The 'Star Party' in Hanle is organised by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru.
Patience is the key, and it can pay handsomely - this is the message that Ajay and Neelam Talwar, a unique stargazing couple who have spent more than 25 years photographing celestial bodies, have for people wanting to take up astrophotography.
Highly regarded names in the field, the Talwars are currently on a tour called 'Lala Land', where they are photographing the skies over high Himalayan passes in India and are star attractions at the four-day 'Star Party' organised by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru, at Hanle, the country's only dark sky reserve. The 'Star Party' is organised for experienced amateur astronomers and astrophotographers.
Neelam is a crew member with Air India, a baker and marathon runner, and the couple has set up a special 20-centimetre telescope In Hanle to photograph the skies.
Speaking to NDTV in Hanle, Ajay Talwar said, "It has been more than 25 years since I began photographing the night skies but I still remember the first time I did it. Although I have lost the slide, I still remember it vividly. I had gone to a place called Neb Sarai on the outskirts of Delhi in 1987 and exposed an entire film for a night. The slide film had 36 frames, but just a couple had stars visible in them. An employee at the shop where I got the film developed had almost thrown the film in the bin, because he did not find it exposed at all."
His passion shining through, Ajay said that there was one frame which was loaded with stars and the Omega Centauri cluster was clearly visible.
"I was really happy. That was my impetus, my drive to continue astrophotography till now. As the results got better, I wanted to do more and more. I would describe my work as the TWAN style. A couple of years ago, I was invited to become a member of 'The World At Night' (TWAN) from India. TWAN members specialise in what is called Earth and Sky photography," said Ajay.
"This is a style where you photograph celestial bodies along with famous monuments, natural wonders and popular places. There are about 30 TWAN photographers spread out all over the world and they shoot stunning night landscapes. This is a genre of astrophotography which lay people relate to and understand at a glance," he added.
Ajay said patience is required in abundance for astrophotography and in the days when film was used, it would take several minutes just to expose one frame.
"In one night, the entire film of 36 frames would not even be complete, so you were forced to go out again a week or month later. Finally, the film would be complete and then you would go and get it developed. So you would get to see the fruits only about a month later and still run the risk of making a mistake," he said.
"Digital cameras changed this drastically. You can preview your images instantly, make corrections immediately and come back home with at least a few good shots. Even now, with advanced digital cameras, plenty of patience is required as you are photographing all night in some cases," Ajay pointed out.