One of the lessons in the Photography Lab series I teach is a lesson on night photography, specifically shooting the stars. There are two essentials to know before going out to shoot stars your first time.
ONE: The Earth is rotating. This means you can photograph star constellations, but after about 15 seconds, you will start to get blurring in your stars because of the movement of the Earth.
TWO: You should know a couple of constellations before you go out: the Big Dipper and Orion are the two I use to orient myself.
Why the Orion and The Big Dipper? First, they are extremely bright and easily found in the night sky. Second, besides being my favorite constellation, Orion is usually high enough in the sky to photograph with other stars around, but it can also sit low so you can get nice foreground elements in your compositions. Finally, use the two stars which make up the pouring end of the Big Dipper to find the North Star. Look at the bottom star in the dipper part of The Big Dipper, the non-handle end. Draw a from the bottom star in the dipper to the top star in the dipper, then continue this line until you see the Little Dipper. This line (and these two stars) point to the last star in the handle of the Little Dipper. Why is this important? The last star in the handle of the Little Dipper is Polaris – the North Star.
If you know where Polaris (The North Star) is located, you can point your camera in this direction and, using long exposure times, you will get circular star trails instead of blurry constellations.
how to photograph star trails
When I shoot stars, I use two lenses: a Canon 10–22mm and a Tamaron 28–300, which I use in the 28mm–80mm range.
I set my camera to M (manual) and use the following settings:
Aperture: widest setting f/2.8 | f/3.5 | f/5.0 depending on focal length
ISO: 100 or 200
Shutter Speed: BULB setting
White Balance: Auto or Tungsten
Focusing: Manual / Infinity
Some other items you may want to bring along:
Small flashlight. You can see your gear, get things set up, change your camera settings, and change your release cable settings. You can use the flashlight to do a sweep of the ground before you leave to make sure you didn’t leave anything behind. Use the flashlight to paint the foreground with light to give your photographs more compositional drama.
Small laser pointer. I haven’t tried this yet, but when I was shooting tonight, I couldn’t see what I was composing through the viewfinder. It’s dark outside when you’re photographing stars! I would take 30 second–45 second photographs to test my compositions. I wondered about using a small laser pointer to hold on top of my lens to see exactly where the lens is pointing.
Chair. You’ll be using loooong shutter speeds. You are going to want to sit. Well, I would want one. I want to look up and not get dizzy. A lounge chair is even better! Of course, if you’ve driven to a remote location, you can always sit in your car while waiting for exposures to take.
Shutter release cable. Some DSLRs have shutter release cables to trigger the shutter. Some you can even set up to take a photo every X minutes with an exposure time of X up to 99h 99m 99s.
Stop Watch. Most cameras have a 15min shutter speed max – but do have a bulb setting you can use if you want longer exposure times but don’t have a shutter release cable. In bulb, you shutter will open once you press the shutter button – and will not close until you press the shutter button again. If you use BULB – you may want a stop watch to help keep track of your exposure time.
Blanket. It’s January, and here in New England, it’s COLD in the wee hours of the morning. In addition to a nice coat/jacket, I’ll have a blanket to wrap up in and help stay toasty.
Hot Chocolate / Coffee / Tea. Did I mention it’s cold in the middle of the night?! Plus—it’s the middle of the night! And I’m bundled up toasty and warm on a lounge chair, staring at stars. Going to need something to help keep me awake.
Tripod. Yes, I know. I said it: tripod. Former students, it’s okay. I know I preach the power of less-is-more, but in this case, you will definitely need a tripod. You’re going to also need a tripod which swivels so you can point you camera in the right direction. Night shots of star trails and meteor showers require LONG exposures. A rock or car roof won’t work here.
Friend. Take a friend to share the experience with you. You’ll have someone to talk to (and help keep you from getting bored while you wait for those 1 and 2 hour exposures) and you’ll have great story to tell about taking tons of photographs of stars and meteors and of course – you’ll have the great shots you take too!!
Camera / Lens. You can’t really take photographs if you don’t have your camera… been there—couldn’t photograph that!!
Memory Cards. Make sure you have a large memory card available and have an extra one just in case.
Batteries. How many?? Three. Where are they? Charged, set in the camera. Charged, set in your pocket. Set charging in charger. Really, I can’t stress extra batteries for night photography enough. Keeping the shutter open for long periods of time sucks up TONS of battery energy. Where a battery will last you for 6 hours of event photography, you might get 2 or 3 hours of night photography.
Follow me as I continue to experiment with star photography techniques. You can see my attempts (success and failures) in the gallery at http://www.LiteWriting.com.
Now you know what gear you need, what settings to use, and where to point your camera. It’s time to get out there and try some star photography for yourself!
About the Author:
Professional photographer Loreen Liberty (www.litewriting.com) has been taking photographs since her early teens, and in the professional industry for the past nine year. After many successful years as a wedding and portrait photographer, Loreen decided to turn her attentions to teaching photography full time. “It gives me more time to practice my craft and be artistic for myself.
Extensive tutorials on light painting, panoramas, spherical panoramas, night sky exposures, infrared, fisheye, bokeh, timelapse and more. You will be taking steel wool light painting shots and star trail exposures in no time. This photography tutorial eBook is designed to help you master challenging lighting conditions no matter your experience level. Currently 50% off for the launch sale until the end of the month.
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8/08/2015
christmas photography tips
Christmastime (and winter) is the most energetic and exciting time to take photographs for a variety of reasons – the natural elements, the captivating and imaginative decorations (including Christmas lights) and the festive mood that overcomes whole communities. You can photograph during the day, but some of the most evocative images can be found at night. The brilliance provided by the pure white snow adds some challenges, but there are some benefits too. Let’s take a look at how to get the most effective Christmas photos.
Recommended Settings
There’s usually going to be a lot of additional, practical light sources “on” during Christmastime (all those Christmas lights) and these will probably bump up the ambient light level to a certain extent, but not so high that you can shoot at ISO 100, so go for 200; even when you’re inside. Shutter speeds between 1/30 and 1/90 should suit you the best, as you should try for aperture settings of f/2 to f/5.6; you’ll get shallow to moderate depth of field at these settings, which will add to the ambiance, by keeping the illuminated background just out of focus.
Recommended Equipment
A fast zoom lens is great for Christmastime photography, try for a 28 – 80mm or something similar; this way you’ll have a wide angle for group portraits and shooting houses/buildings that are magnificently decorated, and you’ll also be able to grab intimate and inviting close-ups. Consider having your tripod available. Even if you don’t use the timer function the tripod can be helpful for stabilizing the camera for high angle shots (which might be the best/only way to get everyone in a group shot). Use a corded flash or a flash with a tilt/swivel head to avoid having the flash fire head-on at your subjects. A head-on flash will wash out not only the skin tones, but the vibrant color cast from all the Christmas lights as well.
Conclusion
The Christmas holiday is a heavily photographed event, so it’s important to approach the subject with an eye for doing something different and compelling. Utilize the ornaments and the lights to spruce up the background elements of your shots (remember to experiment with the bokeh technique for something subtly different), focus on your subject’s eyes and work to position your family in intimate positions that emphasizes their close relationship and the joy this season instills in everyone. The preparation is just as important as the finished product when it comes to Christmas, so get in there and take photos of the tree trimming activity as it happens.
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Recommended Settings
There’s usually going to be a lot of additional, practical light sources “on” during Christmastime (all those Christmas lights) and these will probably bump up the ambient light level to a certain extent, but not so high that you can shoot at ISO 100, so go for 200; even when you’re inside. Shutter speeds between 1/30 and 1/90 should suit you the best, as you should try for aperture settings of f/2 to f/5.6; you’ll get shallow to moderate depth of field at these settings, which will add to the ambiance, by keeping the illuminated background just out of focus.
Recommended Equipment
A fast zoom lens is great for Christmastime photography, try for a 28 – 80mm or something similar; this way you’ll have a wide angle for group portraits and shooting houses/buildings that are magnificently decorated, and you’ll also be able to grab intimate and inviting close-ups. Consider having your tripod available. Even if you don’t use the timer function the tripod can be helpful for stabilizing the camera for high angle shots (which might be the best/only way to get everyone in a group shot). Use a corded flash or a flash with a tilt/swivel head to avoid having the flash fire head-on at your subjects. A head-on flash will wash out not only the skin tones, but the vibrant color cast from all the Christmas lights as well.
Conclusion
The Christmas holiday is a heavily photographed event, so it’s important to approach the subject with an eye for doing something different and compelling. Utilize the ornaments and the lights to spruce up the background elements of your shots (remember to experiment with the bokeh technique for something subtly different), focus on your subject’s eyes and work to position your family in intimate positions that emphasizes their close relationship and the joy this season instills in everyone. The preparation is just as important as the finished product when it comes to Christmas, so get in there and take photos of the tree trimming activity as it happens.
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eye photography tips - How to Photograph the Human Eye, Iris or Pupil
There is no need to explain the importance of eyes to a living being; but why photographers fret so much about them may look a bit intriguing. “Focus on the subject’s eyes”; may probably be the first tip any photographer get in the beginning of his career. A photographer’s torment with eye is not limited to shooting it but also in post-production? There is even countless number of tutorials, plug-ins, Photoshop actions and brushes etc. to help the subjects’ eyes “pop”!
Even though many photographers have not taken enough pains to really explore the human eye with a macro lens. From a distance the only thing that we observe about human eyes are that they are smooth orbs, always moist and they do come in many different shades of blue, green, brown and black. But enter the amazing world of macro, find a willing subject and you’ll be stunned at the amount of detail present in the eyes; it’s nothing less than mind-blowing.
Here in this article we will discuss certain tips that will of real help in photographing the human eye in all splendors.
Tips for Photographing the Human Eye
1. Get yourselves a true macro lens, or any other means of obtaining life size (1:1) magnification. A close up filter, lens reverse ring, extension tube etc will do.
2. Continuous light sources (preferably soft), are the best for photographing human eyes, so find a well lit spot and seat your subject such that the light is falling on the eye at an angle that causes only the least amount of reflection.
3. The eyes reflect everything around them, including the camera, lights, the photographer and the surroundings; so experiment and find the best lighting angle which gives best results.
4. When iris is photographed the in low light situations; the pupil will expand making the photograph un-interesting.
5. Macro lenses which provide an angle of view of 100mm or narrower is best as they provide more working distance, which will make the subject comfortable.
6. Although it’s not an absolute must, using a tripod will help make things easier and improve chances of getting great shots.
7. Keep the sensor parallel to the eyes.
8. Make subject to look directly into the lens, assuming you are shooting head on.
9. Shift the lens to Manual mode and focus on the iris manually.
10. Use a minimum aperture of f/8 to get sufficient depth of field and capture all details.
11. Keep the shutter speed fast enough to eliminate any blur caused either by camera shake or subject’s movement.
12. Get over with the session fast. It’s difficult for anyone to keep eyes open for long, they’ll blink and if the purposefully keep it open the eyes will soon begin to water. Trick is to ask your subject to keep both eyes shut, when everything is ready ask them to open their eyes, fire of few quick shots, ask them to close their eyes when you review your pictures. You’ll get what you need in a couple of bursts.
I’m sure if you are doing this for the first time, you’ll be stunned with what you see, at macro magnifications the human eyes with all their detail seems almost alien, but not less beautiful.
Any effort spent on capturing the ‘reflections of a golden eye’ doesn’t go waste as eyes have traditionally been the most powerful weapon on the earth; by a mere wink of her eyes; Helen of Troy could launch a thousand ships and burn the topless towers of Ilium!
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Even though many photographers have not taken enough pains to really explore the human eye with a macro lens. From a distance the only thing that we observe about human eyes are that they are smooth orbs, always moist and they do come in many different shades of blue, green, brown and black. But enter the amazing world of macro, find a willing subject and you’ll be stunned at the amount of detail present in the eyes; it’s nothing less than mind-blowing.
Here in this article we will discuss certain tips that will of real help in photographing the human eye in all splendors.
Tips for Photographing the Human Eye
1. Get yourselves a true macro lens, or any other means of obtaining life size (1:1) magnification. A close up filter, lens reverse ring, extension tube etc will do.
2. Continuous light sources (preferably soft), are the best for photographing human eyes, so find a well lit spot and seat your subject such that the light is falling on the eye at an angle that causes only the least amount of reflection.
3. The eyes reflect everything around them, including the camera, lights, the photographer and the surroundings; so experiment and find the best lighting angle which gives best results.
4. When iris is photographed the in low light situations; the pupil will expand making the photograph un-interesting.
5. Macro lenses which provide an angle of view of 100mm or narrower is best as they provide more working distance, which will make the subject comfortable.
6. Although it’s not an absolute must, using a tripod will help make things easier and improve chances of getting great shots.
7. Keep the sensor parallel to the eyes.
8. Make subject to look directly into the lens, assuming you are shooting head on.
9. Shift the lens to Manual mode and focus on the iris manually.
10. Use a minimum aperture of f/8 to get sufficient depth of field and capture all details.
11. Keep the shutter speed fast enough to eliminate any blur caused either by camera shake or subject’s movement.
12. Get over with the session fast. It’s difficult for anyone to keep eyes open for long, they’ll blink and if the purposefully keep it open the eyes will soon begin to water. Trick is to ask your subject to keep both eyes shut, when everything is ready ask them to open their eyes, fire of few quick shots, ask them to close their eyes when you review your pictures. You’ll get what you need in a couple of bursts.
I’m sure if you are doing this for the first time, you’ll be stunned with what you see, at macro magnifications the human eyes with all their detail seems almost alien, but not less beautiful.
Any effort spent on capturing the ‘reflections of a golden eye’ doesn’t go waste as eyes have traditionally been the most powerful weapon on the earth; by a mere wink of her eyes; Helen of Troy could launch a thousand ships and burn the topless towers of Ilium!
Searches related to eye photography tips
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