The wonderful thing about astrophotography is that it's amazingly easy
to get very good results without too much effort. If you've got dark
skies then you're laughing already! The only things you need are a
tripod and a cable release. Here's my advice for star trails and some
other ideas for night-time photography:
Star trails
===========
The easiest way to begin astrophotography and often very impressive.
First of all you need a moonless night. Load your camera with slow film
- no faster than 200 speed. Use either your 28mm or 50mm lens. Set the
camera up on the tripod and point it roughly north and about halfway
between horizon and directly overhead. Set the aperture to something
around f/1.8 - f/2.8. Open the shutter, and leave it for at least half
an hour. My best star trail photos have resulted from roughly three
hour exposures onto Fuji Sensia 100 film, with a 28/2.8 lens - here's a
couple of examples:
http://www.worldtraveller.f9.co.uk/travel/ohp/2001/photos/trails1.jpg
http://www.worldtraveller.f9.co.uk/travel/ohp/2001/photos/trails2.jpg
Avoid zoom lenses unless you want to risk ending up with something like
this:
http://www.worldtraveller.f9.co.uk/astro/photos/pictures/plughole.jpg
...!
Fixed stars
===========
If you want untrailed stars, then you want fast film and a fast lens.
The Zuiko 50/1.4 would be ideal. Again, a moonless night is needed. If
you can see the milky way, point the camera at it. Otherwise, try the
Big Dipper (or the Plough, as I know it), or Orion (the nebula will
easily show up as a reddish-purple blob). Open the lens to its widest
aperture. With a 50mm lens you can do roughly a 25-second exposure
before the stars start trailing. An example of a fixed-star shot of
mine, taken with a Zuiko 50/1.8 lens on Fuji Super HG 1600 film with a
25s exposure is here:
http://www.worldtraveller.f9.co.uk/photo/photos/milkyway/jpg
Moonlit nights
==============
Trails and stars are best attempted when the moon is not around, because
otherwise over a long exposure the sky washes out. But you can turn
this to your advantage - moonlit landscapes can be very interesting.
The rule here is that 4 minutes at f/4 on 100 speed film is a good place
to start with exposure times. Here's an example of mine, which followed
that rule to the letter:
http://www.worldtraveller.f9.co.uk/astro/photos/pictures/INTdome.jpg
Other things
============
Keep a look-out for northern (or southern) lights - the sun is active at
the moment and it's quite easy to capture aurorae on film if and when
they occur. 400-800 speed film is best, with exposure times around
about a minute or two. The 28mm might well be best for this.
www.spaceweather.com has all the latest info on auroral activity.
Meteors - best seen on January 4th or August 12th, but there are other
meteor showers throughout the year. Try a similar approach to northern
lights photography.
Satellites - mostly they're too faint to photograph, but the
International Space Station is easy to capture on film. Check out when
it will be visible at www.heavens-above.com . 400 speed or faster film
is best, and you'll get a great shot if you just open the shutter when
you spot the Station and close it when it's gone.
Hope that's helpful, and I wish you the clearest of skies! I once had
an unrepeatable chance to take a photograph of Mir and the International
Space Station, passing across Orion at the same time, with a foreground
of telescope domes...of course cloud obscured the event.
Roger
> Jon Wichman wrote:
>
> I would like to try some photos of the night sky.
> I live in the middle of nowhere so, I can set up to try to get some
> good photos without any light pollution.
>
> I've see articles about this a long time ago but, don't recall the
> details.
>
> You got a swirling circular star pattern depending on where you
> pointed the camera and how long the exposure was (which, along
> with the overall exposure, would be the only crucial parts I don't
> remember :)
>
> I have available a 28mm Tamron, 28-80 Soligor, 50mm f1.4 Zukio, 80-210
> f 3.8 Vivitar, and a Tokina 500mm mirror, a 2x and 3x converter (don't
> recall the brands), an Om-2 and two Om-2n's.
> Anyways, I should be able to come up with about any given focal length
> between 28mm and 1500mm.
>
> Anybody got some starting ideas on this?
>
> Recall, this is on my property so, I can experiment and, excluding
> inclement weather,
> try it about anytime (probably at night _would_ be best -:)
>
> If I had two more good tripods, I could try three different things at
> once.
> Well, I could haul out a board and, just lay the cameras on their
> backs there.
> Or, I have a couple of little pocket tripods - I guess the extra 5
> foot height
> closer to the subject wouldn't make much different in the outcome...
> ;)
>
> I might be able to find the big and little dipper but, other than
> that, my astronavigation is a little rusty...
>
> Gee. I might as well save this and turn it into an introduction when
> I have a little more time...
>
> Jon Wichman
> jwichman@xxxxxxxxx
>
> P.S. Have "shot the moon" with the mirror lens and, recalled the
> daylight rule for that.
> Those came out well.
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