During the Perseid Meteor shower this week (which was incredible out here with almost zero light pollution) I tried taking some photos at night. First time doing it, below are some of the results.
I'm using a Canon Rebel T5 with the kit lens so there are some limitations I'm working with, but it was a fun exercise. I want to figure out a time lapse or "star streak" style one next. Means I need to get this remote control timer working properly, which has been a comedy of errors.
You can get these results with a tripod, DSLR and basic image editing software (I used Adobe Photoshop). The camera just needs to be kept completely still, as you're allowing light to enter the lens for 30 seconds or more. I still don't fully understand the mechanics of how cameras actually work but that doesn't stop me from enjoying the process, and I learn a little bit along the way.
Key learnings:
- Processing after the shoot is important. What looks like very little in the preview window can actually have a ton of content, and be brought out if you're using RAW file format. Processing is also difficult and seems to be an art in it's own right. You may notice a lot of artifacts as a result of my processing, I'm going to do some research and figure out how to better approach next time.
- Having a foreground object helps framing immensely, it provides context and anchors what would otherwise be, by nature, sort of incomprehensible to people (and thus boring). The Stupa was a happy accident this time, but in the future I'll be keeping an eye out for good framing reference points.
- The lens also starts to get moisture when it gets cold/foggy, not sure if there's a good solution but at least need to bring a clean cloth with me next time to wipe it down, as after about 1am I couldn't get any more clear shots.
Happy stargazing, nerds!