WeDoArt — The Art of the Astrophotography

Documentary School
of Astrophotography

Astrophotographers will never be able to escape the need to interpret. Without such interpretation, the raw material on which an astrophotography is based cannot be passed on or materialized in an artwork conveying a content. The instrumental medium through which we interpret the image is image processing.

However, at the height of the technological age, we still understand very little about the concept of image processing and we often confuse it with the concept of photographic «retouching». The processing techniques we apply to our images are completely the opposite to those applied in other areas of photography, such as moving or deleting elements of the composition, removing imperfections, or correcting the body proportions of the model.

The documentary rigor is one of the challenges that astrophotography has always faced. We do not understand or apply image processing as manipulation, but as an interpretative process that collects data, extracts from it the valuable items of information, and translates them into a visual language capable of preserving the documentary value of that information. On an ethical level, if a careful and well-founded interpretation is not achieved, we could arrive at an erroneous interpretation of the natural scene. This becomes more difficult in the field of astrophotography given that the observer cannot judge the validity of the interpretation, since we have no visual point of reference to what is being photographed. You, as an observer, have no possibility of checking the authenticity of the photograph with your own eyes because, through the telescope, you will never be able to see most of the objects and colors present in the images of the sky. We photograph the invisible.

The fact that the work of the photographer cannot be contrasted with visible reality poses a serious problem if it is not conducted according to well-defined ethical principles. To confront these challenges, in 2009 we decided to found the Documentary School of Astrophotography and gave shape to our professional ethics in the form of a public manifesto. Our intention was to create our own code of ethics, just like those that exist in so many other professions. For us, not all methods and techniques are valid in astrophotography and the manifesto publicly expresses what the limits of our art are.

To date, this is the only formal document describing the ethics of the astrophotographer. The aim of the manifesto is not to exclude other points of view, but to establish our own. Moreover, documents of this kind should be fundamental in a discipline that seeks to convey a natural scene for which there is no available means of comparison. And the absence of such formal statements is a serious constraint when seeking to introduce professional standards into the discipline, especially for those of us for whom astrophotography is a way of life in itself.

You can read the manifesto in this section. If it fits your thought, you can also adhere to it by signing with your name. And, if you have a different approach to art but feel this is a good and necessary initiative, you can join the list of supporters.

Founding Statement

Astrophotography, namely the photographic observation of the Universe, has become one of the activities that have generated the most interest in the field of astronomy today. Over recent years, the growing enthusiasm of millions of people, whether professionals or amateurs, together with technological advances and the huge amount of information available through the Internet have significantly increased interest in the photographing of celestial objects.

All this increase in information and resources has had very positive effects on astronomical culture and on a knowledge of the techniques needed for observing the sky both visually and photographically. At the same time, however, similar to what occurs in other areas of photography, it leds to a noticeable confusion over concepts, techniques and, from an ethical point of view, over the correct use of all the improvements and advantages that the digital age has made available to those involved in the practice of astrophotography. The unfortunate truth is that there is a certain amount of deception in astrophotography, despite the fact that the vast majority of those who practice it act with complete honesty and do not manipulate their images.

We the undersigned, facing the critical point at which this activity finds itself, wish to add our own perspective and to present ideas that may provide help and guidance as to what astrophotography should and should not be. We do this from a respectful standpoint, devoid of any dogmatic stance, but convinced that certain approaches, as well as some image processing techniques that alter the nature of the photographed objects, cannot be considered a part of astrophotography. We believe the latter must maintain the documentary character that it has had historically and that, in addition to providing far-reaching scientific results, matches and is compatible with the artistic perspective many astrophotographers have of their chosen activity.

In our opinion, therefore, astrophotography cannot involve the manipulation of images in order to add information not contained in them. For some, this option may be part of a particular artistic vision, but it cannot be understood as astrophotography. We maintain that it is necessary to move away from the widespread belief that any procedure or technique whatsoever can be accepted as valid within this discipline.

As signatories to this founding statement of the Documentary School of Astrophotography, we consider the following basic principles to be fundamental:

1. Definition of Astrophotography

Astrophotography is essentially the documentary photography of celestial objects: the astrophotographer photographs a wealth of natural heritage that is then conveyed to the observer. On the basis of this fundamental fact, the Documentary School establishes its work on making available to the observer information solely and exclusively relating to the natural object photographed. Therefore, astrophotography is a form of graphical communication that enables the dissemination and sharing of information regarding the celestial objects photographed.

2. Elements that constitute Astrophotography

Astrophotography combines science, art and technology:

It is science, because data is collected using scientific methods in a fair and objective manner and because, throughout the history of astronomy, astrophotography has been one of the cornerstones of scientific study of the Universe and the scientific discoveries that have made it possible for us to build the current cosmological models. In fact, it has been the very documentary nature of astrophotography that, over the last century and a half, has brought about some of the great astronomical and cosmological discoveries. A distorted view of astrophotography that alters that approach would not only be an historical error, but would also undermine the commitment and consensus demonstrated by the astronomical community throughout these last decades.
It is art, because the astrophotographer interprets the data obtained and looks for a way to interpret it, but always from the standpoint that a personal vision of the celestial object being photographed can never be a pretext for manipulating the images by falsifying the information contained within them. We believe that this type of modification, which could possibly be classified as another field of art, cannot be defined as astrophotography.
It is technology, thanks to the engineering and resources used in the acquisition and processing of that data.

3. Aims of Astrophotography

Within the Documentary School, we consider that astrophotography should be understood as a vehicle for the dissemination of the science and knowledge of Nature. Therefore, the astrophotographer has a responsibility to disseminate this knowledge within society. Astrophotography should also be considered as a tool for cultural development and the promotion of respect for Nature and the environment.

Within the Documentary School, we also consider it essential that the practice of astrophotography should be carried out as a means of personal growth and should encourage both the technical and esthetic developments of this discipline.

4. Image processing

Image processing should form the link between the data obtained and the observer who is the recipient of the photographs. Therefore, the role of the astrophotographer is that of data interpreter. This, together with the documentary nature of astrophotography, leads to the fundamental principle held by the Documentary School:

The astrophotographer must first and foremost respect the data obtained and the nature of the objects photographed.

Processing has four main functions:

To correct instrumental defects in data.
To adapt data to the characteristics of human vision.
To provoke an emotional response in the observer.
To launch a process of reflection on the objects represented and their nature.

These functions must, in all cases, be carried out through procedures and techniques that fulfil the fundamental principle of the Documentary School. Given that the information extracted depends on the process applied, and since the image must elicit an emotional response from the observer, image processing is a means of expression in itself. Any esthetic theory arising from this need for expression must be subject to the fundamental principle of this School.

We at the Documentary School consider that only those procedures with a documentary basis are valid and admissible for the processing of images. A documentary criterion is one which aims to communicate one or several properties of the celestial object being photographed, since it is itself a part of Nature. Conversely, we expressly reject the following, in so much as they fail to respect the data and the information that data brings about:

The undue use of algorithms resulting in the intentional generation of false information or the intentional deletion of part of the existing information.
The arbitrary selection of data without a consistent selection criterion for the entire image.