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Urban Astrophotography: Photographing Space from the City

Date: June 19, 2026
Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

WITH JIM TOMCIK

Location(s): 

Deep space astrophotography is a challenging pursuit, at the intersection of Science,

Technology, and Aesthetics. This workshop is an introduction to photographing deep space

objects (DSO’s) , especially under city skies. I find it surprising what we can achieve with

amateur equipment.

You can expect an introduction to the following:

  • Typical results that amateurs can achieve
  • Challenges of deep space astrophotography and mitigations where possible
  • Basic concepts from astronomy applied to astrophotography
  • Planning an astro shoot – targets, composition, exposures
  • A system I use to gather astro data – gear and setup
  • Processing raw captures into final images
  • How to get started – the rise of “smart telescopes”

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Jim (JD) Tomcik is a traveler, award winning documentary photographer and writer. “I think I’ve always been a traveler,” he says. “I found my love for travel during my college years when I took a summer internship in the Netherlands and traveled solo around Europe during work holidays.” During his 32-year engineering career he gravitated to roles requiring travel, interpersonal skills and deep technical expertise. By day conducting business, he photographed street life and cities by night. After retiring in 2011, he continued documenting life in the world’s cities, mostly Asia and Europe. When COVID-19 struck in 2020, he pulled out an old telescope to learn the night sky. It wasn’t long before he attached cameras to the scope and began a journey to photograph Deep Space Objects barely visible (or invisible) to the unaided eye. Jim holds BS, MS, and Ph. D in Electrical Engineering, focusing on Digital Signal and Image Processing from the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana, and a CPP (Certified Professional Photographer) from the Professional Photographers of America.
Urban Astrophotography
June 19, 2026 | 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
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