Re: [APML]: Art or Science

["John Petrush" <petrush@bellsouth.net>]

The Astro-Photography Mailing List
------------------------------------

For me, astrophotography, as is the rest of my photography, is an art form.
The tools and techniques, while critical to acheiving the desired result,
are only tools.  My motivations are not scientific, but I need to have
*some* understanding of the science to achieve my art.  My motiviations are
not mechanical, but a good understanding, and manual skill in, mechanics is
essential to achieving my art.  My motivations are not to know optics, but
an understanding of optical behavior is essential to acheiving my art.  The
list goes on.

Creating an astrophoto is the result of bringing together many disiplines to
a fairly high level of competence.  A single bump of the mechanical parts
ruins the photo.  A flaw in the optical path ruins the photo.
Misinterpreting weather patterns can ruin the photo.  Another lenthy list of
stuff that can, and does, go wrong to ruin photos.  But once the basic photo
is secured, there remain many, many steps before the final image is created.
And along that path, hundreds of little choices are made by the maker of the
image.  Dozens of tools and techniques, applied in an infinite variety of
permutations, are used by the artist to create the final result.  No, there
is no question in my own mind, astrophotography is art alright.  Just
because one needs a command of many technical and scientific disiplines to
do it does not take an iota of the art away from it.

I hope this helps you get to what you are looking for...........

John P
______________________________________