This is another star trail photo I got out of the same night as the last post. It was at a different location but not too far away. It’s very difficult to do star trails in this area because there is a small city about 10-15 miles away from where I was shooting. Not the idea lighting conditions but at least there was no moon and I was able to get some decent results. I always pass this tree when visiting my wife’s parents and I like to photograph it when I can. The placement isn’t the best because it’s next to an interstate so trying to get a good composition is somewhat difficult. As many of you that have viewed a lot of my photos know, I like to always take photos from a low perspective. This was no exception as I had the camera low and pointing up to get this shot.
Like the last one this was done with 3 photos at 10 minute exposures. The focal length was 16mm, aperture at f/4 and ISO at 100. If anything, I did come away from this shoot with more confidence on shooting star trails as I had to think very little when getting everything set up. Most of the trial and error happened at the beginning with the settings. I remembered to turn auto-focus off and everything.
Another thing that I did learn with these shots is something that I hope will help someone else. When composing a shot with little to no light, it is very difficult. Here’s what I did in order to compose my shots. I boosted the ISO all the way up. By doing this I was able to take a 5 second shot and it looked like I was shooting in daylight. By doing this I could see how my shot was composed and then adjusted. It was taking me about 7-10 shots to finally get my composition but I didn’t have to correct the horizon in post processing because I was able to get the composition right before I started the photos I used for the star trails. I think it is a good way to do it but you just need to remember to reset the ISO back down before starting your shots.
Fantastic!
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Thanks iosatel!
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Great results. And thanks for the description of what you went through to set up the shot! I’m always learning from you. Maybe you should start charging?
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Thanks Emilio! Just send a check or money order in the mail. Due to security reasons I won’t give you my address so you’ll have to guess and you better get it right! lol
Actually I learned mostly all of what I know for free by sifting through many blogs and posts on the internet without having to pay someone. Plus quite a bit of trial and error. Would be nice to recoup some money for my equipment though but the happiness it brings me is enough. I don’t mind giving information away for free. I will be spending a few of weeks in Arizona in a couple of years so I’m looking forward to photographing that area. I think star trails would be nice to try down there.
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It’s generous of you to describe how you took the shot. I love trees and photograph them often.
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Thanks Henrietta! There’s a lot of trees where I live and not a whole lot of open space. It’s getting harder to get landscape shots with what I have to work with so I’m always trying to experiment with different things. I also like to explain how I get the shots I do so others can enjoy that as well or at least know how to get similar results.
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Really nicely done!
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Thanks Meho!
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This is a very nice shot, and there are a few things in your post that I’ll try next time I am out attempting some star trails. To date, my results have been…well, not very good, but I keep trying!
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Thanks Melinda! It’s definitely not the same as shooting your typical landscape shot. It took me a bit of trial and error before I got the technique down. But it’s one of those things that can be forgotten if you don’t do it often enough.
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