Aleksandr Yuferev

Born in 1958 in Vladikavkaz, Russia, Aleksandr Yuferev is raised in Novosibirsk (Siberia). His parents were both geologists with deep love to nature and he got the same passion but more for the greater nature which embraces our planet. Soon he got attracted by photography and how fascinating are simple water-color pictures such as those showing well-known Donati's Comet of 1858 in Soviet Encyclopedia for Childs, or Kranz's night landscapes, and how resolutely they can change one's life. Aleksandr was graduated as an astronomer from physics faculty of Moscow State University and started a position in Astrophysical Institute of Tajik Academy of Sciences, Sanglok Observatory. Then he worked in Maydanak Astronomical Observatory of Sternberg Astronomical Institute, situated in Uzbekistan as an observing photographer and photo- laboratory master. After Soviet Union disintegration he was forced to move to Moscow where "anyone can get any job". He changed several jobs including teaching and collaborating with a Russian popular science magazine Zvezdochot (Stargazer) but finally he returned to his motherland in Novosibirsk's outskirts. His main fields of interests in photography are art and image processing, how to create and squeeze all the possible information out of negatives or digital frames to restore not only the "bytes and colors" but the very first wonder of night sight. His art work night sky photos are usually signed with his pseudonym “Shu-Yu”.