A Royal appointment

A Royal appointment

Like many of us who’s ever looked up at the sky on a clear night, I have been fascinated by the stars. So, it was no surprise that I was over the moon (pun intended!) when I was given the opportunity to direct a series of short films for the Royal Observatory.

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The ‘Astrophotographer of the Year’ competition is international, and the names of the people who we were going to film were withheld until the very last minute.We were told that the commission would potentially include a long haul flight to overseas contributors, and although it was great to meet the young enthusiastic Daniel in Leeds, and Nick with his transforming telescope shed in Oxford, it was even better to be given the chance to visit Rogelio and Steven in sunny California. With expired i-Visas, both Jan and I rushed through some tense last minute interviews with the American embassy, but managed to get them through by the skin of our teeth.

It was a fascinating insight into the world of the ‘astrophotographer’. Being able to experience the passion that they all shared on a subject that I’ve always found amazing was an honour. To be able to see the milky way sprawl into the heavens with my bare eyes on a mountain top over looking San Jose was something I’ll never forget.

Simon Wan

See the short films here

Published by October 20, 2010 9:07 am Leave your thoughts

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