Shooting the Night Sky
/I love learning new things. I am an eternal student. I would go back to school in a second.
I think that is one of the things I love most about photography. There is ALWAYS something new to learn. You NEVER have it all figured out. You become better at things, sure, but there are a million other things you could get better at or learn more about.
Recently I have become interested in learning night photography. I received a killer tripod for Christmas, and that (plus a camera I guess) is really all you need to delve into capturing stars, star trails and the milky way.
I haven't been able to capture the milky way yet but I am determined to shoot it. Since we live in the middle of nowhere, it should be easier to get away from major light pollution in order to see it. Its usually only visible at certain times in the middle of the night so I will have to convince Paul to give up some precious sleep with me so we can go find it!
Until then, I've been playing around with capturing stars and the night sky in general. It is a challenge because you are
- Shooting in the dark
- have to find a place where you can shoot in the dark and then sit out there....in the dark
- figure out your settings and how to focus properly
- have to figure out how to create an interesting image while shooting in the blind
Here are the first of my attempts. The first picture was pointed directly up at the sky. I also used an 85mm lens and a relatively tight aperture which I later learned through research is not really ideal for this sort of photography.
The 2nd picture was closer to town and I did a horizon shot instead of a direct shot of the sky. I used a wider lens and a wider aperture and a lower ISO. I love how you can see the satellite trails.
I absolutely love the night sky and remember loving gazing up at it and dreaming even when I was a little girl. The infinite number of stars alone expresses God's power and greatness to me in a way that feels like a warm winter jacket.
