[ discover wv ]
Mountain State
Meets the Milky Way
Astrophotography Gives New Meaning to Almost Heaven
MAGGIE HATFIELD
West Virginia is well-known for its picture-perfect views of majestic mountains and rolling hills highlighted by the rising or setting sun . However , what many don ’ t know is that , to a small community of photographers , it is also known for unmatched celestial views that can only be found by the dark cover of night .
These artists practice astrophotography , a method of photography where a camera is used to take photos of the night sky based on an astronomical or celestial event . The key to astrophotography is using long exposures to gather as much light as possible . Josh Blanton and Wes Thompson , both residents of Kentucky , are avid astrophotography enthusiasts who frequent the Mountain State to obtain that perfect shot . By day , Thompson is the owner of an ad agency called Whiskey Tango Creative and the creative director for Wolf Advertising . Blanton is a plant manager for Vesuvius ; a city commissioner for Ashland , KY ; and an adjunct faculty member at Marshall University . Both have full schedules , but they make time in the evenings and on weekends to capture amazing photos of galaxies , planets and the moon .
While Blanton and Thompson each have their own favorite spots to photograph , they agree that West Virginia is
the ideal place for this hobby . For Blanton , Seneca Rocks and Spruce Knob are his absolute favorite places to shoot while Thompson ’ s best photos have been shot in Braxton County and East Lynn .
“ West Virginia is an amazing spot for astrophotography for a couple of reasons . One reason is that access to rural areas with very little light pollution is fairly abundant ,” says Thompson . “ Second , when shooting something like the Milky Way Galaxy , it ’ s nice to have a worthwhile foreground in the shot . West Virginia ’ s mountains , rolling hills and trees provide a beautiful option where that ’ s concerned .”
According to Blanton , West Virginia is ideal because of its easy accessibility of darkness .
“ To get the perfect shot , it is all about darkness ,” he says . “ Northeast West Virginia offers some of the darkest skies in the eastern U . S ., which makes for some pretty amazing pictures .”
For these two , becoming engaged in this hobby was a natural byproduct of a lifelong love of space .
“ I ’ ve always loved learning about space and our observable universe , but once I got into shooting the moon in my free time , I fell in love with the process ,” says Thompson . “ The night sky is in constant motion , and the conditions that allow me to capture a decent image are always changing . The most amazing part about astrophotography is that you ’ ll rarely ever get the same shot twice .”
While this unique pastime can be a bit challenging and time consuming since it can only be done in total darkness , the COVID-19 pandemic provided time to learn and improve their skills . As for the equipment needed for this hobby , both Blanton and Thompson agree that it depends on how detailed participants want their photos to be .
128
WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE
The Andromeda Galaxy , 2.2 million light years from Earth and home to more than 1 trillion stars . Photo by Josh Blanton .