Artist Bio

Marsha Kirschbaum grew up in Anchorage, Alaska. As a child, she sat outdoors and drew pictures of the stars and night skies. Later, during a photography workshop, she discovered that she could photograph the night sky and has continued to aim her camera skyward after the sun has set whenever she has the opportunity. While Marsha has had no formal photography training, she has benefited from the mentorships and teachings of friends and workshops. Her husband, Howard Brainen, a skilled photographer in his own right, has guided Marsha along in her photographic journey.

Her image of Comet Panstaars was shortlisted in the 2013 Royal Observatory Greenwich Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. Her night sky photography has been published in Bay Nature Magazine, Marin Magazine and most recently San Diego Magazine. She is currently a member of the Berkeley Camera Club.

Artist Statement

Many people call it a day as soon as the sun sets; that is my cue to pack my camera equipment to capture the emerging beauty of the night. Even though I am the photographer, I am as much a viewer in my night world as you, my audience. The night envelopes me in a dark cocoon, and my mental focus becomes so intent, it is almost like meditation. There are few distractions. My mind and body constantly shift from the vastness of the night sky where the stars enthrall me, to inward where I can hear my heart beat. I love the mystery and magic of night photography. The camera sees so much that is invisible to our naked eyes. I can imagine what is out there and try to plan for the scene, but there is always something in the atmosphere that will surprise and delight me when I get it right. West Marin and specifically, the Point Reyes National Seashore is the only nearby dark sky area where I can photograph the Milky Way, night sky nebulae and stars. I like to tie my night skies to earthly foregrounds as our earth is very much a part this larger universe that surrounds our planet. Point Reyes provides me with a diversity of subjects from rugged sea stacks, bioluminescent waves, beautiful trees and historic buildings to compliment my night skies. Today’s camera sensors are such remarkable instruments and can capture light spectrums beyond the capabilities of the human eye. It is this glimpse into another world of vision that is also compelling to me. For these reasons I am attracted to long exposures of night star light that has traveled light years to reveal various nebulae as illustrated in my photograph “The Universe Beyond” or the tail of a comet in “Comet 12P/Pons Brooks over the White Barn.” Dark night skies and the ability to see the stars are a precious, but increasingly limited resource. The brightness of our city lights in the San Francisco Bay Area have drowned out all but the brightest of stars, as have the lights in many other large urban areas. Our night skies are becoming crowded with aircraft and satellites. Much of the Milky Way is no longer visible in many large municipalities. There are many folk in West Marin who are aware of the potential loss of this resource and are working to bring a dark sky designation to the Point Reyes area. If interested, https://darkskywestmarin.com has more information on how we can mitigate this light pollution. The International Dark Sky Association – https://www.darksky.org – has many resources on how we as individuals and communities can help save this resource for generations to come.