Nature at Night, Exploring Light and Life Under the Stars

The night sky and the stars are things of beauty.  But that beauty goes much deeper than superficial appearance. 

Earth spends half of its existence under the night sky.  This has a profound impact on life and its cycles.  During this time, nature does a lot of important work —from cloaking the movements of migrating birds to enabling nocturnal insect pollinators. 

This presentation will explore the beauty of the stars through nightscape images and offer a brief glimpse at some intimate connections between nature and the night sky.

The presenter for this program is Dan Zarlenga:

When many photographers are putting their cameras away, Dan is usually getting his out!  Dan has been in love with the stars and the night sky all his life.  After spending years looking at the sky with telescopes, he took up photography in 2009.  It seemed only natural to bring the two interests together.  He especially enjoys the challenge of blending terrestrial and celestial subjects in the same image.

Dan likes to explore several forms of photography but has a special leaning towards landscapes and astro-landscapes.  He also likes to mix photography with another of his passions . . . hiking and occasionally backpacking.  Dan has served as MDC Media Specialist in St. Louis region since 2008.

His photography has appeared in multiple calendars and magazines, and is featured in several exhibits.

This class is in partnership with Wild Ones St Charles Area Chapter, a nonprofit organization designed to promote the understanding of native plants, their benefits, and what they can provide for the environment both in private as well as public areas of landscaping.