From the February 2005 issue

Jason Ware’s film photography gallery

Digital imaging is fast overtaking film in the world of amateur astronomy, but the old dog still barks.
By | Published: February 22, 2005 | Last updated on May 18, 2023
Flame Nebula
The Flame Nebula (NGC 2024) in Orion is a difficult object to observe due to the closeness of the bright star Alnitak. Ware made two 60-minute exposures on Fuji HG 400 film through his 16-inch Meade LX200 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope at f/10.
Jason Ware
Astrophotographer Jason Ware is not the last of a dying breed, but he’s close. Ware takes images of celestial objects on film, and that’s a rarity in this day of digital technology and the recent proliferation of digital SLRs. But Ware uses digital image-enhancement techniques to improve his film photographs. His story, “Sharper photos with film,” details some of his methods. What follows are some of his superb images we couldn’t fit into the magazine. Enjoy!

The Flame Nebula
The Flame Nebula (NGC 2024) in Orion is a difficult object to observe due to the closeness of the bright star Alnitak (Zeta [z] Orionis). Ware made two 60-minute exposures on Fuji HG 400 film through his 16-inch Meade LX200 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope at f/10.
Gammi Cygni
The region of Gammi Cygni is alive with activity. Ware created this image with his 12/16-inch Meade Schmidt camera at f/2.2. He took two 30-minute exposures on Kodak Technical Pan film through a #92 red filter and two 15-minute exposures on Fuji 100 color print film.
Jason Ware
Gamma Cygni
The region of Gamma Cygni is alive with activity. Ware created this image with his 12/16-inch Meade Schmidt camera at f/2.2. He took two 30-minute exposures on Kodak Technical Pan film through a #92 red filter and two 15-minute exposures on Fuji 100 color print film.
Gamma Cygni in black and white
In black and white, the region around Gamma Cygni shows subtle differences from a color version. Ware created this image using only the two 30-minute exposures (on Kodak Technical Pan film through a #92 red filter) taken for the previous image.
Jason Ware
Gamma Cygni
In black and white, the same region around Gamma Cygni as in the previous photo shows subtle differences from the color version. Ware created this image using only the two 30-minute exposures (on Kodak Technical Pan film through a #92 red filter) taken for the previous image.
Trifid Nebula
The Trifid Nebula (M20) in Sagittarius is a showpiece object when you observe it under a dark sky. Ware used his 16-inch Meade LX200 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope at f/10. To produce the final image, he combined two 30-minute exposures on Kodak Technical Pan film through a #92 red filter with two 15-minute exposures on Fuji 100 color print film.
Jason Ware
The Trifid Nebula
The Trifid Nebula (M20) in Sagittarius is a showpiece object when you observe it under a dark sky. Ware used his 16-inch Meade LX200 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope at f/10. To produce the final image, he combined two 30-minute exposures on Kodak Technical Pan film through a #92 red filter with two 15-minute exposures on Fuji 100 color print film.
M24
M24 is a rich area of the Milky Way in Sagittarius. To create this image, Ware made two 15-minute exposures on Fuji 100 color print film through his 12/16-inch Meade Schmidt camera at f/2.2.
Jason Ware
M24
M24 is a rich area of the Milky Way in Sagittarius. To create this image, Ware made two 15-minute exposures on Fuji 100 color print film through his 12/16-inch Meade Schmidt camera at f/2.2.
Snake Nebula
The Snake Nebula (Barnard 72) in Ophiuchus is an interstellar cloud made of dust and cold gas. Ware took two 30-minute exposures on Kodak PPF 400 print film using his 16-inch Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope at f/10.
Jason Ware
The Snake Nebula
The Snake Nebula (Barnard 72) in Ophiuchus is an interstellar cloud made of dust and cold gas. Ware took two 30-minute exposures on Kodak PPF 400 print film using his 16-inch Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope at f/10.
Pinwheel Galaxy
The Pinwheel Galaxy (M33) in Triangulum is a member of our Local Group. Ware used his 8-inch Meade LX6 at f/10 to create this image. He took 90- and 180-minute exposures on Kodak Technical Pan film and two 60-minute exposures on Fuji HG 400 color film.
Jason Ware
The Pinwheel Galaxy
The Pinwheel Galaxy (M33) in Triangulum is a member of our Local Group. Ware used his 8-inch Meade LX6 at f/10 to create this image. He took 90- and 180-minute exposures on Kodak Technical Pan film and two 60-minute exposures on Fuji HG 400 color film.
Rho Ophiuchi
The Rho Ophiuchi complex offers one of the sky’s most colorful regions. To image this large area, Ware used his 12/16-inch Meade Schmidt camera at f/2.2. He took two 10-minute exposures on Kodak Technical Pan film and two 15-minute exposures on Fuji 100 print film.
Jason Ware
Rho Ophiuchi
The Rho Ophiuchi complex offers one of the sky’s most colorful regions. To image this large area, Ware used his 12/16-inch Meade Schmidt camera at f/2.2. He took two 10-minute exposures on Kodak Technical Pan film and two 15-minute exposures on Fuji 100 print film.