Starry nights and natural sceneries La Réunion Island MARIA JOSÉ IBARGÜEN KIPPS
Starry nights and natural sceneries La Réunion Island
MARIA JOSÉ IBARGÜEN KIPPS
Starry nights La Réunion Island The Réunion Island is situated east of Madagascar. Is one of the Mascaren Islands a French overseas region in the western Indian Ocean that has a wild nature and landscapes that are simply stunning. Its night skies are a new environmental value for conservation of the species and the end of light pollution of all sites with large cities. I visited this magical island in 2016, to photograph an eclipse, but I was so fascinated by its nature and how at night the Milky Way could be seen so clearly that I dedicated myself to astrophotography and to document its extraordinary nature.
Preparing to photograph the eclipse
I felt very sad when I realized that many of the children who live today in big cities have never seen a star in the sky and that the children of this island or in rural areas of Central America can still enjoy the stars and the aboriginal cultures its cosmogony. Astrophotography shows the great opportunity for nature and human beings to watch over their natural environment. Because light pollution in cities reflects the deterioration suffered by the astronomical quality of the sky for a large part of humanity. This human problem has serious environmental consequences, due to the affection of a large number of nocturnal species and the energy waste represented by the rays of light projected towards the sky in cities and inhabited areas, especially in developed countries. For this reason, astrophotography is one of my passions, because I feel that once the photo is taken, we can all admire the Milky Way and the constellations and learn from them.
Maria José Ibargüen-Kipps
Annular Eclipse, La Réunion Island, Africa. Maria José Ibargüen Kipps
Venus and Jupiter, two of the brightest planets in the solar system came together in the night sky on La RĂŠunion. The two planets appeared to glide close together similar to a full moon with Jupiter appearing directly above Venus.
Preparing myself for astrophotography
Turn off unnecessary artificial light caused by human activities, to light the sky and keep the darkness of the night for the maintenance of biodiversity, quality of life and the universal right to observe the stars, have been the objectives of Astrophotography. Scientists from more than 40 countries on five continents have agreed on the need to consider the sky as a common heritage, so the maintenance of night quality and the ability to observe the stars should be considered a fundamental right of humanity , equivalent to the rest of environmental, social and cultural rights. This defense of the night sky has been collected in a Declaration on the defense of the night sky and the right to the light of the stars, the Declaration of la Palma Island, in the Canary Islands, which is an international reference that I have studied, because its purpose is to integrate this aspect in the international conservation of natural and cultural heritage. Not only the sky has been affected by the increase in artificial light, but also the species and natural habitats have suffered negative impacts. Paula Deda, from the program of migratory birds of the United Nations Program for the Environment, warned of the damage caused by artificial light by the disorientation of many birds in their large migrations. In all cities, millions of birds crash into buildings illuminated.
Turn off unnecessary artificial light caused by human activities, to light the sky and keep the darkness of the night for the maintenance of biodiversity, quality of life and the universal right to observe the stars, have been the objectives of Astrophotography. Scientists from more than 40 countries on five continents have agreed on the need to consider the sky as a common heritage, so the maintenance of night quality and the ability to observe the stars should be considered a fundamental right of humanity, equivalent to the rest of environmental, social and cultural rights. This defense of the night sky has been collected in a Declaration on the defense of the night sky and the right to the light of the stars, the Declaration of La Isla de la Palma, in the Canary Islands, which is an international reference that I have studied, because its purpose is to integrate this aspect in the international conservation of natural and cultural heritage. The privileged areas for the astronomical observation of the skies as the Island of La RĂŠunion, constitute a scarce resource on the planet and its conservation represents a minimum effort in comparison with the benefits that contribute to knowledge and scientific and photographic development. The protection of the quality of the skies in this Island constitutes a priority in its environmental and scientific policies. In all countries we should maximize the measures and provisions that protect nature of the harmful effects of light pollution, radioelectric and atmospheric.
The vision of a clear, transparent night sky is a new resource for tourism activity, for the development of quality products such as knowledge tourism or scientific tourism, as well as being a quality mark for those destinations that opt for policies of clean skies.
Cascades La RÊunion Island On the island there are an endless stream of beautiful waterfalls of all kinds. In some of them you can even find natural pools, perfect for swimming surrounded by the purest nature. Some of the most beautiful you will find are basin des Aigrettes and bassin La Paix, they leave an indelible memory. In Salazie appears a huge waterfall whose name is Grand-Mère, although it is far away and the terrain is leafy and, above all, humid. It is one of the best welcomes I found to enter Salazie.
I was fascinated by Cilaos -the center of the island-, descent of waterfalls and ravines, hiking ... In other words, a paradise suitable for living the green magic of nature. Can you ask for more? This tiny corner of the world gives the traveler the opportunity to appreciate the strength of one of the most active volcanoes in the world, the Piton de Fournaise, and natural viewpoints where you can gape, like those of Piton Maido and Pas de Bellecombe. The literal translation of Le Grand brĂťlĂŠ is something like "the great burn". It has sense if we take into account that it occupies a good part of the southeast of La RĂŠunion Island, which is where the most frequent lava rivers of the Piton de la Fournaise volcano have been coming along over the centuries. It is a vast expanse of petrified lava reverberated by moss and reaching the ocean. The road crosses an absolutely ghostly place that points out where the main lava flows of the last years were.
Plaine des Sables recreates one of the most typical postcards of the way to the volcano. We see it coming as soon as it reaches a cliff. Just below it, it expands like a huge plain of sand from the volcanic scum through which passes a road without asphalt. It is the best possible prelude to the definitive visit of the most "alive" part of the volcano, from which only a few kilometers separate it.
But it is also a dream island, full of contrasts, surrounded by wonderful beaches frequented by whales, underwater bottoms full of colors, immense mountains, deep valleys, dense forests, waterfalls of vertigo and volcanoes to walk and a richness in flora and fauna, like its birds.
Talking about La RĂŠunion Island is like discovering all the wonders and mysteries of nature. Since the awareness of the importance of preserving nature has spread throughout the world, so has the idea that being in contact with natural environments is healthy. In natural areas the air is of better quality and is less polluted, wild areas have more slopes and crossing them entails more physical activity, guarantees the welfare of all living beings.
MARIA JOSÉ IBARGÜEN KIPPS AND HER MEMORABLE PHOTOGRAPHIC RECORD The photographic approach of Maria José Ibargüen Kipps is what defines her visual content and provides the first orientation to the observer in her gaze. It determines not only the physical scene but also the angle at which it will be perceived, proposing an enlarged vision, supported by the tonalities of light, a choice according to her intention, not by chance. María José studied with several professional photographers, but her initial self-taught vision allowed her to thoroughly investigate each step of her perceptions through the lens of life, parallel to the lens of her Canon 7D Mark II and 5D Mark IV cameras, whose functions allow a striking frame, which is what defines the reading of her trees and the invisible space of our emotions, outside the field. In this sense, her photography is a space of total representation, which includes us in her eyes, when we read her text presentation in this catalog of the homage to the tree, we can understand her intention that goes beyond the obvious. Maria José has already received several international recognitions, one of them was given by LensCulture Emerging Artist, where curators congratulate her for the use of colors. In LensCulture Street Photography the curators rated her in high score and Nat Geo in #MiMomentoEarthLive, also congratulated her. She has published articles with her photographs in a magazine from El Salvador. Her photographs are a message about the event they record, in this case, astrophotography and natural sceneries in La Réunion Island. Her photography is not only a homage to nature, but is an invitation for our perceptions to be fascinated by environmental opportunities to preserve nature. Thank you, María José. Marcela Valdeavellano-Valle Independent Curator