Writings, press excerpts, events and other updates related to the SKYGLOW project.
Harun Mehmedinovic is perhaps more familiar with the country’s dark skies than just about anyone. After establishing himself as an award-winning filmmaker and photographer in Los Angeles, Mehmedinovic now splits his time between L.A. and Flagstaff. But he’s best known for his Skyglow project, a light-pollution awareness campaign highlighting the importance of dark skies and featuring Arizona’s incredible views of the cosmos.
Documentary filmmaker Harun Mehmedinovic discusses his use of Canon Cinema EOS and DSLR cameras to capture stunning nature footage in his films Ice on Fire and Skyglow.
In honor of the International Dark-Sky Association's Dark Sky Week, which will take place on April 15-21, WWW.SKYGLOWPROJECT.COM is releasing SKYGLOW NYC, an experimental timelapse which imagines how the skies above New York City would look without light pollution. Inspired by the "Darkened Cities" stills project by Thierry Cohen, this short film composites the heavily light polluted "City That Never Sleeps" with the pristine night skies of Grand Canyon and Death Valley International Dark-Sky Parks.
In 2015, state of NY took an unprecedented step to begin protecting wildlife from excessive use of lights: "New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that state-owned and state-managed buildings from Buffalo to Gotham and Binghamton to Plattsburg will participate in the Audubon NY Lights Out program. That means unessential outdoor lighting will be shut off from 11:00 p.m. to dawn, from April 15 through May 31, and August 15 through November 15, when waves of songbirds migrate through New York in the dark en route to southern wintering grounds." audubon.org/news/new-york-turns-out-lights
The film was shot on Canon 5DIV cameras & lenses sponsored by Canon USA, aided by Alpine Labs' Michron & Pulse, powered by Paul C. Buff Vagabond Mini. Adobe Lightroom & Premiere were used for editing and processing. Additional corrections by LRTimelapse.
This video is a follow up to SKYGLOW, vimeo.com/125108525, a WWW.SKYGLOWPROJECT.COM viral video which was a subject of an episode of Discovery Science's "Outrageous Acts of Science" which can be viewed here: vimeo.com/175896277
SKYGLOW NYC stills: bit.ly/2GnHiQX
SKYGLOW Book Stills: bit.ly/2vXO7Ag
Other Photos from SKYGLOWPROJECT.COM: bit.ly/2whWSaQ
Credits:
Producer/Editor/Shooter: Harun Mehmedinovic & Gavin Heffernan, Music: Terry Devine-King
Special Thanks:
Leila Conners & Mathew Schmid, Mikayla Khramov, Annie Dolan, Semezdin & Sanja Mehmedinovic, Aaron McNally & Canon USA, Kevin Noble & Paul C. Buff Inc., Greg Horvath & Alpine Labs, Inc., International Dark-Sky Association, Northern Arizona University, State of New York.
Locations:
New York City. Night skies courtesy of Death Valley National Park, Grand Canyon National Park and Fort Union National Monument.
Follow/Contact:
Facebook facebook.com/skyglowproject
Instagram: instagram.com/skyglowproject
Email: info@skyglowproject.com
We appreciate all your shares, comments and likes, thanks for checking out this video! For more videos please visit: vimeo.com/harun
This video is COPYRIGHT 2018 Harun Mehmedinovic / SKYGLOWPROJECT.COM. Any use beyond embedding this video in its unaltered form and properly credited to SKYGLOW PROJECT/SKYGLOWPROJECT.COM on another website, requires special permission from the creator. Any use of the entirety or portion(s) of this video to drive advertising traffic, sales or any other profit-driven venture on a third party website without express permission from the content creator will result in prosecution to the full extent of the law.
Millions of visitors come to Grand Canyon National Park, one of the seven natural wonders of the world and the most visited national park in the western United States. However, very few ever get to experience the Grand Canyon by way of the Colorado River. Stretching from Lees Ferry at Marble Canyon, AZ, through the inner gorge graced with geology dating as far back as 1.8 billion years, all the way to Diamond Creek, just before the river gives way to Lake Mead, these spectacular 225 miles of whitewater rafting are only accessible by guided commercial motor trips and private rafting permits. Although over 6M visitors come to the Grand Canyon every year, only a small fraction gets permission to raft the river, mainly during the late Spring, Summer and early Fall months.
Production of this video was made possible by a commercial rafting partner Grand Canyon Whitewater, check them out at grandcanyonwhitewater.com!
Grand Canyon was recently awarded the Dark Sky Park status by the International Dark-Sky Association.
This video was filmed as part of SKYGLOW (skyglowproject.com), an ongoing crowdfunded quest to explore the effects and dangers of urban light pollution in contrast with some of the most incredible dark sky areas in North America. This project is being produced in collaboration with International Dark-Sky Association (darksky.org), a non-profit fighting for the preservation of night skies around the globe.
The film was shot on Canon 5DIV, 5DSR & 6D cameras & lenses sponsored by Canon USA, aided by Alpine Labs' Michron & Pulse, powered by Paul C. Buff Vagabond Mini. Adobe Lightroom & Premiere were used for editing and processing. Additional corrections by LRTimelapse.
This video is a follow up to KAIBAB ELEGY, a SKYGLOWPROJECT.COM video which garnered over 1 million views on Vimeo and over 4 million on social media and other outlets, and KAIBAB REQUIEM. Watch these two videos here: vimeo.com/217407298 and here: vimeo.com/246551452
COLORADO SERENADE stills: bit.ly/2G2BCIU
SKYGLOW Book Stills: bit.ly/2vXO7Ag
Other Photos from SKYGLOWPROJECT.COM: bit.ly/2whWSaQ
Credits:
Producer/Editor/Shooter: Harun Mehmedinovic, Music: Matt Hill
Special Thanks:
Gavin Heffernan and Grand Canyon Youth, Semezdin & Sanja Mehmedinovic, Dean Knuth & Grand Canyon Whitewater, GCW Guides Riley Weathers and Matt Sayre, Aaron McNally & Canon USA, Kevin Noble & Paul C. Buff Inc., Greg Horvath & Alpine Labs, Inc., International Dark-Sky Association, Northern Arizona University, State of Arizona & National Park Service
Locations:
Colorado River at Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Follow/Contact:
Facebook facebook.com/skyglowproject
Instagram: instagram.com/skyglowproject
Email: info@skyglowproject.com
We appreciate all your shares, comments and likes, thanks for checking out this video! For more videos please visit: vimeo.com/harun
This video is COPYRIGHT 2018 Harun Mehmedinovic / SKYGLOWPROJECT.COM. Any use beyond embedding this video in its unaltered form and properly credited to SKYGLOW PROJECT/SKYGLOWPROJECT.COM on another website, requires special permission from the creator. Any use of the entirety or portion(s) of this video to drive advertising traffic, sales or any other profit-driven venture on a third party website without express permission from the content creator will result in prosecution to the full extent of the law.
SKYGLOWPROJECT.COM presents STORMHENGE -- an epic timelapse film of Carhenge, one of America’s most incredible roadside attractions, situated directly in the path of totality for the “Eclipse of the Century” aka the total solar eclipse of August 21st, 2017, a very rare phenomenon captured in this video!
Located in the High Plains of Alliance, Nebraska, this monument to England’s Stonehenge was conceived and created by Jim Reinders in 1987, as a memorial to his father. “Carhenge consists of 39 vintage American automobiles arranged in a circle measuring about 29 meters (95 ft) in diameter. Some are held upright in pits 1.5 meters (4.9 ft) deep, trunk end down, and arches have been formed by welding automobiles atop the supporting models.” More info: carhenge.com
Because of Carhenge's fortuitous positioning on the narrow "path of totality" of the 2017 eclipse, the site has seen an incredible explosion of media attention in recent days, with thousands flocking there to witness the event, including Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts and Carhenge creator Jim Reinders himself, now 89 years old.
The STORMHENGE footage was captured during four different shoots between 2015-2017 by Harun Mehmedinovic and Gavin Heffernan as part of SKYGLOWPROJECT.COM, their ongoing quest to raise awareness about the damage and dangers of light pollution.
The video gives a glimpse into the extreme weather volatility in the High Plains region, with extreme thunderstorms giving way to crystal clear skies overhead, seemingly at a moment’s notice.
STORMHENGE Photo Stills Download Link: http://bit.ly/2xm5iLj
SKYGLOW Book Stills Download Link: http://bit.ly/2vXO7Ag
Other Photos from SKYGLOWPROJECT.COM: http://bit.ly/2whWSaQ
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STORMHENGE CREDITS:
Shot by Harun Mehmedinovic (Bloodhoney.com) and Gavin Heffernan (SunchaserPictures.com). Edited by Gavin Heffernan.
Shot with Canon 5DSR, Canon 6D, and Canon 5DIV
Music: “Constellation” by Terry Devine King.
Special Thanks: City of Alliance, Friends of Carhenge, Jim Reinders, Canon, Aaron McNally, International Dark Sky Association, Leila Conners & Tree Media, Kevin Howard, Alliance Visitors Bureau, Masha Alibekova, Richael Young
SKYGLOW is endorsed by the International Dark Sky Association darksky.org
Millions of visitors a year come to Arizona's Grand Canyon National Park, one of the seven natural wonders of the world and the most visited national park in the western United States. However, on extremely rare days when cold air is trapped in the canyon and topped by a layer of warm air, which in combination with moisture and condensation form the phenomenon referred to as the full cloud inversion. In what resembles something between ocean waves and fast clouds, Grand Canyon is completely obscured by fog, making the visitors feel as if they are walking on clouds.
This video was filmed as part of SKYGLOW (skyglowproject.com), an ongoing crowdfunded quest to explore the effects and dangers of urban light pollution in contrast with some of the most incredible dark sky areas in North America. This project is being produced in collaboration with International Dark-Sky Association (darksky.org), a non-profit fighting for the preservation of night skies around the globe.
The film was shot on Canon 5DSR & 5DIII cameras & lenses sponsored by Canon USA, aided by Alpine Labs' Michron & Pulse, powered by Paul C. Buff Vagabond Mini. LRTimelapse was used to process some of the shots.
Original video premiered on BBC Earth: bbc.com/earth/story/20170502-on-rare-occasions-the-grand-canyon-fills-with-thick-cloud
High resolution stills can be found here: dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/24210546/JPEG/KAIBAB%20ELEGY%20-%20HARUN%20MEHMEDINOVIC%20-%20SKYGLOWPROJECT.zip
Credits:
Producer/Editor/Shooter: Harun Mehmedinovic, Music: Pete Davis & James Banbury
Special Thanks:
Gavin Heffernan and Aida Bogunic, Semezdin & Sanja Mehmedinovic, Matt Walker & Pierangelo Pirak, Aaron McNally & Canon USA, Kevin Noble & Paul C. Buff Inc., Greg Horvath & Alpine Labs, International Dark-Sky Association, Northern Arizona University, State of Arizona & National Park Service
Locations:
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Follow/Contact:
Facebook facebook.com/skyglowproject
Instagram: instagram.com/skyglowproject
Email: info@skyglowproject.com
We appreciate all your shares, comments and likes, thanks for checking out this video!
This video is COPYRIGHT 2017 Harun Mehmedinovic / SKYGLOWPROJECT.COM. Any use beyond embedding this video in it's unaltered form and properly credited to SKYGLOW PROJECT/SKYGLOWPROJECT.COM on another website requires permission from the creator. Any use of the entirety or portion(s) of this video to drive advertising traffic, sales or any other profit-driven venture on a third party website without express permission from the content creator will result in prosecution to the full extent of the law.
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Timelapse artists and filmmakers Gavin Heffernan and Harun Mehmedinović are proud to introduce WWW.SKYGLOWPROJECT.COM, a 192-page hardcover photobook and timelapse video series exploring North America’s remaining magnificent night skies and the increasing impact of light pollution on our highly fragile environment.
A blend of images, stories, essays, and anecdotal captions, SKYGLOW explores the history and mythology of celestial observation and the proliferation of electrical outdoor lighting that spurred the rise of the phenomena known as “light pollution,” a grave threat not only to our incredible starscapes but also to the very ecosystem itself.
After a highly publicized Kickstarter campaign that ended as the fourth-most earning Photobook campaign ever, Harun and Gavin traveled over 150,000 miles and logged more than 3,000,000 photos on their grueling three-year quest. From incredible locations like the active Kīlauea volcano in Hawaii to Alberta’s majestic Northern Lights, SKYGLOW takes viewers on a visual journey through time, exploring our civilization’s evolving relationship with light and the night sky through the ages.
See how the ancient Puebloan archaeoastronomy sites of our native elders have now been replaced with the blinding “artificial day” of over-lit modern metropolises, and learn about the “Dark Sky Movement” fighting to reclaim the pristine darkness the Earth had enjoyed for billions of years. The importance of America’s threatened National Parks is also highlighted in a section of stunning landscapes from numerous parks, including Shenandoah, Yosemite, Acadia, Death Valley, Yellowstone and many more.
Completed in collaboration with the International Dark Sky Association (IDA), SKYGLOW also explores the numerous towns and sites that IDA has identified as official “Dark-Sky” Communities, Cities, Parks, Reserves and Sanctuaries.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“SKYGLOW” BOOK AND VIDEO SERIES NOW COMPLETE
Viral Kickstarter Project on light pollution crosses continent to raise awareness.
Renowned timelapse artists and filmmakers Gavin Heffernan and Harun Mehmedinović are proud to introduce SKYGLOW; a 192-page hardcover photobook and Blu-Ray timelapse video series exploring North America’s remaining magnificent night skies and the increasing impact of light pollution on our highly fragile environment.
A blend of images, stories, essays, and anecdotal captions, SKYGLOW explores the history and mythology of celestial observation and the proliferation of electrical outdoor lighting that spurred the rise of the phenomena known as “light pollution,” a grave threat not only to our incredible starscapes but also to the very ecosystem itself.
After a highly publicized Kickstarter campaign that ended as the fourth-most earning Photobook campaign ever, Harun and Gavin traveled over 150,000 miles and logged more than 500,000 photos on their grueling three-year quest. From incredible locations like the active Kīlauea volcano in Hawaii to Alberta’s majestic Northern Lights, SKYGLOW takes viewers on a visual journey through time, exploring our civilization’s evolving relationship with light and the night sky through the ages.
See how the Ancient Puebloan archaeoastronomy sites of our native elders have now been replaced with the blinding “artificial day” of over-lit modern metropolises, and learn about the “Dark Sky Movement” fighting to reclaim the pristine darkness the Earth had enjoyed for billions of years. The importance of America’s threatened National Parks is also highlighted in a section of stunning landscapes from numerous parks, including Shenandoah, Yosemite, Acadia, Death Valley, Yellowstone and many more.
Completed in collaboration with the International Dark Sky Association (IDA), SKYGLOW also explores the numerous towns and sites that IDA has identified as official “Dark-Sky” Communities, Cities, Parks, Reserves and Sanctuaries.
Light pollution (aka “skyglow”) affects human health, animal migratory patterns, obstructs astronomy research and leads to over two billion dollars of lost energy every year in the USA. The book includes original essays on the subject from key science voices like BAD ASTRONOMY blogger and author Phil Plait, Eric Betz of ASTRONOMY MAGAZINE, and night sky crusader / poster artist Tyler Nordgren.
Though this is the first time Heffernan and Mehmedinović have put their night sky photos in print, their SKYGLOW timelapse collaborations have been seen by over 50 million viewers, and featured in a vast array of media and pop culture venues, like The Rolling Stones 2015 ZIP CODE stadium tour and their 2016 DESERT TRIP shows, the Roger Waters DESERT TRIP shows and his 2016 Mexico concerts, the 2016 Cosmic Gate Video “am2pm”, BBC Earth, Virgin America, the National Parks “100 Years” Centennial Video and more.
To download promotional photos of the book visit: http://bit.ly/2ogPeqd
WWW.SKYGLOWPROJECT.COM presents POLI'AHU, a timelapse trip above the clouds to Mauna Kea in Hawaii, an inactive volcano 14,000 feet above sea level. Much of the mountain is under water; when measured from its oceanic base, Mauna Kea is over 10,000 m (33,000 ft) tall. In Hawaiian mythology, Poliʻahu is one of the four goddesses of snow, thought to reside on Mauna Kea. Today, the mountain is known as one of the most important land-based astronomical research centers in the world.
Our light pollution project WWW.SKYGLOWPROJECT.COM has taken us all across the continent to some of the most incredible dark sky locations, but the night sky quality here was absolutely stunning. We really lucked out with a crystal clear night and one of the best milky ways we've ever seen. You can even see the faint glow of the Halemaʻumaʻu Crater from the active Kīlauea Volcano at 2:41 (bottom right) and at 3:02.
Very special thanks to everyone at NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility for their incredible support and access, allowing us to get the really cool interior perspective at 2:06.
From University of Hawaii: "Mauna Kea is unique as an astronomical observing site. The atmosphere above the mountain is extremely dry -- which is important in measuring infrared and submillimeter radiation from celestial sources - and cloud-free, so that the proportion of clear nights is among the highest in the world. The exceptional stability of the atmosphere above Mauna Kea permits more detailed studies than are possible elsewhere, while its distance from city lights and a strong island-wide lighting ordinance ensure an extremely dark sky, allowing observation of the faintest galaxies that lie at the very edge of the observable Universe."
Shot by Gavin Heffernan (SunchaserPictures.com) and Harun Mehmedinovic (Bloodhoney.com).
SKYGLOW is endorsed by the International Dark Sky Association darksky.org/.
Download Stills Here:
bit.ly/2p8Piwn
Music: "Genesis One" by David O'Brien / Chris Egan and "E Ala E" by Pualani Kanahele.
Special Thanks: Alan Tokunaga, Lars Bergknut, Dawn Pamarang, Brian McOuat, Nasa Infrared Telescope Facility, University of Hawaii, Mauna Kea Observatories, Hawaii Film Office, International Dark Sky Association.
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Timelapse artists and filmmakers Gavin Heffernan and Harun Mehmedinović are proud to introduce WWW.SKYGLOWPROJECT.COM, a 192-page hardcover photobook and timelapse video series exploring North America’s remaining magnificent night skies and the increasing impact of light pollution on our highly fragile environment.
A blend of images, stories, essays, and anecdotal captions, SKYGLOW explores the history and mythology of celestial observation and the proliferation of electrical outdoor lighting that spurred the rise of the phenomena known as “light pollution,” a grave threat not only to our incredible starscapes but also to the very ecosystem itself.
After a highly publicized Kickstarter campaign that ended as the fourth-most earning Photobook campaign ever, Harun and Gavin traveled over 150,000 miles and logged more than 3,000,000 photos on their grueling three-year quest. From incredible locations like the active Kīlauea volcano in Hawaii to Alberta’s majestic Northern Lights, SKYGLOW takes viewers on a visual journey through time, exploring our civilization’s evolving relationship with light and the night sky through the ages.
See how the ancient Puebloan archaeoastronomy sites of our native elders have now been replaced with the blinding “artificial day” of over-lit modern metropolises, and learn about the “Dark Sky Movement” fighting to reclaim the pristine darkness the Earth had enjoyed for billions of years. The importance of America’s threatened National Parks is also highlighted in a section of stunning landscapes from numerous parks, including Shenandoah, Yosemite, Acadia, Death Valley, Yellowstone and many more.
Completed in collaboration with the International Dark Sky Association (IDA), SKYGLOW also explores the numerous towns and sites that IDA has identified as official “Dark-Sky” Communities, Cities, Parks, Reserves and Sanctuaries.
Light pollution (aka “skyglow”) affects human health, animal migratory patterns, obstructs astronomy research and leads to over two billion dollars of lost energy every year in the USA. The book includes original essays on the subject from key science voices like BAD ASTRONOMY blogger / author Phil Plait, Eric Betz of ASTRONOMY MAGAZINE, and night sky crusader / poster artist Tyler Nordgren.
Though this is the first time Heffernan and Mehmedinović have put their night sky photos in print, their SKYGLOW timelapse collaborations have been seen by over 50 million viewers, and featured in a vast array of media, like The Rolling Stones 2015 ZIP CODE stadium tour and their 2016 DESERT TRIP shows, the Roger Waters DESERT TRIP shows and his 2016 Mexico concerts.
I mean, really . . . who needs the night? You can’t see. It’s dark, for God’s sake! You stumble and hit your shins, or you miss the bin and the trash goes all over the ground. You can’t get the key in the door. The town has to pay to light up the streets. Stores are closed! You can’t buy all kinds of things when the moon is up. People all over the planet just sleep through it; so how important can it be?
But our species has evolved with the night. It’s been our companion, our teacher, our refuge – and our inspiration. After millennia of social change against a backdrop of starry skies, it’s been only a brief two-hundred years of rapid industrialization pushing the night ever-farther away. Now we’re beginning to discover what’s been lost – and what could be lost – if just one of Earth’s many inhabitants continues to contaminate an ecosystem shared by all human and non-human life. Asking “Who needs the night?” is like asking who needs air or water or soil. All life on our only planet, in fact, depends on the healing rejuvenation that night-time provides. One needs to both inhale and exhale to remain alive. We cannot have one without the other. By connecting night with day, we realize wholeness. And by revering the night, we revere the day.
For the hundreds of million humans who live in urbanized zones, the night is something strange that goes bump – something that’s been eliminated from their existence. These are the unfortunates who have yet to see the light about darkness. They barely know it exists – or what a star-filled natural night sky actually looks like. I hear them when they get off the train in Flagstaff in the middle of the night. They look up; their mouths drop open; a gasp helplessly escapes their lips, and they mutter: “I never knew they were there! “
But they DO know they are there. The stars have been overhead for billions of years, with humanity building an endless succession of cultures rooted in the eternal vistas seen at night. As many have accurately said: we are Star People. And when starlight falls on our eye/mind/heart it ignites a nostalgia so deep that it moves us beyond words. Artists, spirit chasers, shamans, singers, priests, writers, poets, explorers and all manner of noctivagants have forever been trying to reflect or express that overwhelming oneness.
Materialism dominates the globe. It reaches into every nook and cranny, every forest, icecap, island or desert. It exists to occupy every ‘undeveloped’ [i.e.: un-economized] molecule. It’s gobbled up the day, and has turned its sights on the night. As Place runs out, industry has turned to Time as a resource to be mined. Heaven knows, there’s money to be made while others sleep.
And then . . . just as nocturnal destruction seems inevitable, along come pesky humans, crying out that the night has value; that people need the night; that animals need the night, that human health – both physical and psychological – depend on nighttime and darkness. What a novel concept – that the environment which has sustained us since replication of the first cell might actually have a necessary use? From what until-recently has been considered a wasteland, an Empty Quarter when and where nothing significant happens, has emerged the Other Half of the Day.
The growing momentum in communities around the world to recognize, respect and revere natural darkness is an answer to a realization about how essentially precious is our individual need to at least occasionally stare deeply into the cosmos, and by so-doing renew our sense of perspective on the turmoil of existence. Looking deep into the Milky Way we drink from an endless source of wisdom and desperately-needed guidance.
But our heavenly inheritance will disappear soon-enough if we don’t fight for our right to be able to continue our long conversation with eternity. Humanity must acknowledge that we NEED contemplation and insight in the face of the challenges of modernity. The night sky has always served that purpose. The night contains answers to questions we have not yet learned how to ask. Only if we take the steps necessary to protect this awesomely-beautiful, deeply meaningful, absolutely essential part of life on Earth can we rebuild our stairway to the stars.
- Lance Diskan, Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition
