Zach Evans
Ablative
“For me, everything seems a bit less chaotic from above. It was an early morning for us as we set out before first light, in hopes of capturing the sunrise from the sea of sand that laid just beyond the shallow river of snowmelt we had camped near. Sand and water streamed steadily into my boots and threw shivers up my spine as we crossed the inch-deep flow that separated the campsites from the dunes.
Sunrise passed spectacularly, but with it went the color, all save the sand. The shift in tones, the ramping of the wind and the sudden heat of the sun caught me entirely off-guard. As the sun came out of its final arc over the mountains, the sky seemed to falter into an anemic blue for just a moment. The magnitude of the dunes’ color rose and fell sharply, their warmth ablating into the clouds, turning the sky from a sea of early-morning blue and purple to one of mahogany and ash. The subtle chaos of the moment that I’m reminded of looking at this photo is stemmed by its eerie calm, the steady pressure of the sun palpable in every twist of the earth below.” Student Arts Program official selection 2020.
Celestial Chautauqua
“I felt it personally important to include a photo from our home city of Boulder. When we get caught up in the fantastical views and vistas of foreign landscapes and overseas cities, we lose sight of the beauty we have before us at that very moment, wherever we may be. Each and every person shares the night sky, but hardly recognize it. Sure, you may see a few stars from the heart of the city, maybe a constellation or two, but if you travel just a few miles from our city lights, you’re treated to a hearth of stars coursing across the sky in the Milky Way. This, unfortunately, is not a view most people experience so regularly, which is why I’ve devoted my photography largely to showing people what the sky can look like on a dark enough night, even from a place like Chautauqua park, pictured above. The stars have been ingrained in countless cultures across the world since the dawn of time, and I see no reason we should lose our connection with them now.” Student Arts Program official selection 2020.
Horsehead Nebula / Flame Nebula
“Astrophotography is both a science and an art. I’m using mathematics, technology, photography and astronomy to capture the cosmos.The Horsehead Nebula (right) and Flame Nebula (left) are H2 star forming regions. This image was taken at the Denver Astronomical Society’s dark sky site, and is approximately 12 hours of exposure data. 360 two-minute exposures stacked to bring out the luminance in these faint nebulae. I took this with my DSLR attached to my telescope, with my Sky Guider and computer controlling the interval of pictures as I observed and tuned my equipment. After processing the image, I’m eager to share these images with everyone here at CU. While it’s not a picture of Colorado’s beautiful mountains or rolling hills, it’s relevant because we all share the night sky, and all the wonder it shows.” Student Arts Program official selection 2019. Located on the third floor, near room 384.
Skycrawler
“The photograph is a composite of 200 images in three different wavelength regions: UV pass, Hydrogen Alpha and Visible Light. This composite image shows the Milky Way from eastern Colorado, just an hour from Boulder.” Student Arts Program official selection 2019.
Spirit
“It was about 20 degrees at the top of the Bells. The snow had just stopped and the fog was in thick, obscuring my view of the far side of the lake. The air whipped silently, the quiet was broken only by the shifting of grass as a fox stalked from the brush beside me. There seemed to be a mutual interest, and we stilled for a moment, both of us waiting in one another’s company for reasons unknown to either. It’s definitely something else to really, really experience what’s out there.
Just a few miles off the beaten path, I’m alone. Truly alone and closer to everything, as a guest. In places like these, there is nothing between you and the world and you feel as though you must tread carefully. I guess it feels like that because there is something bigger than you there, much much bigger. I don’t know what it is, just that I know it’s there, and it knows I’m there, too. To be out in those woods, is one of the most surreal feelings I’ve ever experienced.” Student Arts Program official selection 2020. Located in the Rec Center, in the lounge near the entrance.
Worlds Undiscovered
“Capturing images that evoke emotions is my primary creative focus. Light, color and the way they make you feel. This photo cuts away the searing summer heat, the harsh winds and the general chaos of peak-season recreation at Great Sand Dunes National Park. What remains feels like a dream–a vision from a desert moon far across the stars. Towering pillars of sand catching the sun’s rays over a rolling, infinite sea of titanic dunes–a scene denied to all but a parent and their child. This image was captured as a multi-layer mosaic of telephoto images for high-resolution, dynamic range and the extreme depth of field necessary to create this sense of massive scale.” Student Arts Program official selection 2022. Located on the third floor, near the elevator.
About the Artist
Zach Evans is a freelance photographer specializing in astrophotography and wildlife. Currently he is studying computer science as a major, and intends to complete the space minor. He is a valued member of the Denver Astronomical Society. He has had work featured in local news media, and has worked with reputable brands such as Bearded Goat Apparel and Orion. He holds several photography awards for landscape and wildlife photo submissions.