Filter: Askar ColourMagic D1 and D2 filters Lights: D1: 40 x 300 sec, D2: 49 x 300 sec Gain: 100, Cooling: -15°C to -5°C 60x Flats, Flat-Darks, Darks Total Integration Time: 7 hrs, 25 minutes Stacked in Pixinsight with BlurXTerminator, StarXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, and DBXtract Finished in Photoshop

Man, four years flew by. Such a fun shoot with some of my favorite people, even if it ended with me getting COVID. Franklin Scott Harris Jr., Eva Frazier, Brooke Rogers, miss y’all.

Finally getting a good night of imaging on Pelican

Being on set by 4am sucks, but any day on set is a good day. I teamed with Justin J Fairley as his DP to film a national level recruiting commercial for the Air Force. The crew killed it today and we managed to bring “sunlight” to a large pre-dawn shot on the flightline. I can’t wait to show y’all what we made.