Today we would like to introduce you to astrophotographer and good friend Andrea Boroni

Andrea, how did you get into this hobby?

First of all, many thanks to Karl and Rudi for giving me this opportunity.

My name is Andrea, I'm originally from Italy, and I've lived in Germany since 2001.

Since I was 14 years old, I've been able to indulge my passion for photography, which started with an Olympus OM-10. I still remember always locking myself in my mother's closet to wind the film onto the reel. Then came the first digital cameras, and in 2015 I bought my first mirrorless camera, whose capabilities deeply impressed me.

I've always been fascinated by the stars. As a child, I was lucky enough to spend my summer holidays in the mountains. I loved lying on a wall at night and admiring the sky with my naked eyes.

When I first saw pictures of the Milky Way on Facebook in 2015 and realized that it was possible to capture them with a regular camera, I immediately thought: Cool, I want to do that too!

And that's how it all started: I spent days online watching all sorts of videos about techniques and equipment, hiked back and forth in the Eifel region to find suitable locations, and many sleepless nights ensued. The progress in my images and processing became visible, and I grew increasingly hungry for new challenges.

The first tracking device I bought was a Polaraire. That's when the first problems with polar alignment began. I studied the theory, but the reality in the field was quite different. After many attempts, I finally managed to get up and running fairly quickly, and the fun continued.

I ventured into deep-sky photography with my regular lenses and even had my camera converted for astrophotography. I quickly realized that my equipment had reached its limits, and the more I experimented with longer focal lengths, the more distorted my stars became.

Then came the Corona pandemic and working from home, and I met Rudi and Karl online. After several in-depth consultations, I bought my first Newtonian telescope, my first proper mount (the EQ-6R), and a guiding system. It took a lot of time to get everything under control, and using a computer to manage the equipment proved to be a real challenge. With a great deal of time and patience, as well as the help of many kind people in various groups here on Facebook (a special thank you to Markus!), I managed to improve my technique and approach. Over time, I expanded my equipment with other refractors and bought my first dedicated astro camera, which opened up entirely new possibilities for me. And like many others, I always wanted to improve, striving for less noise and better star images. That meant countless hours spent watching videos and experimenting with different programs. And what can I say? It never ends.

Sure, frustration is unfortunately part of this hobby, but being able to gaze at the starry sky at night, driving to some remote spot in the middle of nowhere, and then sometimes hiking for hours to enjoy a breathtaking view and finally capture that perfect image, is priceless to me.

If you can also get excited about moments like these and are willing to constantly learn new things, then I can wholeheartedly recommend this hobby!

Thanks for the interview, Andrea