23 image star trail stack Forresters Beach

Sat back all day thinking where on the Central Coast I could go too do a nice star trail where I can stack the images to really see the result and the only place that comes to me is Forresters Beach. I am sure you lot are sick of seeing this place but hey it is so fantastic to shoot.

So this shot is done under a 90% illuminated moon. (Waxing). It is a series of shots taken over about an hour and a half and ended up being a 23 image stack. Kind of wished I had of done another half hour to extend the star a bit more but the cold slowly crept in and froze me. I’m so over Winter. When I got there it took me about 40 min to find a composition I liked and then it was a case of set it up, dial the settings into the Canon intervalometer remote, pull out the PSP sit back and watch a movie while the camera does it’s thing.

Putting the final series of shots together is pretty simple it is just a series of processes that are repeated. So I have done a full post production video tutorial from start to finish on how this image was put together. I go through and create several actions in photoshop to streamline the processes to save time blending the star shots together and getting the files ready for stacking. I will go over my capture settings as usual and also the focus method.

The tutorial goes for 19 min 14 sec and is listed under ” After Dark “ on the Rubbing Pixels website and is available for ” Members Only “. You can view the tutorial by clicking here.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR A LARGE VIEW

Woy Woy Stacked Star Trail

Well headed out last night with a simple thought in mind and that was to test stacking star trail images in photoshop, a technique that limits long exposure noise while still getting the benefit of spinning stars. So this shot even though it is nothing special is a simple stack of 8 shots at 2.5 min. Parts of the boat are pretty yellow from the sodium lights nearby.

Depending on the weather I will be shooting star trail shots pretty hard this week and over the coming weekend to put this really into effect and I feel a tutorial on it all coming on as well

CLICK THE IMAGE TO VIEW IT LARGE

Shooting Moonlight Photography using Digital – Video Tutorial

The first of my in the field tutorials is now ready for release. My introduction into Moonlight photography. This 50 minute video tutorial begins with an outline into the research I did to shoot the location both on digital and slide film. Starting points for my digital exposures, how the moonlight will fall on the area and the best time to head out and shoot.

The tutorial then moves into a detailed look into how the shoot went with test shots and the final exposures taken. Discussing how focusing was done, experimentation with selected f stops, shutter speeds and also iso settings. The use of long exposure noise compensation in the 5D Mk II and it compared to an image with half the iso and shutter speed… how did it stack up ???

Most importantly of all I outline what I learnt and what I would do differently next time I head out. Learning not necessary from mistakes but finding improvements in your work flow to make your next shoot better in certain areas. For me the exposure is exactly what I want but my DOF could be improved and this is discussed on how it will be approached next time.

I also process three files from RAW to final print ready master files as well. The editing of the slide film shots is not covered in this tutorial, only the settings used for the capture.

This tutorial is free for all Rubbing Pixel members, or it can be purchased by guests for viewing on line for $9.99. Here is the direct link to the tutorial.

Moonlight Photography – Forresters Beach

Ok… well for a first attempt at shooting under moonlight I think things went extremely well. Forresters Beach was the perfect place to start things off. All my planning paid off, the light fell on the subject like it should. Played around with one or two different shutter speeds and iso’s to get the perfect balance.

I will be recording the full tutorial on my shoot tomorrow, outlining my capture workflow, thoughts on the shoot, how this shot was edited from scratch, I have a list of things I want to go through with you. I will have it uploaded to the Rubbing Pixels site and I will let you know on the blog when its done. The only thing I wasn’t able to do was record out in the field as the light was too low. I needed external lighting. Other than that I think you will be in for a treat with the info I have to pass on and also how the shots were captured. Some of you might be surprised with one trick on how the shots were taken. No light painting, or exposure blending, just single shots.

For a larger view of this shot just click on it.