The Darkness of Gotland For photographer Carl Bergstrand, the dark holds possibilities. When the nights are cloudless and the summer light has retreated, the starry sky is his ceiling and the camera his ally.
The magazine cover displays what Carl Bergstrand captures with his camera when the light is gone. Images of infinity. A bit of the cosmic light that reaches us on the planet Tellus, at the edge of the Milky Way galaxy. The fact that Carl manages to capture the dramatic sky is, of course, due to his good knowledge of photography techniques, persistent planning and lots of time spent. But the fact that he can do so on Gotland can also be explained.
A dark, pleasant landscape
“Gotland has very little of what is called light pollution. This means that we can see an extra bright starry sky," says Carl. In large parts of the world, dark areas are becoming increasingly rare due to urban sprawl and infrastructure. Thanks to the island's expansive, sparsely populated areas and its location in the middle of the Baltic Sea,
the disruptive light of large cities is avoided. The very dark nights of autumn, winter and early spring are highly beneficial to night photographers. The darkness that befalls Gotland for much of the year enables you see the Northern Lights with the naked eye when the conditions are right. Unfortunately, it’s not common that they are. “It's hard to describe it, but it's incredibly fascinating to be under a mysterious, endlessly starry sky. It engulfs you. As a photographer, I have become interested in just how far I can take night photography.”
The camera sees more than the eye
On a clear, cold autumn night, the Milky Way emerges as a clear streak of millions of dots of light and the famous constellations shine with impressive vibrancy. Even without a camera, it's a cool spectacle that awaits when
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