DarkSky International, the nonprofit advocating for reduced light pollution, recently wrapped up the latest edition of Capture the Dark, its annual photo contest.
At this year’s event, there was one photo in particular that amazed me, not only because of the fantastic composition, but because of the adventurous, daring story behind it.
It takes a moment to figure out what you’re looking at. However, in the scene, shot by Tom Rae, an astrophotographer and guide from New Zealand, we see the towering walls of a deep cave system on the North Island illuminated by glow worms below the shimmering stars of the Southern Cross constellation.
Shot on a Nikon Z8, this image took first place in the "Creatures of the Night" category at the Capture the Dark contest. But to get it, he did something incredible: rappelling roughly 330 feet (100 m) into the ethereal cave. And he recorded everything for us to see.
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Above: watch astrophotographer Tom Rae drop 330ft (100m) into an ethereal cave to snap his award-winning photo
“The cavern was alive at night with glow worms and fragile ecosystems, an otherworldly show hidden deep in a landscape shaped over millions of years,” Tom commented in the Instagram post showcasing the feat.
Already an extreme feat of photography, the nighttime conditions made taking pictures within the cave even more difficult. In the same Instagram post, Tom explained how the dense humidity, subtle light from the glow worms and long exposures pushed his skills “to the limit.”
However, the multi-award-winning astrophotographer handled what he called an “extreme challenge,” ultimately producing a set of composite panoramas with tracked skies, which included the winning scene.
What an awesome photo, but what an even more interesting story behind it. Sometimes, to create standout images, you need to do something incredible.
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