john “snake” barrett johnbarrettphotography · white balance set to sunny / daylight or 3600...
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Night PhotographyJohn “Snake” Barrett
JohnBarrettPhotography.com
What to Shoot
The Moon John “Snake” Barrett
Star Trails
John “Snake” Barrett
Landscapes John “Snake” Barrett
Aurora Borealis John “Snake” Barrett
Milky Way John “Snake” Barrett
Where to LookFind the location of the stars & moon
Apple apps
Sky Guide
GoSkyWatch
Sky View
Android apps
Star Walk
Star Chart
Sky Map
Computer (Mac & Windows)
Stellarium
The Photographer’s Ephemeris (supporting)
Factors to Consider
Time WeatherSunrise & Sunset (Golden Hour)
Astral object location
When the moon rises
Rain & clouds affect visibility
Weather.com
Skippysky.com.au
Cold weather drains batteries
Dew & Condensation
Fog
Moon PhasesLunar Cycle
Lasts about 28 days
Excessive or obtrusive artificial light
Affects astronomy & photography http://lightpollutionmap.info
http://darksitefinder.com
Light Pollution
Your Camera
Focus MethodsAuto Focus on a flashlight
Place a light 50 feet away and focus on it
Use live view on the stars (difficult with mirrorless cameras)
Turn on live view, focus on the stars until they’re sharp on the LCD
Step through manual focus
Manual focus at infinity take a shot & check it, focus again & check again until you get a sharp image
... Then turn off auto focus!
Best Focus Method
Focus in the daytime
Manual or Auto Focus about 50 feet away
Tape and mark your focus point on your lens
OR tape your lens so focus doesn’t move
Turn OFF Auto Focus!!!
ISO & NoiseHigher ISO adds noise
Select an ISO setting that will give a well exposed image on the back of the camera
ISO 3200 for zoom lenses
ISO 1600 for prime lenses
Sources of noise
Shot noise
Thermal noise
Long Exposure Noise Reduction
Takes a second “dark frame” image and subtracts the noise from the exposed image
Problem: Time
Extends the shot by double(a 30 second exposure takes 60 seconds)
Do Not use for star trail photos
Other SettingsImage Stabilization
Turn it off
Self Timer / Remote
To avoid camera shake
Mirror Lockup
Reduces camera shake
White Balance
Set to Sunny / Daylight
or 3600 Kelvin (my preferred mode)
EquipmentBubble Level or Virtual Horizon
Batteries
Long exposures & cold deplete batteries
Flashlights & Light discipline
After set up, turn it off & keep it off
Avoid light pollution & keep night vision - use a red light!
Something for dew & condensation
Wrap with a sock or other insulation
Thermal hand warmer / dew strap on dewy nights
Rules of Thumb
Rule of 500This rule determines the maximum shutter speed before stars “streak”
Determine the effective focal length (1x for full frame, 1.5x - Nikon APS-C / Fuji, 1.6x - Canon APS-C & 2x - Micro Four Thirds)
24mm lens on Full Frame = 24
24mm lens on Fuji / Nikon APS-C = 24 x 1.5 = 36
24mm lens on Canon APS-C = 24 x 1.6 = 38
Divide 500 by the effective focal length
500 / 24 = 21 second exposure
500 / 36 = 14 second exposure
500 / 38 = 13 second exposure
Lunar 11Same principle as the Sunny 16 rule
For Full Moon, use ISO as the “hundredth of a second” for shutter speed @ f/11
ISO 100 @ f/11 for 1/100th of a second
ISO 400 @ f/11 for 1/400th of a second
Moon Phase Exposure at ISO 250
Full Moon 1/250th sec @ f/11
Gibbous Moon 1/125th sec @ f/11
Quarter Moon 1/60th sec @ f/11
Wide Crescent 1/30th sec @ f/11
Thin Crescent 1/15th sec @ f/11
New Moon 2 sec @ f/2.8
Exposure Times for Moon Phases
Getting the Shots
Twilight Landscapes
Sunset: 1/60 - f/5.6 - ISO 100
30 minutes: 2” - f/4 - ISO 400
1 hour: 30” - f/2.8 - ISO 1600
Daylight white balance
Long Exposure Noise Reduction - Off
Use auto or manual focus
Night Sky Short Exposures
Lens set to widest zoom
Zoom lens: 30” or less - f/2.8 or f/4 - ISO 3200
Prime lens: 30” or less - f/1.8 or f/2.8 - ISO 1600
Daylight white balance
Long Exposure Noise Reduction - On or Off (user preference)
Manual focus
The Moon
Zoom lens
Lunar 11 rule
Auto Focus
Daylight white balance
Long Exposure Noise Reduction off
Star TrailsSingle shot vs Stacking
Single Shot
1 hour minimum exposure
Gapless
On error you lose the shot
Stacking
2 to 5 minute exposures
May contain gaps
Longer post processing time
Star Trails - Single ShotManual - focus | shutter | aperture
1 hour - f/5.6 - ISO 100
4 hour - f/11 - ISO 100
Daylight white balance
Long Exposure Noise Reduction - On (if you have the battery life)
Test Shots
Star Trails - Stacking12 images of 5 minute exposures = 1 hour exposure
5 minutes - f/5.6 - ISO 400
60 images of 4 minute exposures = 4 hour exposure
4 minutes - f/4 - ISO 200
Use programmable cable release
No delay between shots
Correct exposure length
Number of exposures > (12 for 5 minute, 60 for 4 minute)
Daylight white balance
Long Exposure Noise Reduction - Off
Take Test Shots (cap on & off)
Star Stack ProcessingPhotoshop Actions
Star Circle Academy Actionhttp://bit.ly/ieWH20
Chris Schur’s Action http://bit.ly/bmjEb5
StarStax Softwarehttp://bit.ly/w63WKU
Free
Multi Platform (Mac, PC, Linux)
Uses Dark Frames to reduce noise
jpg images only (RAW images in Beta test)