We've been counting down the end of the year with a selection of the most meaningful images taken by the Sony Brand Ambassadors in 2023. See Part 5 of 6 below featuring breathtaking night and astrophotography from Chris Burkard, Taylor Rees, Andrew Eggers, Rachel Jones Ross, Michael Hollender, Phil Yoon, Stevin Tuchiwsky and Andy Best. Look back at  Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 – and stay tuned to Alpha Universe as we wrap up 2023.

We're counting down to the end of the year with a selection of the most meaningful images taken by the Sony Brand Ambassadors in 2023.

Chris Burkard

Photo by Chris Burkard. Sony Alpha 7S III. Sony 14mm f/1.8 G Master. ⅓-sec., f/1.8, ISO 4000

“Late March of 2023 on my way to the Eastfjords of Iceland for the Austurland Freeride Festival, (ski touring hut trip in the surrounding mountains) the aurora danced above myself and my assistant, Jeffrey Brundage, who hadn't seen the lights like that before. Knowing that we were about to pass one of my favorite cabins in Iceland, I hoped the lights would extend their show above the building, making for a perfect composition. The lights couldn't have been better placed and brought an ecstasy only given by a natural show such as this one.”

“Two of my favorite things in Iceland coming together, rustic cabins and the northern lights... I had been waiting for this shot for years, to see it come together by chance was beautiful and I'm grateful I was there to capture it.”

Taylor Rees

Photo by Taylor Rees. Sony Alpha 1. Sony 14mm f/1.8 G Master. 30-sec., f/2.2, ISO 1600

“In February of this year, I returned to Chile and Argentina where I have been working for six years on a feature documentary film about the Licanantay indigenous community and their plight to protect their land, water, and human rights. On this evening, our film crew and main characters sat in front of an ancestral dwelling and observed the sky. In the Atacama desert, the stars are more visible than in any other place on Earth. It was a beautiful moment. Because while the image shows the vast expanses of the universe, the foreground represents this village and the story here, which are very close to my heart.”

Andrew Eggers

Photo by Andrew Eggers. Sony ZV-E1. Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. 4-sec., f/7.1, ISO 100

“This is my most meaningful photo of 2023 because it was taken on a roadtrip with my good friends and Sony Ambassadors, Anthony Castro and Max Bon. We just so happened to be shooting sunset at this abandoned church when we met up with a super electric storm as well as some local storm chasers. This is a composite image of two different photos taken almost back to back as the bolts were getting closer.”

“It was the biggest thrill of my photography life to see Mother Nature at her finest. It was also a little scary right at the end as the storm passed right over us bringing marble sized hail with it too.”

Rachel Jones Ross

Photo by Rachel Jones Ross. Sony Alpha 1. Sony 14mm f/1.8 G Master. 

"This night I had three cameras running in different directions and I took over 22,000 images! This shot is a vertical pano. I shot the foreground in the natural light of the moon and the aurora. I had to focus stack the image because my camera was very close to the foreground (f/11, 30 seconds, ISO 5000). I then titled the camera up to capture the sky (f/1.8, 1.6 seconds, ISO 5000). The foreground and sky were then stitched together using PhotoShop."

It is hard to choose a favorite image and I don't think this is my best image. But the experience of capturing this moment was one of the singularly most memorable nights of my photographic career. I was with an amazing and fun group of people for one of the biggest aurora events of the year. Clouds swallowed the entire mountain range but we managed to find a little gap in the clouds over the iconic Abraham Lake in the Canadian Rockies. I shot all night, on three cameras with the hope of capturing the aurora and Milky Way together. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on one's perspective, the aurora was so bright it washed out the Milky Way! I will forever remember this night as 'Milky Way canceled due to excessive aurora!'"

Michael Hollender

Photo by Michael Hollender. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. 20-sec., f/5.6, ISO 800

This was my first time visiting Saguaro National Park and I was lucky enough to plan a few nights photographing under the stars. This night was nearly a full moon and made for an easy way to have the foreground naturally lit. I added a low level light at 1% brightness to add a little kick of light on the trees.”

“This year had less travel than others but that meant making the best out of everyday (and night!) while on the road. This ‘work trip’ to Tucson Arizona was a launching point to hit 4 National Parks. From Saguaro National Park down to Fort Bowie National Historic Site and Chiricahua National Monument, then to Coronado National Memorial along the border with Mexico and back up to Tumacacori National Historical Park! Epic road trip with friends!”

Phil Yoon

Photo by Phil Yoon. Sony Alpha 1. Sony 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G. 1/250-sec., f/13, ISO 400

“Sony Kando Trip is always a special time for me. Each year I leave feeling inspired, and this year didn't disappoint. On our last day here, the super blue moon was at its peak, and I went to the astrophotography class with much excitement. Unfortunately, I showed up to the mountaintop with a16-35mm, lens while most others were using really long focal lengths. So I scurried back down to see what lenses were available and rented the 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G. It was my first time and after setting up APS-C mode, the result was incredible. The detail on the moon was unlike anything I've ever captured before. It was the perfect way to end 2023's Sony Kando Trip.”

“The rollercoaster of emotions that led up to the shot, the rarity of the super blue moon occurrence, the significance of Sony Kando Trip 2023, and the result of the photo combined to easily make this the most meaningful photo of the year for me. It was a culmination of highs, lows, and gratitude for being able to be a part of such a momentous occasion in the universal sense, but also feeling grounded and connected to the earth while capturing the super blue moon.”

Stevin Tuchiwsky

Photo by Stevin Tuchiwsky. Sony Alpha 7R III. Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master. 4-sec., f/2.8, ISO 1600

Andy Best

“With an aurora forecast that was looking conducive to a great show, a few friends and I set out for a late night. We tried a few locations when we ultimately arrived at this spot and it luckily aligned us with a great show. This is one of my favorite images because although you can forecast the aurora to some extent, you never know what is actually going to happen. I think that is what draws me to photography the most, is the uncertainty and the excitement that comes when everything comes together.”

Photo by Andy Best. Sony Alpha 1. Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master.

"This is a frame taken out of a 8 hour 3 axis time-lapse shot deep in a lava crack in Oregon. I've shot and planned for it on numerous occasions, but never this flawlessly. There is always so much emotion that goes into a single frame derived from the process. The experience of getting to a location, all the planning that is involved, and then executing really cements the experience into a forever memory."

"It's always so hard to choose a favorite image, no matter the circumstances. This may not have been the most epic shot I took this year, but it has the best memory. Whenever I can get somewhere, be totally isolated, and have a very specific shot in mind that comes together, makes me so happy! Climbing into the earth knowing my family was back at the camper safe and snuggled in bed enjoying a story, I crawled deeper towards my frame. A year prior it snowed on me at this very spot, so I was beyond happy to see the skies crystal clear. I set up my machine, triple checked everything, and left the camera to do its thing for almost nine hours. The success of the time-lapse opened the door to many other ideas surrounding this location and many more for the new year ahead. Stoked!"