A new exhibit of night photography by Gregg M. Erickson is currently on display at the Tacoma Community College Gig Harbor Campus. A reception will be held Jan. 29, 4-6 p.m. at the Gig Harbor campus.
Often using frequent flyer miles stockpiled during his years as a corporate consultant, Erickson spent two years visiting some of the most remote spots in the American west in search of perfect conditions for photographing the Milky Way galaxy. In addition to capturing the Milky Way and the night sky details city dwellers normally can’t see, his photos demonstrate how ambient “light pollution” from cities and towns reach even the most remote locations.
Though the photographs are presented “as truthfully as possible,” Erickson’s production process is far from basic. To create the strongly horizontal images displayed in the “Dark Sky West” collection, he stitched multiple images together using software he wrote himself. The result is an extreme wide-angle view of the West. For instance, in the image “A Starry Night on Old Snowy Mountain – 360,” you can see Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Adams, backlit by the glow from Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, and Portland.
Erickson won’t be able to attend the reception, but he may Skype in. The exhibit can also be viewed anytime the Gig Harbor campus is open: 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday – Thursday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Fridays.
Erickson’s photography can be viewed at http://nwicon.com.
