Muscat residents get astrophotography tips

Muscat: A workshop on astrophotography was held for the first time in Muscat, at the Oman Avenues Mall.
Astrophotography, like all areas of photography, has changed greatly in this digital age. With the lower costs of high-quality, powerful equipment now accessible to anyone, photographers of all levels can now capture the serene beauty of celestial bodies.
Commenting on the event, Ben Watson, the general manager of Oman Avenues Mall, said the workshop couldn’t have been better.
The participatants included Babak A. Tafreshi, an award-winning photographer working with the National Geographic who captures the world at night and merges art and science, connects Earth and sky in elegant nightscape views.
Watson said, “Babak is an excellent teacher and a phenomenal photographer, he was more than happy to share the tools and techniques he has spent so much time finding and developing.
“I am personally hoping to learn more about photography and the night sky in general. If you’re at all interested in photography I highly recommend for people who couldn’t join us on for one of his workshops at Oman Avenues Mall Party Hall to stay tuned for further updates from us.”
During the past 20 years, nightscape photography has developed from being Babak’s teenage hobby to a professional skill—and then to an international programme. To him nightscape photography is about more than just recording a part of outer space or our environment; it becomes a lifestyle where he starts working when “normal” people enjoy parties, watch TV, and sleep. He adds that “the night sky is my second home.
"Sixty to Ninety nights of the year I am doing night sky shooting. The night sky is very calm and peaceful. Places that are packed and noisy in the daytime have a completely different atmosphere at night. You are connected not only to nature but also to the universe, and that’s a very unique feeling to me.”
Babak is also a freelance science journalist and astronomy communicator using all media. As a science photojournalist he frequently works with Sky &Telescope magazine and the European Southern Observatory (ESO). Photography, science stories, and eclipse chasing has taken him to all of the continents.
Born in 1978 in Tehran he is based in Boston, United States (and previously in Germany), but could be anywhere on the planet seeking starscapes.
He is a board member of Astronomers Without Borders, an international organization to bridge between cultures and connect people around the world through their common interest in astronomy.
When living in Iran he was editor of the Persian astronomy magazine (Nojum) for a decade and had widely popular television programmes on astronomy and space.