AstroBackyard, also known as Trevor Jones, is a highly acclaimed Canadian astrophotographer with over 474,000 subscribers on YouTube, making him one of the most followed astrophotographers in the world.
He's also an international guest speaker at Star Stuff in Byron Bay at the beginning of July and he's passionate about helping people get started on the right foot in astrophotography.
“My goal is to make astrophotography more approachable for beginners. I want to make sure it is fun and exciting, and they get off on the right foot, at least for those seriously interested in getting involved in deep sky astrophotography,” Trevor said.
Trevor developed an online friendship with Dylan O’Donnell, the creator of Star Stuff, years before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“He wanted me to come out to Star Stuff in 2020 because he wanted me to represent the YouTube astrophotography community, which is quite large. He thought it would be a good fit, and I did. Unfortunately, the pandemic stopped that, but we’re finally going to make it this year, four years later,” he added.
During the talk, Trevor said he’ll share some best practices for improving your astrophotography skills and hopefully flatten that steep learning curve.
Trevor said that while doing astrophotography, it’s important not to get too frustrated over things you can’t control, such as light pollution and the weather.
“The weather can be very, very cruel. But at the same time, not having great weather, and then having a clear night after, it can make it more special, and I think, can make it more exciting. If it were clear night after night, astronomy would lose some of its magic,” he said.
Trevor also said it’s important to remember why you started doing astrophotography in the first place when things start to become problematic.
“Some things will go wrong, like technical issues, but those don’t last forever. The fact that it happens at night, it’s also very time-consuming. It’s hard to fit into a regular lifestyle,” Trevor continued.
“When you’re out shooting three nights in a row where something goes wrong, it can be very discouraging. So, it’s important to push through that and keep pushing on.”
To begin your journey in astrophotography, Trevor recommends starting with a DSLR or a mirrorless camera and buying a quality star tracker.
“You can offset the rotation of the night sky and start taking one-minute exposures, even two-minute exposures – and suddenly you get these incredible photos of the Milky Way, and galaxies that are showing up through long exposure photography just using the camera you already own,” Trevor added.
Trevor said the SeeStar is an incredible “entry-level telescope” that makes astrophotography obtainable for the average person.
“You’re investing in exploration and your love for astronomy with this telescope. It’s such an impressive user experience that it can take you to the finish line of getting your own photo of a nebula, which is nearly impossible when starting in astrophotography,” Trevor added.
Trevor also recommends people join your local astronomy society when they first start.
“The people are friendly, and they’re keen to help, and you have to realise that they don’t get to talk about astrophotography throughout their daily life, so you're kind of helping them, too.”
On visiting Australia
Trevor has never visited Australia or been under a southern hemisphere sky before.
“It’s kind of a bucket list trip for me. I’m really looking forward to getting a wide field shot of the Milky Way,” he said.
“It’s because the positioning is so different, and southerners get the core of the Milky Way, which rises so high into the sky. In the north, it just runs right into the horizon and never gets off it, so that’ll be incredible to see.”
Trevor is looking forward to shooting targets within the constellation Scorpius, which is in a better position in the southern hemisphere: the Large and Small Melogenic Clouds and the Carina Nebula.
Trevor also plans on travelling to Uluru to see the dark skies there.
He hopes to return to Australia with his partner Ashley Northcotte, @nightsky_ash, for the 2028 solar eclipse.
On falling in love with astronomy
AstroBackyard fell in love with astronomy when he was 25 years old.
“I was working a nine-to-five desk job in a cubicle. I liked what I did, but I was spending all day on a computer inside, and I was looking for a hobby that got me outside. It was something to get excited about – it was an escape,” Trevor said.
“So, I started peaking my head outside, and I bought my first Dobsonian telescope. I started exploring the cosmos and started seeing things for the first time. I remember seeing Saturn for the first time; it was so beautiful. It was a fun, explorative process,” he added.
Not long after getting involved in visual astronomy, Trevor felt compelled to share what he saw through the.
“I placed my point-and-shoot digital camera up to the eyepiece, and as crude as the photos were, it was nice to have a souvenir photo of what I saw,” he added.
“I realised that through astrophotography, we can reveal these objects in so much more detail than you could ever see with your eye, so astrophotography quickly overtook my passion for visual astronomy,” Trevor continued.
Trevor soon began developing stunning images, and his skills in content creation and graphic design also helped him on the path to turning his hobby into a full-time profession.
“I always had a knack for video production, and I was able to turn it into a sustainable business,” he added.
He first created a blog website where he journaled about his work.
“It was a place to share my latest image and tell the story behind it. Nobody was reading it. I was doing it for myself. But then I started to share my photos, thinking if it helped someone else, they could learn something from me even better.
“It started to snowball after years of writing. People were discovering me and were saying: ‘What you’re doing is incredible, and thanks for teaching me this’. I was like, ‘Oh, wow. I have an audience.’
Trevor said AstroBackyard has offered him the freedom and flexibility to pursue his passion and encourages others to do the same.
“The idea of AstroBackyard has taken us to some incredible places worldwide, including Australia,” Trevor said.
He counts the recent stunning solar eclipse in North America in April as a life-changing celestial event.
“That rocked my world. Not only did it exceed my expectations, but it was an experience that was like nothing else. It will never be topped unless another total solar eclipse happens to be even more special somehow,” Trevor added.
“Experiencing things like solar eclipses and coming to Australia all started because of this idea of producing these little videos. I also feel a huge responsibility – I want to ensure people get off on the right foot in astrophotography, so I feel pressure, but it’s good pressure.”
You can still book tickets to Star Stuff by visiting: https://starstuff.com.au.
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