This is my favorite from 2015 because it took a lot of planning, travel, permits/insurance, etc. and it came out 99% (could have used more moon light) as I had planned. I was so excited to be at Cliff Palace overlook and see the Milky Way arching over the ruin as I had calculated those months earlier. I feel a sense of accomplishment because I think the image captures the timeless quality that I was trying to convey.

Aurora Over Boise. It is fun and a challenge chasing auroras at this latitude. Addicting. It all came together 6/22, the alarms went off and KP was 8! The moon, Jupiter & Venus added to the comp. I could see the sky was shimmering, and there was a hint of pink. In RAW it is nearly this bright, I dialed down Vibrance to -15, and Saturation to -10.

Since I attended your (Goldpaint) workshop in Crater Lake, I was fascinated by the night sky. I’ve been attempting to capture the northern light with a beautiful scene for long. I found this unique location for very good potential of the aurora scene. With several unsuccessful attempts, finally I was fortunate enough to be able to capture this image and very grateful and satisfied.

This is my favorite night sky shot in 2015 because of the subject matter (love Mt. Shasta) and the unplanned way that I came to the shot: It was a bit like finding a $100 bill lying on the ground. I was driving up to Portland, Oregon on July 23rd for a family visit and had stopped at Castle Crag State Park around 5 pm for a hike up to explore the Crags.

This one is probably my favorite from this year as it was more than just driving up to a spot and setting up. For a couple of years now I have been wondering what kind of shot of the rare aurora I could get from the Mt Bachelor cone and on June 22, the numbers were looking really good so the time had come to see. In the summer-time Mt Bachelor closes their gates early in the afternoon so I would have to bike in approximately a mile with my gear and then start an hour + climb up the flank of Mt Bachelor and then finally scrambling up the backside of the "cone". The "cone" is an ancient lava cone covered in loose lava rock which made the final stretch a 2 steps forward one step back process. But, by sunset I had made it to my perch for the evening and patiently waited. And by pure serendipity, a partial moon would be setting at the same time lighting the foreground landscape.

Back in 2012 on a photography tour through Utah, Nevada and Arizona a friend and I came across Natural Bridges National Monument...one of the world's first certified dark sky parks. I'd never heard such a park o and didn't know anything about Astrophotography. In the information centre I saw a National Geographic award winning image of this Natural Bridge with the Milky Way shooting across it and couldn't stop staring at it.

This is my favorite photo of 2015. I took this at Moss Lake in Enchanted Rock Natural Area while on my way to Big Bend National Park for the Perseid meteor shower. While I like the photo itself, what makes it my favorite of the year is that this was my first solo camping trip and it wasn't a "Car camping" trip, but I had to hike a little over 2 miles in the summer Texas heat to reach the camp site which was in itself an achievement since I'm not the most fit person on the planet

This year started with a huge change. After 25 years in Western Washington we said good-bye and moved to Hawaii. Sadly, Oahu suffers from awful light pollution, and makes night shooting a constant challenge. A trip to the "Big Island" was a welcome change. This year I was able to see active lava lake bubbling from Kilauea main crater. In this image the lava glow trails into the stars and reminds me just how amazing a place this is.

Ideal weather conditions and the spectacular geology of Arches National Park gave me the opportunity to capture a variety of night sky photos that I really liked. But this photo of Broken Arch was my favourite. The arch itself was impressive, and the Milky Way provided the perfect background. Then it all came together as the moon rose above the horizon out of frame, providing enough natural light to beautifully illuminate the scene.

This photo is my favorite of 2015. It was taken in Grand Teton National Park at String Lake late in July on the third night out shooting. We caught an incredible break where the water was clear as a mirror and just before some clouds rolled in. I really like the photo because how it shows the majesty of the Teton Range, and the contrast of sky, stars, mountains and water. I also like the photo because of its symmetry, the incredible reflections and the airglow so prevalent in the Tetons at summer.