They Shot The Dark Side Of The Moon, But Can They Shoot The Dark Side Of A Wedding?
Christina Koch silhouetted against the glow of Earth
HOUSTON, TX — The world was captivated by the incredible images shared, some mid-mission, from Orion I. Four astronauts turned amateur photographers traveled past the moon on a 10-day journey that left the public amazed, and the professionals photographers considering.
The portfolio included a photo of the moon’s far side totally eclipsing the sun on April 6, with the corona and stars visible in the surrounding darkness; strikingly detailed studies of the moon’s heavily cratered far side; and moments of "Earthset" and "Earthrise" as they orbited. Most notably, a new “Blue Marble”-style image of Earth—lit by the moon’s glow rather than the sun, with polar aurorae visible—updated Harrison Schmitt’s iconic 1972 shot. Hobbyists and photography lovers worldwide were elated by the sublime and artistic imagery.
Reuters broke the story that two trainers, Katrina Willoughby and Paul Reichert, worked with the crew for roughly two years leading up to launch. PetaPixel reported that the training included building a mock-up of the Orion capsule and a giant inflatable moon suspended in the dark. RIT.edu proudly touted that Willoughby and Reichert, both RIT photographic sciences graduates, designed modules that attempted to emulate the realistic environmental conditions of photographing in space, including simulations of lunar EVA conditions conducted at night.
The Gear: A 2016 "Workhorse"
When it comes to the gear in flight, CBC NEWS reported:
"The Nikon D5, a DSLR camera released in 2016, was the so-called workhorse used by the crew that included Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen. As a mainstay camera model used for years on the International Space Station (ISS), Reichert said the D5 has proven it can withstand interstellar elements."
“We had a lot of flight experience with it,” Reichert said. “We knew it could handle at least several years of radiation dosage on the ISS, and it didn’t have any problems.” Nikon users worldwide agreed with the article’s mention of the D5’s exceptional performance in low light—a necessity amid the inky blackness of space.
Editorial Note: The Nikon D5 is not listed for sale in Nikon’s own website.
The "Tog Times" Survey: Reality Check
While amateurs and hobbyists exchanged links and pirated photos of lunar craters and the now-classic silhouette of a lone female astronaut looking through one of Orion I’s six windows, professional photographers from Belize to Uzbekistan and back to Houston were not so impressed.
The Tog Times emailed a survey to 125 pro photographers on our mailing list. Here are some unsolicited comments from that survey:
“Sure, those are great photos,” said Mercheck, a professional photographer in the tourist village of Sentob, Uzbekistan. “But I’m not sure those astronauts can shoot even a four-hour wedding. They were up there for ten days, but can they shoot 10 hours none stop, let alone a three-day Indian wedding here on Earth?”
To no surprise, most professional photographers agreed.
“Yeah, so they have a D5 and several pretty good lenses; but can they deal with a bride who’s crying for no good reason, or a groom who’s totally hitting on your second shooter and can’t stand on their feet because they’ve been drinking since 5:00 PM the night before?” asked Chris Mills, a 40-wedding-a-year pro.
Is it Nikon hate?
“Forget the madness of photographing a reception of even 100 guests—can they even get the bridal party or the family together long enough for group photos?
I’m sure it’s nice and quiet up there between the Earth and the Moon, but when little Timmy is trying to moon his sister and he can’t be stopped, or almost all the groomsmen got their phones in their front pockets—even after telling them a million times to put it in their back pockets—tell me if you’ll be so calm with your 35mm?” asked Sissily of Brisbane, AUS.
“By the way,” she added, “I bet it was a 35mm f/1.8.”
It is good to note that most of the pro photographers who provided the comments above were all non-Nikon shooters. One surveyed even added, “The z9 is great in low light, sure; when it doesn’t back-focus.”
“It’s Nikon. NASA has a contract with them. But that silhouette of Christina Koch against the blue earth was from an iPhone 17. You know what I mean? And I think that was their most artistic photo," provided by self-ascribed “not a Nikon hater.”
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