Photographing star trails

[cutecoot]

Originally Posted by pressld2

I spent 2 hours in a graveyard to get this shot...


Dave P.

Rather you than me, Dave

Great shot though, so well worth it

[pressld2]

Thanks both!

Originally Posted by gess

you are one patient person!!!

Nah, I take a book! Nice comfy folding chair, flask of coffee, some biscuits or chocolate, one of those LED lights you wear on your head and a good book. I could sit there all night!

Dave P.

[Highlander71]

Originally Posted by pressld2

Had another go last night and here's the result...



Thought I'd try an upright one. Another church in the foreground - I really wanted the Bromley war memorial with Armistice Day fast approaching but it's way too brightly floodlit and I couldn't expose for the memorial and the stars. I'd have to do a combination of star trails and HDR and I haven't got to grips with HDR yet. Something for the future...

This was going to be another combination of 200 shots but in frame 154 the clouds started coming in and by frame 160 it was raining! So I cut my losses and just used frames 1 to 153. There were a few aeroplane trails to clone out but nothing like as many as the Farnborough shot.

Anyone else had a go yet?

Dave P.

Another corher there Dave, well done! We had a couple of clear nights and I took a couple of shots and made hash of it (focus problems...mine I might add not the camera!). Raining again here
Keep up the good work!

[Beebopshawobadop]

Oh... wow.
This has never occured to me as a possability, yet when I saw these pictures I wanted to go out tonight asnd do it, NOW!. It's a beautiful night outside, stunnin veiw of the sky, yet I have one major problem...

In place of a 10mp camera
I have a 2mp camera phone. (which takes stunning shots, I must admitm, but I doubt it's this good!)

In place of a tripod
I have a wall.

And where 200 photos are recomended
I have memory for 30.

If I could convice my dad to let me use his camera, I'm sure I could get a tripod from somewhere... This needs to be done!!!

[nytecam]

Really excellent startrails

If I could convice my dad to let me use his camera, I'm sure I could get a tripod from somewhere... This needs to be done!!!

Hopefully a DSLR which have re-energised this speciality as accumulated exposures can be made to get long trails whilst light-polluting skyfog, almost enevitable nowadays, can be removed from each frame before compositing

In days-of-old 20min or longer single exposures were possible with film

[pressld2]

Originally Posted by Beebopshawobadop

If I could convice my dad to let me use his camera, I'm sure I could get a tripod from somewhere... This needs to be done!!!

Welcome to WAB Beebop, I love your enthusiasm! Good luck persuading your dad...

Originally Posted by nytecam

In days-of-old 20min or longer single exposures were possible with film

I think the longest exposure I took on film was about 3 hours. You can do really long exposures with DSLRs depending on the model. My old Nikon D70 was a maximum of 30 minutes but the D300 is unlimited. As you rightly say though, you have to be a long way away from civilisation or the light pollution will spoil long exposures.

Dave P.

[divegal]

Followed this thread and was so taken by it I have just (7.38pm) been outside to experiment but something has gone wrong but I dont know what and I am hoping somone will show me where I went wrong.

I set up my camera admitedly in the back garden and yes I live in a BIG city!

I set up camera with a 50m lens, manual focus set to infinity. Noise reduction off. set to continous shot. ISO 200. Thankfully I took only 6 shots at 90 second exposure as I wanted to see what they were like. When I looked at them its like a daylight shot! Quite an overexposed one too! have I missed something out apart from driving somewhere where it was darker?

[pressld2]

Sounds like you have your aperture too wide and getting over-exposed shots. I was using f5.6 for a 30 second exposure. For a 90 second exposure I'd try f11 or even f16.

Good luck - let us know how it goes...

Dave P.

[divegal]

I was out there for ages trying all kinds of things!!! what I did find out was that if I did it for 10 seconds or so I got a result. Am determined to haveanother go tonight and see what happens. The neighbours thinnk I am mad asit is taking pictures of flowers so pointing the camera at the sky will convince them!