Becoming a photographer is a job that many people dream of. But few people can make photography their profession. Nando Harmsen has succeeded. De Helmonder presents a new photo book that he is publishing through the publisher VanDuuren. In ‘Photographing star trails’ he gives useful tips for taking the most beautiful star photos.
Harmsen says he has “always been interested” in astronomy. That’s why he decided to publish a book about photographing the star trails: “At first I wanted to write a book about photographing stars. The problem is that it is very difficult to take nice pictures of it in the Netherlands. To capture the starry sky beautifully, you have to find a very dark environment and an investment in expensive equipment is required.”
To make the subject easier and more accessible, he chose to photograph star trails. “You don’t have to travel to photograph star trails. You can capture this even in the city where there is a lot of lighting,” Harmsen explains.
Tips
Capturing star trails on video is not as easy as it sounds. “There are a few things involved in photographing this. Taking the photo is not difficult in itself. However, there are a lot of factors to take into account if you want to capture an image properly. In the book I give all kinds of tips and teach you techniques,” says Harmsen.
De Helmonder has managed to make a living from photography. “What is my secret? Above all, have a lot of patience and luck. It certainly took a while before I could make photography my profession. I actually slowly got into it and had no intention of becoming a professional photographer. I have been taking photos since I was ten. It has always remained a hobby for me.”
Analog and digital
Harmsen has never let go of photography. “In addition to my studies, I worked as a salesman in a photo shop in Helmond. At one point I was able to work as a teacher for an online training platform. I teach people there. Ultimately I managed to make photography my job.”
Harmsen has been involved with photography for a long time and has seen a lot of developments in his field. The biggest change was the transition from analog to digital photography. “This development brought about a lot. In the past, you would go out with a roll of 36 photos and you would be very conscious of your subject. Every photo was thought through, because you had limited opportunities. When the roll was full, you were done,” he clarifies.
Charm
Digital photography has greatly changed the way of taking photographs. “Where you used to shoot 36 photos over three days and think about each shot, you can now effortlessly shoot a thousand photos in a day. There is no roll that fills up. In addition, you can immediately see the result. If you don’t like the photo, you are able to take the photo again immediately.”
Digital photography is fast and, above all, very convenient. “However, analog photography also has its charm. It makes you more aware of what you are doing and it also has a certain tension. You only get a limited chance to take a photo and you have to wait a while before you see the end result. That has something to do with it,” he concludes.
Photography: Nando Harmsen
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