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I managed to get a pass for a few days photography back in September. Luckily I got 2 super clear nights for astro whilst I was away down on the south coast.
I have been waiting to get the milky way at Bodiam Castle for a couple of years but timing and conditions never aligned. But on this occasion the skies remained clear all night. I shot a couple of compositions, one straight down the walkway but the milky way is offset to the right, so I preferred this angle from the side where the core is vertical over the castle.
This is a 4 panel mosaic shot in portrait, 2 overlapping frames for the sky tracked and stacked, 2 panels untracked for the foreground. Each tracked panel comprises 3 x 2 minutes, ISO 1600, f4 @24mm, stacked in sequator. Same for the foreground, but single 2 minute exposures.
The panoramas brought together in PtGui and all merged in photoshop.
Bodiam Castle by Alan, on Flickr
From there I drove over to Romney Marsh to shoot a different angle, framing the church with Jupiter, Aldebarran and the Pleiades. I could have shot the milky way looking the other way but I admit the other side of the church didn't grab me for a composition, and by this point I had been out all evening since before sunset and my energy levels were running low, I also wanted to do sunrise the nect morning!
The sky is made up of 5 tracked shots, 2 minutes each, f4, ISO 1250, 38mm. The foreground was 2 shots, same settings stacked. Stacking done in Sequator for the sky and all brought together in photoshop.
romney marsh pleiades jupiter by Alan, on Flickr
The next night I went back and re-shot a scene I had done a couple of years ago, but at that time I didn't have a star tracker and the conditions were not as good. So back to perching at the top of the cliffs at beachy head overlooking the lighthouse. Although it is well used and a great view, I don't like this spot. I'm always happy when I can get away from the cliffs.
a 3 shot vertical panorama (vertorama?) 2 tracked panels for the sky, It was quite breezy so I didn't wany to risk really long exposures here, so each panel a stack of 5 images, 40 seconds each, ISO 6400, f3.5. Foreground the same, stacked and untracked.
beachy head by Alan, on Flickr
Constructive C&C welcome.
I have been waiting to get the milky way at Bodiam Castle for a couple of years but timing and conditions never aligned. But on this occasion the skies remained clear all night. I shot a couple of compositions, one straight down the walkway but the milky way is offset to the right, so I preferred this angle from the side where the core is vertical over the castle.
This is a 4 panel mosaic shot in portrait, 2 overlapping frames for the sky tracked and stacked, 2 panels untracked for the foreground. Each tracked panel comprises 3 x 2 minutes, ISO 1600, f4 @24mm, stacked in sequator. Same for the foreground, but single 2 minute exposures.
The panoramas brought together in PtGui and all merged in photoshop.
Bodiam Castle by Alan, on FlickrFrom there I drove over to Romney Marsh to shoot a different angle, framing the church with Jupiter, Aldebarran and the Pleiades. I could have shot the milky way looking the other way but I admit the other side of the church didn't grab me for a composition, and by this point I had been out all evening since before sunset and my energy levels were running low, I also wanted to do sunrise the nect morning!
The sky is made up of 5 tracked shots, 2 minutes each, f4, ISO 1250, 38mm. The foreground was 2 shots, same settings stacked. Stacking done in Sequator for the sky and all brought together in photoshop.
romney marsh pleiades jupiter by Alan, on FlickrThe next night I went back and re-shot a scene I had done a couple of years ago, but at that time I didn't have a star tracker and the conditions were not as good. So back to perching at the top of the cliffs at beachy head overlooking the lighthouse. Although it is well used and a great view, I don't like this spot. I'm always happy when I can get away from the cliffs.
a 3 shot vertical panorama (vertorama?) 2 tracked panels for the sky, It was quite breezy so I didn't wany to risk really long exposures here, so each panel a stack of 5 images, 40 seconds each, ISO 6400, f3.5. Foreground the same, stacked and untracked.
beachy head by Alan, on FlickrConstructive C&C welcome.
