City dwellers have perhaps forgotten what a star-studded sky looks like. The high cost of pollution in cities makes star-gazing possible within the confines of an air-conditioned planetarium.
Splendour
Dehradun-based photographer Cyril Lucido Kuhn experienced the splendour of the night sky at a tea estate in the Nilgiris in 2013. Witnessing the Milky Way for the first time on a new moon night inspired the then budding photographer, an alumnus of St. Stephen’s College in Delhi.
A smitten Cyril then decided to travel across the country to photograph the night skies. The result is an exhibition of photographs titled “Into the Darkness”.
He said: “The night sky should neither be rare nor extraordinary. Through this exhibition, I would like to showcase and share the vast and natural beauty of our skies, bursting with stars, planets, galaxies and other celestial objects, as well as create awareness about the negative impact of the glare of artificial lights on our environment.”
The photographs have been shot using long exposure at Ladakh, Mussoorie, Kasol and other places in the hills.
Cyril has managed to capture the Milky Way, meteors, planets and star trails framing the skies, with abandoned huts, hills, pine trees, rivers and even city lights in the foreground.
Then there are panorama shots of Mussoorie against the various hues of the night sky juxtaposed with the glow of Dehradun below. Some “lucky” shots of meteors were actually taken after hours of painstakingly creating the perfect frame for the photographs.
Lonely
“I once reached George Everest’s House in Mussoorie late in the evening and camped there the whole night for a photograph. It gets lonely sometimes...sitting alone in the dark and the cold, knowing there are animals nearby. I once made friends with a mouse during such a night.”
He now plans to travel across the country to continue his project and create awareness about how we have lost our night skies due to light pollution. The exhibition is on till Friday at the Art Gallery, India International Centre Annexe.
