Welcome to this edition of [book spotlight]. Today, we uncover the layers of 'Route de la Belle Etoile,' by Daniel Stephen Homer (published by GOST Books). We'd love to read your comments below about these insights and ideas behind the artist's work.

What if photography could illuminate not just the stars, but those who dedicate their lives to them?

Astronomy isn’t just about telescopes and distant galaxies, it’s about the people who spend their nights chasing the unknown. These amateur astronomers, often working from backyards and homemade observatories, have made real contributions to science. They track asteroids, discover new celestial objects, and sometimes even work alongside professionals. Their dedication is what Route de la Belle Étoile is about.

But how do you capture that kind of passion in a photograph?

For five years, Daniel Stephen Homer traveled across continents, documenting the lives and work of these astronomers. He photographed the hands that built observatories, the homes filled with star maps, and the people who rearrange their lives for clearer skies. His images reveal a side of astronomy that most people never get to see. Route de la Belle Étoile is about the humans who refuse to stop looking up.

The Book

Route de la Belle Étoile (Route of the Beautiful Star) By Daniel Stephen Homer

Spanning five years and four continents, Route de la Belle Étoile explores the world of amateur astronomers, ordinary people who have made extraordinary contributions to professional space research. Through striking photography, Daniel Stephen Homer captures the places where astronomy happens, from backyard observatories to remote outposts, and the passionate individuals behind the telescopes.

Blending the scientific and the personal, Homer documents a hidden world where dedication and discovery collide. The book features some of the most prolific citizen scientists, including Jack Newton, the only Canadian amateur astronomer granted time on the Hubble Space Telescope, and Dave Gault, who helped discover a moon orbiting asteroid (172376) 2002 YE25. Alongside these images, Homer includes field notes detailing key astronomical discoveries and archival ‘star glass’ images, historical glass plate negatives hand-annotated by women at Harvard College Observatory.

For Homer, photography and astronomy share a common thread: both require patience, obsession, and an insatiable curiosity for the unknown. His first monograph, Route de la Belle Étoile, is a visual and narrative journey into the minds of those who map the stars not for fame, but for the love of the night sky. (GOST Books, Amazon)

Overview of the project: What inspired you to create Route de la Belle Étoile?

Well…the universe exploded into existence, and around 13.8 billion years later, some folks are trying to work out what the hell is going on!

As for my part, I initially came across the people in question whilst scrolling through science news articles on my iPhone. I saw a piece championing a discovery made by an amateur astronomer–from there, down the rabbit hole I went. As for what inspires me more fundamentally, it’s whatever lies at the perimeter of my ignorance I suppose, and photography is a great tool for this kind of exploration. If you’ve ever seen the film The Devil’s Advocate, you’ll know the scene where Al Pacino—the actual Devil—is asked by Keanu Reeves why he chose to be a lawyer "Because the law, my boy, puts us into everything. It's the ultimate backstage pass.” he responds. That’s pretty close to how I feel about photography.

Was there a particular moment while photographing amateur astronomers that made you realize just how deep their contributions run?

It was when I learned that Jack Newton (he’s represented in the book) is the only Canadian amateur astronomer to have been awarded time on the Hubble Space Telescope. That was an eye opener. I mean its Hubble, right?

Blurring the line between amateur and professional astronomy: You describe a “gossamer thread” connecting amateur and professional astronomers. What fascinates you about this connection, and how does it shape the story you tell in this book?

It’s a rare thing when amateurs can contribute to science in such an involved way. Ornithology is the only comparable field I can find (that almost became a project too!). We’re not talking here about the broad citizen science programs like–the classic was SETI@Home in the late 90’s where you downloaded some software and it ran in the background on your beige PC. What the folks in the book do on the other hand, is a labour intensive, financially costly and time-consuming collaborative endeavour—most often with professional astronomers. It needs real skill and expertise. One of the many thing’s amateurs do is help to track potentially dangerous objects, and with asteroid YR4 in the news recently, at one point having a 2.8% chance of hitting Earth during 2032, amateurs may prove their worth some more!

How did this shape the story I tell? I think it made me take them very seriously.

Capturing both the scientific and personal aspects of astronomy: Your images balance the technical aspects of observatories with the personal spaces of the astronomers themselves. How did you decide what details to focus on in your compositions?

Prior to shooting, I do think quite deeply about why I’m photographing. But when I’m there, I forget all of that and just let the situation guide me more intuitively. Really, whatever takes my interest—if there’s a million-pound observatory, but the reflections in the old shed window are more interesting to me, I’ll photograph the shed! My pictures often fail when I’m shooting this way and sometimes, I miss things, but every now and again I strike gold and manage to say something more with an image. In the end that’s all I’m trying to do.

The human side of astronomy: Many of the astronomers in your book have made significant contributions to professional research. How did you approach photographing them in a way that highlights their dedication and passion?

The human side of astronomy—I’d push back and say astronomy is a human endeavour. You could argue with that nowadays and say with the big survey telescopes and the use of AI that may be changing for the professionals, but I think for amateurs it remains true. As for approach, I’m not entirely sure I did shoot in a way that highlights their dedication and passion for astronomy, I think I shot in a way that highlights mine. In my defence, having spent a lot of time around amateur astronomers, our passions were quite aligned—so maybe they could be one and the same?

Did you find that their passion for the cosmos shaped the way they live day-to-day?

Almost invariably I would find myself surrounded by astronomical paraphernalia. Walls would be adorned with scientific papers that they had contributed to, telescopes would be handmade, even where they lived had often been chosen for clear skies! For an idea of the personalities, see below for a 60 Minutes Australia program with Trevor Barry, who is represented in the book.

Challenges in photographing remote observatories: You travelled across multiple countries, from Australia to Finland to India, to capture these stories. What were some of the biggest logistical challenges in completing this project?

Where do I start? Numero uno is money—the more you travel, the more it costs and when you have a tight budget, money is a logistical challenge. For me, Microsoft Excel is a true friend–we’ve been everywhere together—for instance in Australia I had a printed and laminated spreadsheet itinerary for the entire journey and it proved vital. At some point during a long, intense shooting trip you start to forget which way is up and why you’re even there to begin with. Having that spreadsheet ‘bible’ with everything laid out clearly—it’s a beautiful thing! It also allows you to move things around quickly if plans change.

So in Canda, I drove up from Spokane to Osoyoos. It looked so very close on the map, and I think the distances just didn’t register. I was in this crappy little SUV trundling down endless roads for so long, I stopped at the side of the highway, called my mom and had a mini meltdown!

Was there a particularly challenging or surreal moment along the way that sticks with you?

The outbound flight to Australia was significantly delayed, so I missed the connecting flight and had to spend a whole day in Qatar. That could have been a big one as I was planning to hit the ground shooting. The debacle almost derailed the trip but, in the end, it was all figured out. I often have a tight shooting schedule, it saves money, but if something goes awry...

Technical choices in shooting this project: What equipment and techniques did you use to achieve the look and feel of Route de la Belle Étoile, and how did they contribute to the atmosphere of your images?

The short answer is, I just shot it with what I had. The longer answer is…in the infancy of this work, I had a portfolio review with the great Mark Power, and he suggested I start using a tripod. I did, and as a result people tend to ask if I’ve used some sort of medium format type setup or something—whereas in reality it’s a small Leica M10 and a Zeiss 28mm lens throughout (I think there’s one image shot on an M10-R). Other photographers invariably laugh at me when they hear I’ve got this little rangefinder on the sticks–ostensibly the wrong tool for the job, but I love it. Easy to travel with too!

Astronomy as a metaphor for photography: Your personal connection to astronomy dates back to childhood memories with your grandfather. Do you see parallels between the patience required for astrophotography and the process of creating long-term documentary projects?

Yes, my grandfather had an early impact on the course of my curiosities! As for parallels, I think there’s a lot of patience required for both. You’d have to ask an astronomer for their experience, but for me, when I’m working on a project, I often seem impatient. I get frustrated a lot, but I maintain that impatient energy and frustration throughout the duration of the work—which in this case was five years—so that might actually be what I define as patience. Another similarity is the solitude that both photographers and amateur astronomers often contend with—it can be a lonely existence, especially for those on the amateur side who live in more remote locations for the benefit of clearer skies.

Photography of course, revolutionised astronomy. Before which, and needing even more patience, the only option was to draw what you saw through the telescope. The human error involved in that process is what led to the various proclamations during the 19th century that there were artificial canals and vegetation on Mars!

The role of storytelling in scientific documentation: Your book includes detailed field notes on discoveries made by amateur astronomers. How important was it to provide context beyond the images, and how do you see the role of storytelling in scientific documentation?

So, this is something I struggle with. My images are not straight documentary, and they don’t always portray the ‘reality’ of the subjects I photograph—at least not in the classical sense. What I hope they do, is offer up something of the meaning that can be found in the subject matter. But as a result, I find my pictures leaning away from a more descriptive photojournalistic form—so I’m trying to claw back some of that ground with the text element of the book. A lot of work went into the text, especially from my late wife, Natalie, who tirelessly applied a much-needed editor’s red pen.

Advice for photographers tackling long-term projects: For photographers interested in documenting niche communities or technical subjects, what lessons from Route de la Belle Étoile would you share to help them approach such work effectively?

I can tell you what works for me. I spend copious amounts of time reading, watching and listening to anything on the broad subject matter to get a good grip on it. For a technical area, that will also give me a subject-specific vocabulary for the next bit, which is to talk to experts—in my case these are mostly scientists. I try to talk to as many folks as possible to chat through my idea and get advice. This may offer a course correction or refine my thinking—they often give good starting points for research which takes me to…an Excel spreadsheet!

I start building a database of potential “targets”, people and places to photograph—I do it geographically blind to begin with. I note the locations but don’t pay too much attention yet, I just build up my database. When the list is substantial, I take a step back and look at where they cluster—are there lots of people in the UK or do they all seem to reside somewhere in South America for instance? Then I really ramp it up and start contacting folks—as many as possible—and so the rough shooting plan starts to form. From there it’s basically travel, photograph, repeat. I’m currently struggling through all this right now on a new project.

An additional thought here is that the publisher, GOST, elevated the work to the next level in the design and printing. It’s been a lesson for me in finding the right people to collaborate with, those who see what your work can be.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on these insights and the ideas behind the artist’s work. Don't forget to subscribe to receive news about latest posts and giveaway winners.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on these insights and the ideas behind the artist’s work.

Don't forget to subscribe to receive news about latest posts and giveaway winners.

To discover more about this intriguing body of work and how you can acquire your own copy, you can find and purchase the book here. (GOST Books, Amazon)

Daniel Stephen Homer

Daniel Stephen Homer is a British photographer whose work explores the intersection of science, human curiosity, and visual storytelling. Originally from the West Midlands, he studied filmmaking at Met Film School in London before working in the film and television industry as a focus puller and cameraman, frequently in the Middle East. Eventually, his passion for storytelling led him to photography, where he has since worked for clients including The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Tommy Hilfiger, and Calvin Klein, alongside pursuing long-term personal projects.

Driven by curiosity and a deep interest in niche communities, Homer’s photography often explores worlds that exist just beyond the mainstream, offering insight into hidden networks of knowledge, dedication, and discovery. (Website, Instagram)

About GOST Books

Founded in 2012, GOST Books is an independent publisher based in London, specializing in visual arts and photography. The publisher stands out for its eclectic range of subjects and innovative designs, tackling everything from portraits of individuals who claim to be the Messiah, to studies of Turkish soap operas and artworks inspired by flamingo breeding grounds in the Southern Hemisphere. GOST Books also delves into historical archives, like photographs from the Mexico City police department, and cultural snapshots, such as portraits of state competition winners in Belarus. Committed to supporting both emerging artists and established masters, GOST Books contributes significantly to the ongoing dialogue of photography and visual arts in printed form. (Website, Instagram)

Published by GOST Books

Blog