It finally happened. The seemingly unending crappy weather lost it’s luster and gave in to sunny skies. And sunny days usually mean starry nights. I have been wanting to do this for a while. My previous attempt was not very successful as the moon was the king of the skies then, you can view that post here.
This post is not exactly a success as I know there are things that I could have done better. I know I have not posted in a couple of days and that you don’t deserve a picture of 2 popsicle looking things. Those are flags by the way. I took a 15 minute exposure to show the stars drawing lines, there was enough wind to make the flags whip, hence their blur appearances. I could have takes 5 minute exposures and put the together in post processing but I found out my camera processes long exposures almost equal to their lengths. Had I done that I would’ve lost 5 minutes of the trail per shot which means the picture would have ended up with broken star trails. I should have also tried taking 30 minute exposures to show longer trails.
There are a few things I learned from this shoot:
- Apply mosquito repellent lotion to exposed extremities. I was mosquito dinner tonight.
- Scout for a foreground during daytime. Planned shoot is better than looking for the right spot to shoot in semi darkness.
- Bring a more powerful flash light.
- Bring something to nibble on.
- Bring something to tinker with (PSP, Ipod etc.) You’ll need to be entertained while waiting for your exposure to finish.
- Bring lots of patience.
- Have lots of fun.
I’m hoping my next night outing will yield better results. In the mean time, enjoy viewing these popsicles.