Call to photographers for Night Sky and Astrophotography Images
UPDATE: Images submitted for the Exhibition or the Contest do not need to be taken within Fountain Hills. Categories are:
Category 1 – ‘Landscape’ night sky/astrophotography containing any
landscape feature along with a celestial subject, or
Category 2 – ‘Tele’ or deep sky astrophotography (galaxies, nebulae, etc.)
taken with a telescope or telephoto lens
The 2 judges of the Juried Contest will award “Best of category” prizes in both
categories as previously announced. In addition, due to the continuing interest in
showcasing what can be done from the dark sky of Fountain Hills, the judges will
consider awarding a “Best Fountain Hills” image award in each category as well.
Objective – Participate in an Exhibition and Photo Contest of Night Sky/Astro celestial
object images taken from within or the vicinity of Fountain Hills, as a way of
demonstrating what can be done with the dark skies of Fountain Hills. Celestial objects
of interest include the moon, eclipses, meteors, planets, galaxies, nebulae, and any
other dark sky/astro subjects. The exhibition will be mounted on the walls of the FH
Community Center from Monday, March 23 through Monday, March 30. The
announcement of the winners will be made on March 28 at the the overall all-day
Fountain Hills Dark Sky Celebration at the FH Community Center, which has rapidly
become one of the most attended events of the year in Fountain Hills.
The two categories of Dark Sky images wanted for the Exhibition and the contest are;
Category 1 – ‘Landscape’ night sky/astrophotographs taken from in or within the
vicinity of Fountain Hills (such as the McDowell Mountain Regional Park) and
containing some landscape feature identifiable as a Fountain Hills feature (like our
famous fountain, a piece of sculpture found at Fountain Lake, Four Peaks, or
something else, in addition to the celestial subject).
Category 2 – ‘Tele’ night sky/astrophotographs (galaxies, nebulae) taken with a
telescope or telephoto lens within or in the vicinity of Fountain Hills (such as the
McDowell Mountain Regional Park), but without any visible Fountain Hills elements
in the picture.
Two professional Dark Sky and Astronomical photographers have been retained as
judges for this contest. Judging criteria will include both technical excellence and artistic
merit. For both categories, no photo manipulation is allowed (e.g., taking a full moon or
a foreground subject from one image and placing it in another image, or creating a
montage). Focus stacking, HDR processing or multi-frame stacking of the same scene
with the same field of view over time is OK (e.g., star tracks) as long as the stacked
images are taken with the same camera and lens taken from the same observation
point. First and Second Prizes will be awarded to pictures in each category. There is a
limit of a total (both categories) of 3 images per person.
Please fill out Entry Form, scan and email to bruce.boyce@cox.net, by Wednesday,
March 18, 2020. If you don’t have a scanner, just email me the pertinent information.
Please deliver your Images to be hung at the FH Community Center the morning of
Monday, March 23, 2020 for hanging.
2020 Dark Sky Exhibit Entry Form