This is beautiful. I consider myself a somewhat proficient photographer and yet I have no idea what half your words mean.
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Photo Of The Day - February 2021
- Thread starter retta283
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I'm not knowledgeable or experienced in deep space astrophotography. I'm happy to be in this state of ignorance because it allows me to thoroughly enjoy your image and your work on it. Beautiful!
I a big LEGO fan and this was my latest build :
Thanks!
Thanks, I appreciate the kind words. Astrophotography in its true form (not the wide angle Milky Way shots I'm used to) is an incredible discipline and is also highly technical, in relation to the capturing and processing methods and the sheer amount of equipment required to do it. My "skill" (or lack of) just scratches the surface and my equipment is very rudimentary. From what I can gather from my first foray into it, there is a lot of emphasis on having the right equipment to get stars perfectly sharp, ensure the star field is flat via dedicated field flattening optics, using filters for specific wavelengths of light, getting the right "look" to the images. The important part is the mount, optics and tracking via auto guiding, to ensure the longest exposures possible. Every photon counts and the lengths some people go to, as well as the expense - are eye watering. Some of the best images I've seen come from tens of hours of calibrated images from various shooting sessions, which are then integrated and then processed. I guess it is their passion and I absolutely admire their patience and dedication. I don't have the time, nor the funds to pursue it to this level. I may look at auto guiding, but I don't know if my EQ5 mount is actually good enough, due to the beginner quality motors and the Periodic Error it has with the worm gears.
I'm not knowledgeable or experienced in deep space astrophotography. I'm happy to be in this state of ignorance because it allows me to thoroughly enjoy your image and your work on it. Beautiful!
Thanks, neither am I! I'm just starting, but more of a "I'll make do with what I've got and try to get something worthwhile" sort of mindset. To get really into it, costs thousands - and that's before the part where you can't buy knowledge or experience!
Pacifica-200703-21.jpg by Charles Martorelli, on Flickr
Just realised it's a new day, so here's my latest DSO image:
The Horsehead Nebula and Flame Nebula
Probably one of my favourite parts of space, The Horsehead Nebula lies in the constellation Orion, which is quite a busy part of the sky with lots to see. I've always wanted to photograph this Nebula as I find it absolutely jaw-dropping but up until this week, I lacked the equipment. I finally got a Fuji XF100-400, so it works out as a 600mm in FF terms, therefore giving me just enough reach for a shot like this. I attached my X-T3 and the lens to my EQ5 mount and went for unguided 25s exposures. I wanted 200, but only got 70ish due to atmospheric haze and then cloud that came in. The haze has caused Alnitak, the bright star in the image to have a glow around it, as well as others. Ideally, I'd like to grab at least 1min unguided exposures and look to have the setup auto guided in future, to allow for hopefully 3-5 minute exposures, as I'll can then drop the ISO a bit for clearer results and get more signal for more detail (a lot of red nebula isn't visible in my shot - but it is there). I'll also go to my nearest Dark Sky Park that is only a short drive away, to make use of better sky quality. I'll probably reshoot this, zoomed in more on the Horsehead nebula, with the camera attached to my telescope instead.
Anyway, for this image, the shots were: 74 Light frames shot at 25s / f5.6 / ISO 1600, 30 Dark frames, 30 Flat frames, 30 Bias frames. Calibrated, integrated and processed in AstroPixelProcessor for macOS. Finished in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop.
The Horsehead Nebula and Flame Nebula
Probably one of my favourite parts of space, The Horsehead Nebula lies in the constellation Orion, which is quite a busy part of the sky with lots to see. I've always wanted to photograph this Nebula as I find it absolutely jaw-dropping but up until this week, I lacked the equipment. I finally got a Fuji XF100-400, so it works out as a 600mm in FF terms, therefore giving me just enough reach for a shot like this. I attached my X-T3 and the lens to my EQ5 mount and went for unguided 25s exposures. I wanted 200, but only got 70ish due to atmospheric haze and then cloud that came in. The haze has caused Alnitak, the bright star in the image to have a glow around it, as well as others. Ideally, I'd like to grab at least 1min unguided exposures and look to have the setup auto guided in future, to allow for hopefully 3-5 minute exposures, as I'll can then drop the ISO a bit for clearer results and get more signal for more detail (a lot of red nebula isn't visible in my shot - but it is there). I'll also go to my nearest Dark Sky Park that is only a short drive away, to make use of better sky quality. I'll probably reshoot this, zoomed in more on the Horsehead nebula, with the camera attached to my telescope instead.
Anyway, for this image, the shots were: 74 Light frames shot at 25s / f5.6 / ISO 1600, 30 Dark frames, 30 Flat frames, 30 Bias frames. Calibrated, integrated and processed in AstroPixelProcessor for macOS. Finished in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop.
ibis tree
I think this is an Anise Swallowtail butterfly. A bit moth eaten, or perhaps just a tad windblown. Photo from 2007, Canon Powershot A550.
Nice, i tried yesterday ISO 6400 f3,5 with my Fuji camera ?
"Rainbows are visions
But only illusions
And rainbows have nothing to hide"
-- Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher, "The Rainbow Connection"
But only illusions
And rainbows have nothing to hide"
-- Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher, "The Rainbow Connection"
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Not being a bird expert, but I think these are starlings.
Taken last weekend after an ice storm rolled through town. Currently sitting in another one, but thankfully it's seeming to be less severe this time around!
Finally visited this famous folly. The pyramid of Austerlitz. Built by Napoleontic soldiers when stationed in the Netherlands. In remembrance of the battle of Austerlitz by Napolean in the (now) Czech republic.
Last week, we in Münster had the first really cold days since five years, and the most snow since almost 15.
Yes, and this type of formation is called a "murmuration" of Starlings.....