Star Photography Experiment #2
July 8, 2014
On Sunday night, Brandon and I decided to venture deep into the forests of North Hall in an attempt to get some beautiful star photography with as little light pollution as possible. I don’t know how Brandon’s photos turned out yet, but out of 296 of my photos, only 1 was decent. It turns out I still have a lot to learn.
Even though I only got a single decent shot, the good news is that I was able to walk away with something even better: experience.
I am now so much more comfortable with, and have a better understanding of how my camera works. Aperture settings, exposure time and ISO levels make sense now, and I understand that it’s important to find the perfect balance to get the clearest picture.
Needless to say, this shot was one of my later ones and I think that makes sense – I was learning as I was shooting and the results kept getting better.
Now I need to do some more research as to what kind of lens is best for this kind of subject matter. I managed to use the three lenses that I had available, and while the 50mm was really good at capturing the most light with the widest aperture, it wasn’t able to focus very well. On the flip side, my standard lens and telescopic lens both have a better focal range, but lacked the ability to capture enough light quickly enough without over-exposing the image and getting star trails.
Perhaps outing #3 will be the best. You know, like how Jedi was the best. Just kidding – Empire was definitely the best.