GETTING STARTED IN ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY BY JACK EYLER

GETTING STARTED IN ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY BY JACK EYLER

EQUIPMENT Digital Camera Fast Wide Angle Lens Tripod Flashlight or headlamp Cable release or use self timer

Lenses Full Frame Sensor Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 sharp budget lens Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8 Nikon Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8g Sigma 14mm f/1.8 Art Series Canon 16-35 f/2.8l III USM Crop Sensor Rokinon 10mm f/2.8 sharp budget lens Tokina 11-20mm f/2.8 DX Prime lenses work better than zooms

Maximum Shutter Speed If you have to long a shutter speed you will start to get star trails Maximum shutter speed is determined as following: For full frame camera, use the 500 rule 500 divided by focal length equals maximum shutter speed you can use before getting star trails For a 14mm lens: 500/14=35.7 since most cameras only go to 30 seconds max on manual that is what you should use. For a 24mm lens: 500/24=20.8 so try 20 seconds. For crop sensors use the 300 rule For a 14mm lens 300/14=21.4 so try 20 seconds. Some people are actually using the 280 rule for Canon. This may vary depending upon your location. The closer you are to the equator the more star movement you will have and less as you get closer to the poles. This is due to the earths rotation.

Focusing Do not focus to the infinity symbol. Focus during the day on something far away and use gaffers tape to hold position or mark lens. Use live view and magnifier to make sure focus is sharp. If you must focus at night have someone walk some distance away with a flashlight and focus on that.

ISO Testing Use camera on a tripod and use bubble level or leveling base if stitching images Manual Focus Image Stabilization off Manual Exposure Exposure 30 Seconds (determined by formula) at f/2.8 Light Balance Daylight Change one stop of ISO at each exposure Shoot in Raw

ISO Test Equal Exposure 30 second f/2.8 10mm Canon 7D MkII crop sensor ISO 100, 200, 400, 800 ISO 1600, 3200, 6400, 12800

ISO Test Equal Exposure With Compensation ISO 100+5, 200+4, 400+3, 800+2 ISO 1600+1, 3200, 6400-1, 12800-2

ISO 100 ISO200

ISO 400 ISO800

ISO 1600 ISO3200

ISO 6400 ISO12800

ISO 3200 Slight star trail Distortion and Coma

Dark Frame When shooting, start with a dark frame (which is a shot taken with the lens cap on and the same shutter speed you plan to us in your shooting). You can use the dark frame to reduce noise in post processing. The dark frame will not be quite as accurate as the one taken during a Long Exposure Noise Reduction (LENR) which is taken right after your exposure. Using layers in Photoshop put the dark frame on the top layer and use the screen-blend mode to reduce noise. LENR in camera works but it makes you exposures take twice as long. That can be problematic is you are shooting timecritical things. Such as the sun coming up, clouds moving or Milky Way (MW) moving out of you ideal framing.

Important Tips Turn down the brightness way down on your camera s LCD screen. Cover the opening in your viewfinder to keep out excess light. I use a piece of gaffers tape. You might also want to turn off the viewing option on your camera to save batteries. Bring extra batteries as your camera goes through the charge more quickly on the longer exposures.

Planning Find a dark location Scout the location Using Milky Way Apps figure out best day and time to shoot

The Photographers Ephemeris (TPE) MW - Right Now

TPE MW - After Astro End

TPE MW - Moving West

TPE MW - With Moon Rise

Using Tide Charts

Location Scouting

After finding this location I had to wait a months to shoot picture. I needed no moon, no wind, low tide and MW to be in right position. Canon 7D MKII, 10mm Rokinon lens, f/2.8, ISO 6400 15 Seconds. Color Temp 3900

ISO 2500,f/2.8 for 25 Seconds

Venus Rising at Astro Start ISO 1600 for 15 seconds

Orion s Belt at Nautical Start

Might as well stay for sunrise

Well, you are already here - might as well shoot some birds!

Moon Difficult to shoot the moon and stars at same time. Easiest just before sunrise or sunset. You will then get more detail in the moon. If you wait until dark skies the moon will be over exposed. You will then have to shoot two exposures one short for the moon and one long exposure for the stars then blend them together in Photoshop (advanced technique). Recommend setting white balance to daylight (when shooting a full moon. But use RAW so you can adjust in post processing. If no moon it might look yellowish and need adjusting. After doing it awhile you can use a custom setting on your camera at a color temperature you like. If wanting to include some light on the foreground use a crescent moon 20-50% max to light it.

Moon at Sunset and Sunrise

Other Things Do not be surprised if you get meteors, planets, planes or satellites in your photos.

Sensor Heat As your camera sensor gets warmer, it creates more noise in the images. Photos taken in the winter usually produce better images and you do not have to worry as much about heat.

Shadows Street Light at 100 yards

Shadows One Porch Light at ISO 2000 at about 125 yards

Lens Fog When taking the lens out of the car in cold or heat your lens can get condensation. You might need some extra time for you camera to climatize, otherwise you might have to wipe down your lens a lot. Wrapping hand warmers around the lens barrel with rubber bands might help. We also live near the ocean and moisture can come up suddenly and unexpected.

Lens Moisture From Clear to Fogged in 12 Minutes on a Clear Night

Star Trails Star trails take a long time to photograph and it is easiest with no moon. They are easier to do with film as the file does not pick up star light so easily in the dark sky areas due to the law of reciprocity. If taking with a digital camera, long exposure do not work after about 10 minutes max. Digital cameras start picking up more information in the dark areas which makes the star trail look smaller and thinner as time goes by. Longer exposures also add more noise as the sensor get warmer.

Star Trails North

Two image composite: One for ground and one for sky. Canon 5DM4, Sigma 20mm F/1.4 at 10 seconds. Ground is ISO 800 and sky is ISO 3200 (Courtesy of Nick Noble).

Date Night Same camera lens combo ISO 2000 15 seconds f/2 Flashlight Courtesy of Nick Noble

Panoramic 6 images manually stitched together in Photoshop Canon 6D Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 Courtesy of Nick Noble

Eclipse Day Georgetown, SC Typical sky for when I plan something for months

After a 3-hour drive from Georgetown SC

Lens Cap

Ruined Lenses from Lens Rentals Iris and Shutter Curtain

Melted Sensor Left and Melted Iris on Canon $11,500 600mm L-series lens

Partial Eclipse with Sun Spots

Exposure Data 15.5 Stop ND Solar Filter from Marumi reducing light 1/100,000 Live View Tripod with Gimbal Head Canon 7DMII 100-400mm L lens II 1.4 Tele-extender 896mm Equivalent During Partial Phase ISO 100 1/1600 Second F/8 Filter On During Total Phase ISO 100 1/125 Second F/8 Filter off

Exposure Data (Continued) Bracketed exposures 7 shots +3 +2 +1 0-1 -2-3 Shots taken every 3 minutes during partial phase As many shots as possible during total phase Lens cap covered lens after each shot to keep from frying equipment

Solar Flare

Total Eclipse

Wedding Ring with a little solar flare

Just before putting filter back on

Composite of Eclipse

Earth Lights

Peru Sacsayhuaman

Peru Machu Picchu

Books Astro/Night Photography Resources Colliers s Guide to Night Photography in the Great Outdoors by Grant Collier http://www.gcollier.com/ Photography Night Sky by Jennifer Wu and James Martin http://www.jenniferwu.com/ Astrophotography by Thierry Legault (This one is pretty advanced and goes into telescopes with tracking equipment) Videos Creative Live online or App https://www.creativelive.com/ Astro Landscape Photography with Lance Keimig

KelbyOne Under the Milky Way Lightpainting and Photographing Stars Lightpainting Grand Landscapes both with Dave Black Useful Apps The Photographers Ephemeris Star Walk Sky Guide Stellarium Photopills Google Earth Website http://darksitefinder.com/ (Map of dark areas) https://www.lonelyspeck.com/ (Tips on shooting the Milky Way)

The event is free, but pre-registration is required. Register at www.worldwidephotowalk.com, locate your city and complete the free sign up form. You can also apply to be a Photowalk leader in your area. We will meet at 8:15 in the morning Saturday October 7, at the Waterfront Park in Southport, take shots of the lower Cape Fear River, walk around the yacht basin and continue down to the Marsh Walk Boardwalk until about 10:30. Then we will gather at the Southport Gourmet & Sushi Bar to socialize and review our picture. It should be a fun morning and I hope you will sign up and join me. Just go to the links previously listed for more detailed information.