Moon Shot is a Film About Expert Astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy
A documentary about renowned astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy has been released on YouTube shining a light on how he captures phenomenal images.
McCarthy’s work is featured by PetaPixel on a regular basis; his detailed images of the Sun, capturing Mars emerging behind the Moon, and capturing the Pillars of Creation with a $500 telescope are just some of the many articles PetaPixel has written about McCarthy.
Now King Toledo Entertainment has released a short documentary following McCarthy giving the audience an insight into the acclaimed photographer’s work.
These guys made a documentary about my work and I absolutely love it 🥰 Beautifully shot and scored, it has the perfect buildup to the reveal of the images I captured that night. https://t.co/YJ3OJq26CT pic.twitter.com/PKN5cgqm9B
— Andrew McCarthy (@AJamesMcCarthy) February 5, 2023
The documentary was shot on May 26, 2021, in the Northern Mojave Desert in California. It follows McCarthy as he captures the Blood Moon, a total lunar eclipse that resulted in the Moon turning red for stargazers in Western America, Australia, and parts of Eastern Asia.
In the flick, McCarthy unloads his extensive equipment and waits until 02:30 in the morning for the Blood Moon to make its appearance.
The 17-minute documentary also explores how McCarthy became an astrophotographer in the first place.
“I picked up this telescope on a whim. I didn’t know what I was doing,” he explains. “I was just like I’m going to buy a telescope because I’m old enough to throw money away on a toy basically.”
The film was picked as an official selection for the DOC NYC 20222 festival and for the Chagrin Falls Documentary Film Festival 2022.
“One of my goals was not just to take a picture of something like the Moon but show it in a way that nobody has ever seen it,” McCarthy says in the documentary.
“So I think what so fascinates me is the fact that all of this is over our heads all the time but nobody notices.”
The film can be viewed at the top of this page or by following the link through to YouTube here.
More of McCarthy’s work can be found on his Instagram, Twitter, and website.
