Back to forums

New Book on Fine Art Astrophotography

Book Recommendations
Gary LopezTimothy Martin
• Fine Art Astrophotography •37 replies•1.4k views
Gary Lopez avatar
Gary Lopez avatar
As some of you know, I’ve been pursuing astrophotography as a fine art for several years. I’m fortunate to have my images represented by commercial art galleries, included in museum exhibitions and collections, and to be awarded top honors in international fine art competitions. Several of my colleagues here at AstroBin have solicited my advice for moving their images into the fine art world, so I assembled my ideas and put them in a book entitled, The New Art of Astrophotography.


The book reviews the art making process, how to work with galleries and museums, and includes interviews with gallery directors, museum curators, artists, and astronomers to present a balanced view of astrophotography as a fine art. AstroBin is well represented in the book with interviews of astrophotographers Steeve Body, Dr. Alex Woronow, and Diego Gravinese. I have kept the cost of the book as low as possible to help make it affordable for everyone. My intention is not to make money with this book, but to encourage our community to create images that will help the public feel the wonders and connection to the cosmos that we all enjoy.
 

The book is available on Amazon Books, and this link should work globally.
 

The New Art of Astrophotography


Finally, if you read the book, I would love to hear your feedback.


CS, Gary


P.S. Sal (owner and manager of AstroBin) gave me permission to post this announcement
Well Written Helpful Insightful Respectful Engaging Supportive
Keith Hanssen avatar
Keith Hanssen avatar
Thank you so much. Looking forward to my copy.
Timothy Martin avatar
Timothy Martin avatar

I just ordered it. I’m very much looking forward to reading it!

Well Written Respectful
Neil Corke avatar
Neil Corke avatar
I received a copy of this from Amazon a few weeks ago.

It's a very interesting book and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to print their images.

Kind regards,

Neil
Well Written
Don Ogaard avatar
Don Ogaard avatar
Order placed, thanks for the heads-up!
Gary Lopez avatar
Gary Lopez avatar
Keith Hanssen:
Thank you so much. Looking forward to my copy.

Thank you, Keith. I am eager to hear any feedback on the book. I wrote it for my fellow astrophotographers, so I hope it works for you.

CS, Gary
Well Written Respectful
David DeShan avatar
David DeShan avatar
I'm looking forward to getting my copy on Wednesday!
Well Written Respectful
Gary Lopez avatar
Gary Lopez avatar
Timothy Martin:
I just ordered it. I’m very much looking forward to reading it!

Thank you, Tim. I hope that you find it valuable. It would be great to get your work out to a broader audience.

CS, Gary
Well Written Respectful
Timothy Martin avatar
Timothy Martin avatar

Thank you, Gary! I’ve had images on display at our municipal gallery in Lewisville over the last few years. And I’m working with the local professional symphony on a slideshow that will accompany a performance of Bolero in the fall of 2026 (I’ll actually be conducting the symphony for a performance of Marche Slave in a couple of months on November 14), but anything I can learn from the book that will help me get more traction would be very welcome.

Well Written Respectful Engaging
Gary Lopez avatar
Gary Lopez avatar
Timothy Martin:
Thank you, Gary! I’ve had images on display at our municipal gallery in Lewisville over the last few years. And I’m working with the local professional symphony on a slideshow that will accompany a performance of Bolero in the fall of 2026 (I’ll actually be conducting the symphony for a performance of Marche Slave in a couple of months on November 14), but anything I can learn from the book that will help me get more traction would be very welcome.

Great stuff, Tim. You and I are on the same page. I recently teamed up with a young astrophysicist who is also a singer/songwriter, Jewel Arianna, to create a presentation of my images and her music (here's one of her songs,Strange Attractor, about chaos theory). We performed last Friday and Saturday to a sold-out house. People loved it. Blending our images with music is natural.

I hope that your program will be recorded. I'd love to see it.
Well Written Respectful Engaging Supportive
Mike Dobres avatar
Mike Dobres avatar
Just ordered - My images are display in my living room, as large prints on canvas.  I get a huge kick, at the reaction of people when they see them for the first time. The most recent was a 1 year old - who can barely speak, but entered the room and pointed and said 'Estrellas' ( I live in Spain).  I very much doubt they are good enough for public display,   but its worth a try. Thanks for writing this book!

CS

Mike
Willem Jan Drijfhout avatar
Willem Jan Drijfhout avatar

Very interesting. Just ordered the book.

Timothy Martin avatar
Timothy Martin avatar

Gary Lopez · Aug 12, 2025, 06:35 PM

Timothy Martin:
Thank you, Gary! I’ve had images on display at our municipal gallery in Lewisville over the last few years. And I’m working with the local professional symphony on a slideshow that will accompany a performance of Bolero in the fall of 2026 (I’ll actually be conducting the symphony for a performance of Marche Slave in a couple of months on November 14), but anything I can learn from the book that will help me get more traction would be very welcome.


Great stuff, Tim. You and I are on the same page. I recently teamed up with a young astrophysicist who is also a singer/songwriter, Jewel Arianna, to create a presentation of my images and her music (here's one of her songs,Strange Attractor, about chaos theory). We performed last Friday and Saturday to a sold-out house. People loved it. Blending our images with music is natural.

I hope that your program will be recorded. I'd love to see it.

She’s amazing, Gary! Great song, great voice!

Roger Bailey avatar
Roger Bailey avatar
I ordered and received your book a few weeks ago, and it’s what finally got me to make an AstroBin account—something I’d been avoiding for reasons I’m not even sure of. I’ve really enjoyed seeing how you’ve framed and cropped some of the same targets I’ve shot (the Cone Nebula comes to mind) and the colors you’ve chosen.

It’s inspired me to move from just documenting what’s in the sky to creating something more artistic. The printing section was super helpful too. I would’ve loved more on your processing techniques, but I get that it’s not the main focus of the book. Hopefully, some of that comes up here in the forum.

I’ve gone back to the book several times already—really enjoying it. Thanks for the inspiration!
Well Written Respectful Supportive
Gary Lopez avatar
Gary Lopez avatar
Neil Corke:
I received a copy of this from Amazon a few weeks ago.

It's a very interesting book and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to print their images.

Kind regards,

Neil

Thanks very much, Neil. Printing an image that retains the power and beauty of the digital version can be a challenge.

CS, Gary
Well Written Respectful
Alpha Zhang avatar
Alpha Zhang avatar
Hi Gary—congrats on the new book!
I just tried to order it on Amazon, but it says it can’t be shipped to my address (Shanghai, China).

Is international shipping to China available, or is there another retailer I could use? If not, would you consider a digital edition (PDF/Kindle) or a print-on-demand option that supports global delivery?
I’m actively working to bring astrophotography into the art market here, and this book is exactly what I need. Many thanks for any guidance!
— Alpha Zhang, Shanghai
Well Written Respectful
Gary Lopez avatar
Gary Lopez avatar
Alpha Zhang:
Hi Gary—congrats on the new book!
I just tried to order it on Amazon, but it says it can’t be shipped to my address (Shanghai, China).

Is international shipping to China available, or is there another retailer I could use? If not, would you consider a digital edition (PDF/Kindle) or a print-on-demand option that supports global delivery?
I’m actively working to bring astrophotography into the art market here, and this book is exactly what I need. Many thanks for any guidance!
— Alpha Zhang, Shanghai

Thank you for your interest in my book, Alpha. I am sorry there was a problem with the link to Amazon. I am using a service that identifies the origin of the user of the link and sends them to the proper Amazon version. It has been working for so far and routing to the appropriate Amazon version for Europe, North America, Australia, Southeast Asia, and South America. This is the first failure that has been reported. For Shanghai it is amazon.cn. I will alert the provider to the problem and DM when I have a working link. Sorry for the hassle.
Well Written Respectful Concise Supportive
Gary Lopez avatar
Gary Lopez avatar
Don Ogaard:
Order placed, thanks for the heads-up!

You bet, Don. I hope that you enjoy the book.

CS, Gary
Gary Lopez avatar
Gary Lopez avatar
Gary Lopez:
Alpha Zhang:
Hi Gary—congrats on the new book!
I just tried to order it on Amazon, but it says it can’t be shipped to my address (Shanghai, China).

Is international shipping to China available, or is there another retailer I could use? If not, would you consider a digital edition (PDF/Kindle) or a print-on-demand option that supports global delivery?
I’m actively working to bring astrophotography into the art market here, and this book is exactly what I need. Many thanks for any guidance!
— Alpha Zhang, Shanghai

Thank you for your interest in my book, Alpha. I am sorry there was a problem with the link to Amazon. I am using a service that identifies the origin of the user of the link and sends them to the proper Amazon version. It has been working for so far and routing to the appropriate Amazon version for Europe, North America, Australia, Southeast Asia, and South America. This is the first failure that has been reported. For Shanghai it is amazon.cn. I will alert the provider to the problem and DM when I have a working link. Sorry for the hassle.

Hey, Alpha, I sent you a DM here on AstroBin regarding getting books to Shanghai. Take a look. 

CS, Gary
Carl avatar
Carl avatar
Hi Gary,

I just finished reading through your book, and it was an absolute delight. I really enjoyed how you explored the meaning and purpose of art, and relating it to astrophotography. Seeing that put into words really helped me clarify my own feelings, motivations, and goals for my astrophotography. For example, I of course want to highlight the big, impressive structures in emission nebulae, and I implicitly do that in my processing, but reading the examples you give of your artistic intent, and how you make choices to realize that intent, really solidified that concept in my mind. It is something I look forward to bringing to future processing sessions. To that end, the Portfolio section is a real treat. Spending time with those images and learning the intent behind them is a very rewarding learning experience.  The interviews were also a great addition to the text. It was very interesting to see the different perspectives and how their artistic intents differ. 

As a mostly technical astrophotographer relatively new to fine art myself, I think it would be great to expand on some of the art fundamentals that you introduced. I’m sure there are volumes and volumes on the subject of color, but I feel like you could bring a unique perspective to precisely how color can be used to realize different intents and convey various feelings, and how that can be successfully paired with new or traditional astrophotography color palettes. You touched on this a bit in a few places, and it left me hungry for more! Maybe there are other concepts to explore in more depth, like aggregate shape. That section about The Art Process was great, and I’d love to see more.  Likewise, I found the subject of “printing” to be very informative, and would love to read any more you have to say in that area.

Thank you for this great book! I look forward to future editions.
Well Written Respectful Engaging Supportive
Gary Lopez avatar
Gary Lopez avatar
Carl:
Hi Gary,

I just finished reading through your book, and it was an absolute delight. I really enjoyed how you explored the meaning and purpose of art, and relating it to astrophotography. Seeing that put into words really helped me clarify my own feelings, motivations, and goals for my astrophotography. For example, I of course want to highlight the big, impressive structures in emission nebulae, and I implicitly do that in my processing, but reading the examples you give of your artistic intent, and how you make choices to realize that intent, really solidified that concept in my mind. It is something I look forward to bringing to future processing sessions. To that end, the Portfolio section is a real treat. Spending time with those images and learning the intent behind them is a very rewarding learning experience.  The interviews were also a great addition to the text. It was very interesting to see the different perspectives and how their artistic intents differ. 

As a mostly technical astrophotographer relatively new to fine art myself, I think it would be great to expand on some of the art fundamentals that you introduced. I’m sure there are volumes and volumes on the subject of color, but I feel like you could bring a unique perspective to precisely how color can be used to realize different intents and convey various feelings, and how that can be successfully paired with new or traditional astrophotography color palettes. You touched on this a bit in a few places, and it left me hungry for more! Maybe there are other concepts to explore in more depth, like aggregate shape. That section about The Art Process was great, and I’d love to see more.  Likewise, I found the subject of “printing” to be very informative, and would love to read any more you have to say in that area.

Thank you for this great book! I look forward to future editions.

Hi Carl,
Thank you for your generous and thoughtful review. Your suggestions for improvement captured what I have been considering since I published the current edition. Including a treatment of the use of color - theory, techniques, purpose, examples - would be useful, especially for narrowband imagery where the maker has full control. And the printing sections could have more detail and examples of the protocols for iterative adjustment of the image file for accomplishing a change in the print. The big change for a new edition that I have been considering is the addition of a new appendix that has a collection of the step-by-step processing decisions made to create an image. I have discussed this possibility with some of my accomplished astrophotographer colleagues, and all have been willing to share an example of their approach. What do you think? Is that worth doing?

Again, thank you for your comprehensive and generous review. It really helps me know where to go next with the book. Also, if you don't mine, please leave a review at Amazon. Reviews are used for displaying books by the Amazon algorithm.

CS, Gary
Well Written Respectful Engaging Supportive
Carl avatar
Carl avatar
The big change for a new edition that I have been considering is the addition of a new appendix that has a collection of the step-by-step processing decisions made to create an image. I have discussed this possibility with some of my accomplished astrophotographer colleagues, and all have been willing to share an example of their approach. What do you think? Is that worth doing?


Definitely! I know you stated in the preface that you were steering clear of a full-blown “how-to,” but those specific processing choices would be helpful to see described in more details. I’m fortunate to have access to more than a few great astrophotographers in my area (Silicon Valley), and every time they share their processing steps, I level up my own skills as a result. 

And, of course, the extended treatment of color and printing that you described will be a great enhancement, in my opinion. 

I’m happy to leave a review on Amazon. Will do that shortly.
Well Written Supportive
Alpha Zhang avatar
Alpha Zhang avatar
Gary Lopez:
Gary Lopez:
Alpha Zhang:
Hi Gary—congrats on the new book!
I just tried to order it on Amazon, but it says it can’t be shipped to my address (Shanghai, China).

Is international shipping to China available, or is there another retailer I could use? If not, would you consider a digital edition (PDF/Kindle) or a print-on-demand option that supports global delivery?
I’m actively working to bring astrophotography into the art market here, and this book is exactly what I need. Many thanks for any guidance!
— Alpha Zhang, Shanghai

Thank you for your interest in my book, Alpha. I am sorry there was a problem with the link to Amazon. I am using a service that identifies the origin of the user of the link and sends them to the proper Amazon version. It has been working for so far and routing to the appropriate Amazon version for Europe, North America, Australia, Southeast Asia, and South America. This is the first failure that has been reported. For Shanghai it is amazon.cn. I will alert the provider to the problem and DM when I have a working link. Sorry for the hassle.

Hey, Alpha, I sent you a DM here on AstroBin regarding getting books to Shanghai. Take a look. 

CS, Gary

Thanks, Gary! I just saw your message and replied. Really appreciate your support!
Well Written Respectful Supportive
Gary Lopez avatar
Gary Lopez avatar
David DeShan:
I'm looking forward to getting my copy on Wednesday!

Thanks for purchasing my book, David. I am eager to hear your feedback.

CS, Gary
Well Written Respectful
Gary Lopez avatar
Gary Lopez avatar
Mike Dobres:
Just ordered - My images are display in my living room, as large prints on canvas.  I get a huge kick, at the reaction of people when they see them for the first time. The most recent was a 1 year old - who can barely speak, but entered the room and pointed and said 'Estrellas' ( I live in Spain).  I very much doubt they are good enough for public display,   but its worth a try. Thanks for writing this book!

CS

Mike

Thank you for purchasing my book, Mike. It is wonderful to see the reaction of people, especially kids, to an astrophotography, especially a large one. I had two brothers in gallery that represents me last weekend that upon seeing my 45'x60" of North America Nebula began making rocket sounds and zooming around the room.  I'd love to see a picture of your work hung in your living room. Also, I would appreciate any feedback on the book.

CS, Gary
Supportive