Illusion of Lights

I am a big fan of Brad Goldpaint’s astrophotography. His images of the night sky are crisp and clear, vivid and astonishing. He also creates amazing time-lapse videos, which I’ve featured on this blog many times.

Now, in Episode 2 of Crash Course Astronomy, “Naked-Eye Observations”, I talked about light pollution, and how it’s robbing of us our skies. This is a matter of some importance to me, for obvious reasons. So I was pretty happy when Goldpaint sent me a note saying he’s putting together a new time-lapse feature called “Illusion of Lights: A Journey Into the Unseen,” highlighting this issue. He’s put together a trailer, and as expected, it’s gorgeous:

I love watching lenticular clouds in motion, and seeing Crater Lake in Oregon is always a thrill; it’s one of my favorite places on the planet, and Goldpaint has used it before in his photos and videos.

I love the music, too. I’m a sucker for that kind of drumbeat.

Goldpaint’s dedication to this is no small matter. He sent me this description:

In 2013, Brad and Marci left their day jobs and began educating the public about the damaging effects of light pollution. They left the comforts of home to help reconnect people with the simple beauty of the night sky. The couple sold all their possessions to live in a motorhome while traveling throughout the Western United States, teaching photography workshops and gathering footage for their film. Brad spent countless nights traversing in the dark, carrying heavy camera equipment, and braving the dark unseen. Each filmed location presented unique challenges when confronted by lightning storms, dangerous winds, and up-close encounters with bears and other wildlife. They are excited to share with you the release of their first trailer to their independent film, “Illusion of Lights: A Journey Into the Unseen.”

Wow. He has more information on his website. I’m pretty excited about this and I can’t wait to see the final product. It looks truly amazing.