As an amateur astronomer, my interest in astronomy has waxed and waned, like the Moon, over time. I first got interested in my early teens, but then as life progressed astronomy took a back seat.
My first real foray into astrophotography was in 1986 and my keenness to record the long-awaited apparition of Halley’s Comet using my Minolta X300 SLR. At the time I was both pleased with the single image I managed to get (and develop, process and print – with a little help), but then also disappointed by the quality of it.
My hobby very much went into abeyance soon after that as I had moved to London – not the best place to undertake astronomy, let along astrophotography with an SLR camera and film. My interest was re-energised in the early 2010s with the advent of ever more affordable telescopes, digital cameras, filters and processing software.
Although my imaging skills may have improved (I will let others be the judge of that), I now look back nostalgically at my first attempt with more satisfaction, and paradoxically, I like it all the more for its raw graininess.
Martin Howe
Earth and Sky Photography 