NASAさんのインスタグラム写真 - (NASAInstagram)「“Hello, my name is Taylor Mickal I'm a photographer here at Goddard. Being a photographer here is a dream come true, not only because of my lifelong love for the exploration of the universe and our pursuit of a deeper understanding of it, but also because Goddard is filled with interesting people, projects, and events worth capturing. My favorite moment in the past year is undoubtedly the Antares NG-12 Launch. You spend maybe an hour or so setting up your camera—or in my case two. And for a morning shoot like that one there is a constant adjusting of settings as light pours in. It feels like an eternity waiting but that 10 second countdown almost always feels so sudden and out of nowhere. It’s a thrilling experience as much as it is a moving one. There is nothing like watching, let alone photographing a launch; it is so awe-inspiring to see something so powerful and so complex lift off into the upper atmosphere, fueled as much by the thousands of people it took to bring it to that point as the 21,500 pounds of rocket propellant that burns away beneath it. Because I'm a staff photographer, there is a demand for being able to photograph a variety of things; you need to be able to make photos of monumentally large objects and incredibly small ones, while being proficient in the studio as much as you are in a fast-paced event. Above all you should be adaptable. One challenge in particular is sometimes capturing the enormity of an object—like a rocket. I wanted to make photograph of the NG-11 that made it stand out, but it was surrounded by all kinds of obstacles and I was very far away. So, I took out a 600mm lens and made about a hundred images of the rocket, then stitched them together into a single image. I enjoy being challenged and having to come up with solutions to what hopefully ends up being a beautiful photograph. Sometimes an image falls short, but I learn from the failure and try again. Photography is like anything else in that way. I couldn't be happier with where I am and what I'm doing, and to be surrounded by such incredible people here at Goddard."」12月24日 6時23分