Rodney Campbell's Blog

Falling Reign

NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.8 S @ 85 mm, 10 sec at f/1.8, ISO 400 x 793 Frames

I’d woken early in the morning (3AM). My camera was still setup but the battery had expired even earlier (around 2AM). Since I was already up I figured I’d just change the battery and start another trails sequence. The sky was still dark and there were no clouds. Why not do two star trails sequences in one easy night

I knew this sequence was going to be shorter (it was already after 3AM and twilight would start soon after 5AM). I figured for this set I’d actually optimise for stars rather than optimise for less shots to process like I did for the previous trails

So with that in mind the aim was to shorten the exposures, shoot wide open and bump the ISO. All with the aim of capturing the most stars as possible (given the light pollution)

So instead of shooting 25 seconds @ f/2 ISO 64 – I’m shooting these at 10 seconds @ f/1.8 and ISO 400. The overall exposure is higher (by between 1-2 stops) but the shorter exposure time should hopefully limit the background bleed

So a whopping 793 frames (2 hours and 15 mins) later we have this result. I kept the later frames which give the pink glow from pre sunrise in the sky. This is my personal favourite of the three star trails over the two nights. The ambient sky is brighter but there’s also way more visible trails than in the previous two shots

I didn’t actually check the spot stars settings for this focal length/aperture/sensor pitch combination at the time. Hey it was 3AM and I was basically half asleep :). But I figured 10 seconds would be enough

Checking now the 500 rule gives about 6 seconds. The NPF rule (which I prefer) actually says 2.3 secs. So I could probably have gotten away with 5 or 6 seconds and still have visible trails in the exposures. That would probably have been the “optimal” exposure time for the best contrasty trails. To keep the background ambient sky as dark as possible. I would however had ended up with nearly 1600 shots (which would probably have exceeded my memory card) :). It would also have been about 1300 frames more than my friend Gerry would have tolerated for a shoot 🙂

Note: These photographs (especially the wider shots) look much better when larger. To see larger versions in an inline overlay slideshow gallery viewer click any of the images.

Glow

NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.8 S @ 85 mm, 5 sec at f/1.8, ISO 400

It’s 5:30AM, and the end of my early morning star trails sequence. Astronomical twilight is also just about to end. Sunrise itself is still just a bit over an hour away. However you can already see the reddy pink glow on the horizon (even with the naked eye). The sun would rise just to the right of this frame

I figured it was already getting too bright for my star trails frames so I stopped the camera and started packing up. However in hindsight (and having looked at the exposures in Lightroom) I should have left it running for a little while longer

Ah well the stacked star trails will be what they will be 🙂

Note: These photographs (especially the wider shots) look much better when larger. To see larger versions in an inline overlay slideshow gallery viewer click any of the images.

Reigning Stars

NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.8 @ 85 mm, 25 sec at f/2, ISO 64 x 673 Frames

More star trail goodness over the Chatswood CBD skyline in Sydney. As shot from the convenience of my bathroom window 🙂

The shooting started at 9:15PM (end of astro twilight) and ran till 2:04AM (when the battery ran out :)). That’s 673 x 25 second frames and 4 hours 45 minutes of shooting for the longest star trails I’ve ever shot!

As with the previous night I shot this at the camera’s base ISO of 64. These shots however were at a longer shutter of 25 seconds @ f/2. Compared to the previous at 15 seconds @ f/1.8. Overall the exposure is a touch higher in an attempt to gather a few more faint stars. I was also hoping I wouldn’t also drag in too much light pollution or nuke the city lights and sky. But truth be told I mostly opted for a longer 25 seconds so I’d have less images to save and stack 🙂

The end result is a little “lighter” overall sky and “possibly” slightly more trails (even if some are quite faint)

We also had much less clouds this evening so there’s that to be thankful for

Note: These photographs (especially the wider shots) look much better when larger. To see larger versions in an inline overlay slideshow gallery viewer click any of the images.

Twilight Pastels

NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.8 S @ 85 mm, 8 sec at f/8, ISO 64

Well the day after my previous star trail punt it’s still very close to the new moon and predictions were for even less cloud overnight

So setting up in the bathroom again for another shot. The last was vertical so going landscape this time just for a change

8:10PM and we’re at the end of regular (civil) twilight (sunset @ 7:43PM). The buildings still have a little of the sunset glow and reflection. Very clear skies and nice pastels again

Star trails coming up …

Note: These photographs (especially the wider shots) look much better when larger. To see larger versions in an inline overlay slideshow gallery viewer click any of the images.

Cloudy Rise

NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.8 S @ 85 mm, 1/200 sec at f/2.8, ISO 64

Sunrise about to bring in the new day. I’m packing up my tripod from it’s evening of automated star trails shooting earlier in the morning