Our Star

I’m a space enthusiast, but I didn’t know it was even possible to take photographs of the sun like this in your own backyard. Yet, that is exactly what Alan Friedman has done, using special filters on his camera. It’s an amazing peek at the bright star in our own sky. Thanks to Colossal for the tip.

My photographs comprise a solar diary, portraits of a moment in the life of our local star. Most are captured from my backyard in Buffalo, NY. Using a small telescope and narrow band filters I can capture details in high resolution and record movements in the solar atmosphere that change over hours and sometimes minutes. The raw material for my work is black and white and often blurry. As I prepare the pictures, color is applied and tonality is adjusted to better render the features. It is photojournalism of a sort. The portraits are real, not painted. Aesthetic decisions are made with respect for accuracy as well as for the power of the image.