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Ever seen those pictures where the stars streak across the sky in a big
arc? Or maybe the whole sky looked like it was spinning?
What you saw was star trails. The streaks were light left behind on the
sensor or film from the star as it traveled across the sky in front of an
open camera shutter. In fact, it only seems that way. What actually being
recorded are stationary stars and the rotation of the earth that makes
them spin. Kinda like you were standing on a vinyl record while it is
playing. (yes, vinyl record, it is a form of ancient iPod).
For me, the images seem to have a certain magic or mystery about them. You must have heard a photographer
talking about capturing that perfect moment in time. Well for capturing star trails you will need to capture the perfect
hour or two in time. For such amazing looking images the technique to capture them is really quite simple. Keep
reading for a complete set of instructions from start to finish.
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http://www.diyphotography.net/your-complete-guide-for-photographing-star-trails/
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FOCUSING
In the dark, it is not easy to get the AF to lock on to anything, but do not worry there are several solutions to this.
If you are including foreground objects I suggest making sure that they are in focus. If you are using a wide
angle lens the foreground object and the stars will probably both be in focus even at a very wide aperture. I
find that it is fairly safe to just set the focus to infinity if it is a wide angle or fisheye lens right from the start.
Some lenses will not have those markings so shining the light on the foreground subject while using the AF
function may work if the flashlight is bright. If not go lay the flashlight on the ground at the base of what you
are shooting and focus on that.
Once you have achieved the glorious state of in focus be sure to set it to MF or manual focus before starting
your exposure or it will start searching again when you start the exposure and you will lose your focus.
http://www.diyphotography.net/your-complete-guide-for-photographing-star-trails/
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COMPOSITION
So now you should have your camera focused and set to manual focus (MF) and the shot roughly composed.
When
composing the shot
try not to include
any direct light
like streetlights, in the shot.
INSPIRATION
REVIEWS
TUTORIALS
DIYsources,
GEAR
If you are not using film then I suggest doing a test shot which aids in composing your final shot. A test shot
can be made by doing a 2-3 minute exposure at very high ISO and wide aperture. This should be enough to
be able to see which direction the stars are moving and allow one to imagine what the final shot will look like.
Recompose the shot if necessary and zoom in on the LCD to double check you focus is accurate.
WHITE BALANCE
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which have a much higher color temperature and neutralize the blue effect. A warm light leaves objects lit
with them with a natural or true color.
If LED is your only choice then consider putting some orange cellophane over the front to alter the shade of
the light but doing this will reduce it effective power.
If INSPIRATION
I am shooting with my
white balanceTUTORIALS
set to 10000K I would
REVIEWS
DIY generally
GEAR use an LED which is the exact
opposite of the above situation. Its bluish hue would neutralize the high color temperature of 10000K leaving
the objects lit with it a natural or true color.
So for a cool white balance use a warm light and for a warm white balance use a cool light for lighting
your foreground interest.
SINGLE SHOT
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STACKING
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With the higher end DSLRs and the improvement of sensor noise reduction in newer DSLRs the ISO can be bumped
even higher which will result in even more visible stars streaking across the sky. Of course, you will need to find the
balance for your camera based on how it handles noise.
For the stacking
method it is REVIEWS
necessary to use
a cable release.DIY
It couldGEAR
be done with a remote but then I would
INSPIRATION
TUTORIALS
recommend shooting much longer exposures than 30 seconds and stacking those, simply because a remote is not
as comfortable to use.
You will be shooting possibly hundreds of images so it is important to make sure there is plenty of space on your
memory card.
To get started, set your focus and compose your shot.
Set the aperture to its widest and the ISO to 800 for starters.
Dial in 30 seconds for the time value and the drive mode to continuous shooting mode which allows for nonstop shooting when the cable release is locked. (Now you get the cable release thing, right?)
I suggest doing a test shot first to see if everything looks all right before locking that release. If anything is too
bright then dial the ISO down. Once you have taken the shots you will need to stack them using software.
(More on that in a bit)
I mentioned above about adding light to the foreground objects and explained a few things to consider about white
balance in relation to that. I often include foreground objects to complete the shots because images of just stars
sometimes seem to lack a subject (and interest).
I look for interesting buildings, infrastructure or natural objects like big trees or rock formations and make them the
subject of the images. I light these foreground subjects with a flashlight or speedlite. A flashlight can reach far places
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and can be moved around while lighting to remove shadows while a speedlite can freeze a tree that may be moving
in the wind.
You will probably use a flashlight most of the time because they are a much more flexible tool and leave the
foreground
with a much moreREVIEWS
organic look. I TUTORIALS
highly recommendDIY
doing GEAR
a few lighting test shots to see how much light
INSPIRATION
is needed before locking that cable release. Too much light will distract from that beautiful star filled sky you are
about to create. Remember, for foreground lighting: if you are shooting at low whilte balance, use a warm light like
Xenon torch; if you are shooting at tungsten white balance, use a cool light like LEDs flash light..
If you are stacking then I suggest doing the foreground lighting at the beginning and again at the end. In case one of
those is unsuitable for the final shot. You simply exclude those frames from the stack. If it was done in the middle and
a mistake was made leaving those frames unusable it would create a break in the trail that would take away from the
shot.
A final note for those with experience in night photography, keep in mind that you are now shooting wide open with
your ISO jacked so adjust your lighting techniques to accommodate for that with low power flashes or less lighting
time with a flashlight.
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shooting even landed me almost 7 minutes on the six oclock news. I recently appeared in a TV commercial. I also
shoot weddings and portraits to help offset the expensive camera gear habit I have.
You can find me on twitter and on Flickr, and blogger.
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40 Comments
cselab
Thanks for sharing, Photographing the night sky can be a surreal experience, and star trail
photography is highly rewarding if you have a bit of patience. I found another important
article about star trails photography, here you go, http://www.photographymad.com/...
roygroething.com | Editorial Photography
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