STAR PHOTOGRAPHY

Dear reader, if this entry or my other blog entries don't answer your specific photography questions, you can call me on the phone anytime for advice by clicking here.

Most of you know how to take great star trail photos, where you set the camera on a tripod at night and keep the shutter open for a few hours. The result is beautiful streaks of colored light streaming through the night sky.

I had a need recently to photograph non-moving stars. This is tricky for most photographers, due to the lack of professional camera equipment. The ideal situation would be a 50mm f1.4 lens with a professional camera body that works really well in low light situations. For the amateur photographer with normal equipment, here are some guidelines. Keep in mind that the results may have a lot of "noise", due to the high ISO settings. You may be able to reduce this problem by increasing the contrast of the photo afterward in an image editing program.

I will admit that the stars are starting to streak in this image, however in doing the tests with normal consumer equipment, these were the best results that I could come up with. So . . . in your camera menu turn off Active D-Lighting (if you have it), go to maximum contrast, set the white balance to 5600K, or Daylight, focus to infinity, and then put the focus on manual, set the exposure to manual, and place your camera on the tripod.

I am going to assume that you are using a lens that has a fastest aperture of f4. If your lens has a lower F number than that, all the better! Adjust your manual exposure to a shutter speed of 30 seconds, set your lens to the widest zoom (which will reduce the appearance of streaking stars), and adjust your ISO setting to 3200.

You are now ready to take the photo. Trip the shutter with either a remote shutter release, or use your 10 second timer. If you need to physically press the camera's shutter release, it probably won't be detrimental, however using a remote release technique is a good habit to get into. 

When you look at your photo on the computer screen, you will see that the results are quite mottled and grainy. Try adjusting contrast to increase the brightness of the stars, and decrease the mid-tones. For more advanced Photoshop users, you will already have other methods for noise reduction.

Here is a basic chart for different f-stop and ISO combinations, depending on the type of lens that you have access to:

F5.6 - 30 seconds - 6400ISO

F4 - 30 seconds - 3200ISO

F2.8 - 30 seconds - 1600ISO

F2 - 30 seconds - 800ISO

F1.4 - 30 seconds - 400ISO

The reason that I have chosen a 30 second exposure is that it is the easiest shutter speed for those who are learning new techniques. 30 seconds is usually the longest shutter speed that a camera can offer you, prior to manually keeping the shutter open. 30 seconds is also a fair balance between brightness levels and keeping the stars relatively still!

Mark's photographic prints for your wall can be purchased at www.markhemmings.com
Mark can be hired as a photographer or filmmaker via www.hemmingshouse.com

RAINY DAY PHOTOS

Dear reader, if this entry or my other blog entries don't answer your specific photography questions, you can call me on the phone anytime for advice by clicking here.

I would like to encourage you to take nature photographs when it is raining. Most photographers have a hard time with this because of the hassle, but it can be done by using a tripod and an umbrella. It is even better if you can convince a friend to come out and hold the umbrella!

I have photographed Japanese bamboo forests many times in the last 10 years of my Japan travels. A rainy day in Kyoto initially looked like a disaster, until I started shooting. The colors of the bamboo were very rich, with a nice sheen and texture. I was pleasantly surprised! My day was salvaged by a simple introduction to watery surfaces. As long as you avoid including the sky in your composition, you will find that photographing nature scenes in the rain can be quite rewarding. Watery surfaces can provide a whole new dimension to old locations that you have photographed ad nauseam. If you are shooting macro scenes of flowers and plants on a dry but overcast day, try bringing a spray bottle full of water. The colors will pop out, and your shots will go from good to great!

Mark's photographic prints for your wall can be purchased at www.markhemmings.com
Mark can be hired as a photographer or filmmaker via www.hemmingshouse.com