star trails (first attempt)

[mackay123]

Click here for the higher resolution version!

Shooting data: canon 5d2, nikkor 14-24mm @14mm, iso 400, 60secs, f2.8, 40 exposures stacked with "startrails.exe" software (which is free), tripod and cable release

hi folks
i hope everyone had a good xmas day , i decided to spend a few hours of mine standing in a freezing cold field in pitch darkness (oh well, i suppose it beats trying to eat your own weight in food )
i initially took one exposure of 45mins, i set the camera up and went and sat in my car for the exposure time.................the result was awful, the front lens element had a tiny amount of ice on it and apart from this the shot was totally over exposed.
so then i decided to take as many 1 minute exposures as i could and stack them (with some untested free software), unfortunately the battery ran out at about 40 mins (and i didn't have a spare).
anyway the software worked! and here's the result, i think that about 1.5 hours would have produced better results, but even with just 40ish minutes you get enough trails for the desired effect. shame the centre of the trails wasn't more central, but this is something else to think about next time.
thanks for looking, C&C most welcome

[Nico]

i love it, superb!

[O.K.]

Hi Steve!

Great effort and photo!
Excellent composition with the tree.

Orhan

[diakou]

The stars by themselves show what photography and imagination can do....Already as my desktop background

[Blueripper]

Hi Steve, hope you had a great Christamas?

Quality shot, I really like it! and I must have a go at this, just a couple of questions......
Did you shoot in full RAW mode, the size of my full RAW images are about 18/22 meg and just putting three images in Photomatix for HDR work takes ages, well about 10 mins, so 40 images will take until next May!!
Second, does the software layer all the image or just the stars? and how did you get the correct exposure for a miniute to light the foreground and tree up that well? or is this because the software does it??

Anyway, top marks from me mate

P.S did you think about desaturating the blues in the stars?

[William]

It's a wonderful image Steve. I love that you exposed to keep the colors for the individual stars and the classic composition with the naked tree works a treat. I do find it a bit unfair that you can get enough dof from earth to the stars at f/2.8, while I'd struggle to get more than an abstract macro at the same aperture

[mackay123]

hi nico, orhan, diakou, paul and william!, many thanks all for comments, much appreciated!
i had a good xmas thanks, hope you all did too?

paul, i did shoot in raw............but converted all the shots to jpeg to use in startrails.exe, but you can use 16bit tiffs too (i will do this next time)
paul my laptop is well past it's sell by date and very slloooowwwww, if mine can process 40 images then anyones can!, plus this software is easier to use than it is to post a pic on this forum, the only difficult bit is to stand out in the dark to get all the shots
a quarter moon was behind me, this is why the tree is illuminated........as for the blue stars, i didn't even notice them , cheers mate

william, get out there my friend and have a go!

cheers all

P.S don't for one second think that this software makes these images look good up close!, they don't!

[CPR]

Hi Steve,

The tree is like a sculpture.
I'm not a big fan of this stars effect but I must admit it's beautiful.
And particularly the light of the tree due to the moon.
But I prefer, shots like your post with the rock and the stars or the style of milkyway by you and Juza

[RichardChapman]

Just awesome... Love the distortion.

[sanjayfg]

Mind blowing picture... VERY VERY VERY VERY nice. It's my new desktop. (I hope that does not offend you.)

[liewwk]

one of the best ... I was tried to have one but here have too much of light pollution to failed me

[Miro]

Nice shoot and good explanation.
I have one question.
How did you find the sky with stars in UK? :-)
At least I cannot find them very often in the Netherlands.



Cheers,
Miro

[Humberto Ramos]

It's an amazing photo, congratulations...
Tomorrow my 7D arrives with the tokina 11-16mm, nest week will post some landscapes in the forum...

[F.A.E.]

Amazing photo, Steve. Like the amount of the trails and that the whole scene doesn't appear too dark.

[mackay123]

hi all
many thanks for comments, much appreciated
certainly no offence taken by using this as a desktop, just a shame it's a vertical comp.
thanks again

P.S miro, you should (unless you are in the centre of a very big city) be able to get identical skies to the ones here in the uk.