by Yvette Depaepe
Published the 4^th of September 2023

Vikas Chander's astrophotography is stunning.  My admiration for his work was growing and growing while reading Vikas' answers to the questions. He quotes: 'My photographic vision has being the same as my vision in life. Enjoy what you do, love those around you and always strive to learn and improve yourself. I see these life goals translated in my photography as well, I enjoy photography a lot, love all what nature presents around me and am always striving to learn new skills and improve my art.'
I like to thank Vikas from the deepest of my heart together with many 1x members, for sharing the beauty of what we cannot see with our naked eyes.

Spitzkoppe Panorama

First, a little bit about myself. I am 57 years old and reside in New Delhi, India, with my wife, daughter and two lovely cocker spaniels. Till recently I ran a successful business and post Covid-19 decided to retire from it. Astrophotography and model railways are my two passions and I actively pursue them. I love travelling the world in search of that perfect heavenly shot!

When and how did you start your unusual photographic journey?

My journey into astrophotography started in 2017, when a couple of my friends and I, went to a remote salt pan in Rajasthan, India. We had essentially gone there to shoot the narrow-gauge industrial railway which was mining salt in the area. The region was remote, and the skies were clear with no light pollution and on a whim, I pointed my camera towards the heavens. I was astounded with how many stars the camera could capture. I was hooked…..!!!

NGC 6559

What were your very first steps in this very particular genre?

I quickly realised that one needed a full frame camera, a fast lens and dark sky locations to take good astrophotographs. I invested in a Sony full frame camera, the A7s and a couple of fast F1.4 prime lenses. I visited the dark skies of the Himalayas in the northern regions of India to be amid truly dark skies. I slowly learnt more about the night skies and how they changed with the seasons and when to frame night skies in certain regions. Post processing was essential, and I dived into many Photoshop and Lightroom courses. It was a slow process, but patience is a virtue I have in abundance, and everything started falling into it's place.

Himalayan night sky titled 'Oh Merak!'

For many of us photography is either a hobby or a way of life. How would you define your relationship with astrophotography?

I would say it is more of a hobby which is slowly becoming a way of life. Many of my family holidays are planned around dates when the moon is in the right phase, and destinations are decided based on their proximity to coveted astrophotography locations. A substantial part of my day is spent on processing images, learning new skills, or reading about new destinations. Weekends and holidays often result in marathon hours spent processing images and learning new post processing techniques much to the chagrin of my family!

What would be the most important experience so far that has influenced your steps in photography?

Rather than an experience, it was a comment from my wife which heavily influenced my photography. Most astrophotographers will shoot a certain portion of the night sky known as the Milky Way as it is the most dramatic and colourful part of the night sky. My wife observed that and said that the sky was the same in almost all the images. Realisation dawned on me and from that moment, the foreground became more important to me and the night sky became incidental. In the images I share, one can clearly see this aspect coming through.

Wustenquell

Describe your overall photographic vision.

I would like to describe my photographic vision as being the same as my vision in life. Enjoy what you do, love those around you and always strive to learn and improve yourself. I see these life goals translated in my photography as well, I enjoy photography a lot, love all what nature presents around me and am always striving to learn new skills and improve my art.

You are both into night scape astrophotography as well as deep space astrophotography, tell us more about that?

Most astrophotographers are firmly divided into two genres, nightscapes which involve including a foreground element along with the night sky, and deep space, or deep-sky astrophotography which involves the imaging of galaxies and nebulae. For me graduating from nightscapes into deep-sky astrophotography space came as a natural extension due to my fascination for all things related to space.

The Elephant Trunk Nebula

Your astrophotography is impressive, exceptional, and outstanding! What is your secret and why are you so drawn by this specialised photography type?

Thank you! A famous photographer once said, the more one shoots, the better it gets, and maybe that is my secret…. Trying and getting out to shoot as often as possible! I am drawn by this type of photography as all objects deep in space are very fascinating to observe as well as the science behind them.  They always create a sense of awe and admiration to me and that works highly addictive. On the other hand, nightscapes involve travelling to exotic and off beat locations and connects me directly to nature under it's blanket of stars. I consider myself very lucky to have the ability to indulge in both these forms of astrophotography.

What are the main features of a successful astrophotographer in your opinion?

In a single word …. Patience. Other than that, the ability to rough it out and take failure in one’s stride are essential. Skills in post processing and knowledge of the night sky are essential keys as well.

Can you please tell us something more about your workflow from the start to the final image for nightscapes?

Nightscapes involve a lot of destination research on google and websites like Pinterest and Flickr. Once a particular destination or location is finalised, then I will go to Google Earth to get a sense of direction and explore the terrain. Planetarium apps such as Sky Safari help me figure out the position of certain elements of the night sky such as the Milky Way or Orion and when they will be visible. I usually arrive on location well before sunset so I can visualise my shots when there is light as it is almost impossible to do this in the dark. Usually, my sessions last all night and I try to maximise my time under clear night skies as they are difficult to come by. Processing is done using programs such as PixInsight which is a dedicated astrophotography software and final spit and polish is applied in Photoshop.

Spitzkoppe Arch

Can you please tell us something more about your workflow from the start to the final image for deep-sky images too?

The workflow for deep-sky images is more convoluted as one needs to have a thorough understanding of all the different types of objects in the night sky. For instance, there are objects in the sky which are larger than our Moon but very faint. Then there are tiny objects millions of light years away and those require very expensive equipment. Not all objects can be seen throughout the year and are visible only in specific months. Some objects which can be seen from the Northern Hemisphere cannot be seen in the Southern Hemisphere. So, the list of variables is long, and one must have the ability to navigate through them. Equipment for deep-sky imaging is more expensive and much heavier than what one may use for nightscapes, therefore logistical planning is crucial. One must never plan a session without first ensuring all the components which make up a deep-sky imaging rig are working perfectly and in tandem. Once I arrive on location, I start setting up the gear. That's a process in which any mistake can result in a lot of angst and frustration and often a lost night of imaging. There are many technical aspects one must take care of such as polar alignment, guiding setup, cooling, etc., most too elaborate to get into here. With care taken during setup, the rest of the session goes smoothly, and one can sit back and enjoy the night sky while the imaging process is underway. Every hour I do check on the equipment and ensure there are no anomalies and that the focus is good. Sessions usually last the whole night and sometimes multiple nights. Once back home, I stack the multiple images to mitigate noise and increase signal to noise ratio. In fact, one needs a separate article to get into the complete workflow of post processing deep sky images as it really is crucial. It makes or breaks one’s efforts.

The Dragons of Ara

Many are of the opinion that the gear is not very important when the passion for photography is strong. However, in your case, gear must have an essential function.  Can you please share with us what you're using (camera, lenses, lighting, tripod, etc.)?

Nightscapes – Sony A7rV full spectrum modified, Sony 12-24F2.8Gm, Sony 24mm F1.4 GM, Sony 50mm F1.2GM, Tripods from Really Right Stuff, Rainbow Astro RST 135e tracker, Benro Polaris Trackers, Filters from Kani.

Deep-sky - Takahashi FSQ106 telescope, Takahashi E160ed telescope, Planewave CDK600 on order, Software Bisque Paramount MX+ mounts, Moravian C5A-100 camera, Zwo ASI 6200mm pro camera, Astronomik filters, PrimaLuceLabs Eagle 5 power management and computer

What would be your favourite photo? Please tell us the story behind it.

My favourite photo is 'Desert Rose'. The location is up on a mountain on the island of Socotra, Yemen. To get to Socotra was an adventure, given the political situation in Yemen. Upon arrival, I was tired but the same night we embarked on a stiff hike up a mountain to photograph a bottle tree which only comes to bloom in a very short window.  This is my favourite image because all the planning was done behind a computer at home, and the result was exactly how I had envisaged in my mind’s eye. A week either side could probably have resulted in the bottle tree not being in bloom!!

Desert Rose

Now, since we have almost reached the end of this interview, I would kindly ask you to share with us your plans or photographic projects you would like to be involved in.

There are so many plans and I wonder which will come to fruition! On my bucket list destinations are the shipwrecks which lie along the Skeleton Coast in Namibia, the baobab trees of Kubu island in Botswana, rock formations on the Ennedi plateau in Chad, the hidden lakes of the Himalayas…The list is endless. I am also in the middle of installing a huge telescope in a remote observatory in Chile. Besides the high cost, the logistics are nightmarish, and I can only hope I am successful in this endeavour.

Is there anything else you wish to add and what do you think about 1X as a home base for your work?

I would like to say that astrophotography is a great genre of photography despite the challenges it presents, for the end result of surmounting all those challenges is very rewarding. 1X.com forms a perfect platform for me to present my work as all submissions are curated and presented in a very pleasing manner. I can invite critiques to review my work and learn and improve from their views. Viewing all the great images on 1x is always refreshing and opens one to the various genres of photography. Of course, being published and awarded on 1x.com provides a lot of motivation and inspiration to me.

 The Seahorse nebula

The Unknown Whaler

Cosmic Reef

The Horse-head nebula

Athirapally

Sculptor Galaxy

Mt. Gonbo

Mt. Bromo

Oasis