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Hello and welcome to my site. I have been talking about
building my own web page for a few years now, and finally, here it is. The main
purpose for this collection of cyber-pixels is to get my images out there in a
way that I have total control over. My original web presence was at the
Solar Terrestrial Dispatch
which served me well for several years. I will still update the images there
from time to time,
but this site will receive most of my attention from now on.
For those of you whom I have never
had the pleasure of meeting, a little about myself: My name is Graham Palmer and
I live in Hastings, New Zealand. I am 35 and have been interested in astronomy since I was
a small child. That interest has slowly developed into somewhat of an
obsession. I joined the Hawke's Bay astronomy Society in 1999 and built my first
telescope that same year. Since then, my knowledge and interest in all things
astronomical has grown steadily, but I am still learning every day and continue
to be amazed by what this science can tell us. One of my particular interests is
in the field of space weather. This is the study of the earth-sun environment
and is best seen during spectacular auroras, or southern lights.
I began an interest in photography
during high school and, naturally, it has become merged with the stars. Up until
two years ago, I was using an old Minolta camera and swore by slide film for the best results. However, I soon adapted to the digital age when I purchased a
Canon EOS 350D. The ease of use of digital is amazing and there is no way I
would ever return to film now. The images produced in the past years have made
all my previous efforts look very average by comparison.
Aside from astronomy and
photography, I work full-time for Atlas Fibrous Plaster in Hastings as a gib
fixer/stopper. I am also a student glider pilot, a part-time university student
(Bachelor of Science majoring in Earth Science and Geography), a bachelor boy, and just love to
get out camping here in the beautiful New Zealand countryside. I am also a
member of the Hawke's Bay Aquarium Society and enjoy herpetology (keeping
reptilian pets).
About the Images...
The images on this site are very
small versions of the original files. There are two reasons for this:
#1 Download time -
This is
still an issue for many people (including myself) who still use dial-up
internet.
#2 Copyright protection -
I sometimes sell prints. It is my long-term
goal to sell enough images to help my hobby pay for itself (equipment and
travel is not cheap). If you want to buy a print or have me do a shoot for
you, see the
products & services page.
I will often grant permission for
people to use my images in presentations and educational areas for free,
provided correct image credit is given. If you would like to use some images, I
will probably say yes, but it is only fair that you ask first.
Last but by no means least, I must
thank our resident computer-whiz, "Mr. Cat" AKA-Marvin Jones. Without his
direction and technical knowledge, these pages
would still be a dream. If you are in Hawke's Bay and want help with your
website or computer gear, you won't go wrong by asking his help:
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