Shoot the Stars...

Composite of three horizontal images
stacked vertically

A few months ago I ran across some amazing photographs of the Milky Way…For those of you who live in the city it is that hazy span of cloudy light that stretches across the center of the sky on a clear, moonless, dark night.  Technically it is the edge on view we see looking toward the center of the galaxy from our earthly vantage point located way out on the edge of this massive spiral of stars and interstellar gases known as our home...the Milky Way galaxy.

It is one aspect of photography until recently I had not tried so I read up as much as I could about how to do it and contrary to popular belief it’s not all that difficult to do.  Here’s what you need:

A clear moonless night as far away from the ambient city lights as possible.

A Digital SLR with a wide angle lens…18mm or wider.

A Tripod.

A cable release. 

A willingness to get up very early or stay up very late.  

A little practice.

Checking my calendar and the moon phases I discovered that two days leading up to the weekend following my discovery of this technique was going to be a moonless event and the best time to view the Milky Way was around 4:00 am in our time zone.  So, I scheduled a couple of vacation days and prepared for an early rise.  I’ve been on Shanty Hollow Lake before daylight a number of times and figured that would be as isolated of a location as I could find close by.  The hills surrounding the lake would block much of the ambient light from the city that might filter over that way and the sky above the lake would be quite dark.

Milky Way

The alarm was set for 2:15am…hard to get up, but the canoe was already loaded and all I had to do was head out.  I arrived around 3:15…off loaded and worked my way to the upper end of the lake.  By the time I had pulled out and was setup on top of the dam, it was nearing 4:00am…right on cue.  There was a faint glow from the east that barely outlined the ridge line and the sky was as dark as it could possibly be under the circumstances with thousands of stars spread across the sky. Right on cue…the Milky Way haze hovered almost directly overhead in the darkest part of the sky.

Constellation Scorpius...near the bottom, just above the tree line.

My first attempts were experiments.  Set the camera on the tripod, set the exposure to Manual / Bulb, ISO to 1600…opened the aperture to the maximum…f/3.5 in this case…and zoomed back to 18mm manually focusing on infinity.  I reached into the camera bag looking for my cable release and realized I had left it in the Jeep.  Rats!...no time to retrieve it so I had to carefully use the on camera shutter release and make sure the camera was locked down as tightly as it could be.

I tilted the camera toward the darkest part of the sky and opened the shutter release…and counted…28, 29…30.  First results were encouraging but not quite what I wanted.  Continued with more experiments…eventually settling in on a 50 second count that seemed to generate an acceptable image.  At that point it was a matter of pointing and shooting.

Constellation Ursa Major...(Big Dipper)

One image was the result of three separate images.  First shot was down low with the horizon near the top of the frame…second shot overlapped the first one vertically by about 20%...third overlapping shot included part of the Milky Way that was nearly overhead.  When the three shots were stitched together, they made one nice composite of the morning sky.

Problems I ran into included post processing issues with the ISO noise.  My camera is not as well suited for this kind of shooting as other higher end cameras are…even so, with a bit of cleaning up using some noise software the results were at least acceptable…better actually than I expected.

Another aspect of stellar photography involves photographing the moon.  Contrary to popular belief, the best time to photograph the moon is not during a full moon. A full moon simply washes all textures out of the craters and mountains.  The best time I believe is during one of the first quarter, half, or last quarter of the moon phases.  It’s during those times that shadows run deep across the moon’s surface and provides for great details.

To photograph the moon, you will need a Tripod, Digital SLR with a large lens…something in the 400 to 500 mm range, but in a pinch a 300mm lens will work…a cable release.  What I’ve done is zoom out a far as the lens will allow…500mm in this case…set the camera’s exposure metering to ISO 200 at f/8.0 and select “Spot Metering” as the metering method then meter off the brightest part of the moon…and lock in the exposure…reposition the moon in the frame to suit your desired composition and fire away.  The moon is quite bright and will generate a fast shutter speed…in this particular case it was 1/250 of second…but can vary depending on the ISO setting you use and aperture selected.  I used f/8.0 because that particular lens tends to be a bit sharper across those middle range aperture settings.  Desired results may require exposure tinkering to bring out the best of the given situation.

The image may also require a bit of cropping…about 40%...to bring the image to a size where it looks a bit more impressive…great fun to do…and actually quite easy.

So there you have it…shooting the stars and moon is fascinating way to explore photography…much more so than I expected…and the results can be quite stunning…give it a try.

Keith

Three Legs are Better than Two

Not too long ago I found myself attempting to photograph an area in low light without a tripod…The results were predictable and indeed the shots turned out rather mediocre at best.  Most of them were blurred to a degree even with the anti shake turned on…it was a combination of too little light, too long of a focal length, too slow of a shutter speed, and too shaky of a hand hold…a lethal combination for clear pictures.

Most of my serious photography is always shot from a tripod using a cable shutter release even in good light.  There are times I shoot by hand, but usually only when using a tripod may not be practical and only when there is adequate light.  I’ve muffed a lot of great photo opportunities because of hand held shaking. 

Most lenses today come with anti shake stabilization technology and in the Sony Alpha series of cameras internal anti shake within the camera is used.  This technology does improve on the hand shake blurring problem.  Even so, that technology can only help so much and that is why investing in a solid tripod is so important.

Because we as photographers chase around searching for that quality light situation, we often find ourselves photographing in low light which offers the best mood generating opportunities.  The very nature of low light requires relatively slow shutter speeds and there in is the problem.  A tripod allows for solid placement of the camera and a steady platform. 

Although I’m not trying to promote any particular brand or style, the one thing to look for in a tripod is sturdiness.  Avoid those light weight point and shoot models.  Although they tend to work okay for light weight video equipment, they will not perform very well with a full size camera and lens combo and are just not strong enough or sturdy enough.  Ask yourself…Will it hold up well in wind and with a heavy lens attached?  A person can easily drop several hundred dollars on a tripod and even more with a high tech ballhead camera mount. Although carbon fiber may be the latest and greatest in strength and light weight functionality, my budget doesn’t allow for such high dollar luxuries.  Instead I’ve opted for something a bit more affordable and purchased a surprisingly sturdy tripod for around $90.00.  It does not have one of those fancy ball mounts on top.  Instead it has a simple tilt mount…a bit more cumbersome, but functional.  When I shoot with my 50 to 500 lens, the tilt mount doesn’t even come into play as the lens allows for rotation while locked down on the mount. 

With few exceptions this tripod has done everything I’ve asked of it.  It’s light enough so I can tote it with camera attached over my shoulder and indeed I have done so on hikes across the Prairie or over hill and dale on various other hikes and canoe trips.  It has quick release collapsible legs that allows for easy and quick setup on any level of terrain, and I can quickly and easily rotate or tilt the camera in any direction I need.  I’ve also used it as a third leg when crossing streams or slippery terrain.  It will extend out to over six feet in height or collapse down to about two feet.  I’d prefer it would collapse down lower, but I’ve been able to get most of the low angle shots I’ve needed with it.

I’d recommend using a cable shutter release or remote release if your camera allows for one.  Even sturdy tripods can be affected by the action of pressing the shutter release button.  In a pinch you can use the camera’s self timer…but this can be a bit slow and cumbersome to do all the time especially when timing is important.  Also, in most cases you will want to turn off the camera or lens stabilization mechanism when using a tripod as it can often become confused thinking that if it’s turned on, its suppose to actually do something and end up having the opposite effect.  Although I’ve shot with the stabilization in both the on and off mode when using a tripod, I’ve personally not seen much difference in the results.  The only time I will purposely turn it on when using a tripod is on windy day.  That long lens and sunshade tend to catch the wind and can produce wind generated vibrations…enough anyway to warrant using the stabilization function.

Over the years I’ve grown more accustomed to using a tripod and have experienced firsthand the positive benefits they provide.  It’s as much a part of my equipment list as the camera and lenses…and the third leg that it provides certainly makes for a steadier platform from which to shoot or to cross a stream.

Keith

The Making of: Shanty Hollow...Across Boundaries of Light

I arrived well before daylight and slowly paddled my canoe across the widest part of the lake in almost total darkness.  The air was warm...the sky clear.  The only light available was from the glow of stars spread across the ebony sky and from a faint glow that hovered over the crest of the hills that formed the eastern boundary of the lake.  One loses all sense of motion paddling in the dark and eventually I drifted to a stop near the upper end.  As I sat quietly on the perfectly calm lake, the glow from the sky began to resonate.

Light fog drifted on currents of air mixing with other pockets of mist...growing thicker at times...almost opaque in places...collecting into a pillow shaped cloud that lifted from the surface to hover a few yards above the water.  Over the next few minutes this cloud shifted in color from light gray to pale brown to golden red and orange...finally reaching a crescendo that lit up the surface with its glow.  For the first time I began to hear the silent melody that is Shanty Hollow Lake...for the first time I understood that this often forgotten southern Kentucky lake  has a story to tell.  I knew I wanted to capture it not just visually...but as a saga shared through images combined with a musical dialog.  It was then the theme of Across Boundaries of Light was born.

Over the next nine months or so, I paddled among the coves and hiked the rugged bluffs searching for those elusive images that defined the concept of Boundaries of Light that told the visual story of this remarkable landscape.  Hills and boulders, calm waters and reflections, waterfalls and flowing creeks...all became subjects of the camera and lens...yet only the best light would do...and there in was the challenge...how to capture this unique landscape and stay within the Across Boundaries of Light theme.  Doing so challenged my senses, photographic eye, and patience.  Over time the collection of images grew, reaching and surpassing 1000...then 2000...and more.

As I began to build the video program one thing dictated the process...the music had to match the images.  Finding that music proved to an elusive endeavor.  It took three attempts sorting through three different soundtracks...countless hours of experimenting to find the right combination.  Putting it all together took more time than the field work.  What I did not want to do was to build what I call a simple elevator music slideshow.  This story deserved more...I wanted it to stand apart as a program that not only captured the visual beauty of this location, but one that told its story in such a way as to inspire those who see it to pursue nature photography with a passion of their own.

It was necessary to develop visual presentation techniques that took advantage of the photographic qualities.  Movement...panning left or right...zooming in or out...slowing it down when appropriate...speeding up when required...using the right blend of transitions timed with the music.  No convention was overlooked...many common rules of presentations were ignored to fit the story with the dialog of music.

Also embedded were 7 video clips to give the presentation a realistic sense of time and place.  Capturing those video clips proved a challenge in their own right.  Dozens of 30, 45, 60+ second clips were filmed...of the 7 used, all were clipped to fit the program accordingly.  The overall goal was to create a visual / musical story that defined the essence of Shanty Hollow Lake as defined by light.

It became one of the most challenging projects I've ever attempted.  It evolved into one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had.  In the end I realized that this project will never really have an end.  It will be on going for many years...and I will eventually improve on and add to this program as it continues to evolve.  As I prepare to show this program for the first time, I can only realize one thing...I learned a great deal by doing this...most importantly, I learned once again, just how much work...and just how much fun photography can be.

Keith