-This site opened May 29th 2007-

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 37 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 most dramatically  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 2006 I was using a traditional Minolta 35mm film camera, and swore by quality slide film for the best results. However, I was soon blown away by the digital age when I purchased a Canon EOS 350D (I am now using the 40D & 7D). The usability of digital is amazing and there is no way I would ever return to film now. The images produced with this technology have made all my previous efforts look very average by comparison.

Aside from astronomy and photography, I work full-time for Atlas Fibrous Plaster Ltd as a plaster board fixer/stopper. I am also a student glider pilot, a part-time university student (Bachelor of Science majoring in Earth Science and Geography) 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 sell prints of my photos & it is my long-term goal to sell enough images to help my hobby pay for itself (equipment  and travel are not cheap). If you want to  buy a print or have me do a shoot for you, see my commercial site.

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.
 

Thanks for taking time to check out my site. I hope you enjoy the view through my lens.
Kind regards, Graham Palmer.