Mezzanine Gallery: "Star and Stone" by Jared Tamez

Among the different genres of astrophotography, star trail photography is perhaps the most accessible and diverse. This style involves taking a single, long exposure or stacking multiple exposures of the stars to show the star’s motion in the sky over time. Because of the curvature of the earth and its rotation, the pathway of the stars appears to bow north and south, forming concentric circles at the poles (Star and Stone 3: Tower of Babel being one example at the north pole), straight lines at the celestial equator, and curved lines between. These star paths are comparable to the shape of the lines of latitude on a globe. Star and Stone 4: Turret Arch, for example, depicts the range of these lines. These celestial patterns provide a rich opportunity for artistic composition when coupled with terrestrial formations.