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Archive 2020 · The Big Dipper in Upstate NY

DanielJStein
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · The Big Dipper in Upstate NY

The Big Dipper, probably one of the most easily recognizable asterisms. Contrary to popular belief, it is actually not a constellation, but rather part of a constellation called Ursa Major. I am always so focused on capturing the Milky Way that I sometimes I overlook the majesty of this guy. I have to hand it to my girlfriend who pointed out just how beautiful this Great Bear was sitting low in the sky just as blue hour began this past weekend.

For this shot I stacked 16 images at 4 seconds, ISO 3200, f/2.8 for the stars. I then blended it with one 6 minute, f/4, ISO 100 shot for the foreground. I was using my Nikon Z6 and Nikkor 35 1.8 S.

In processing, I reduced the dimmer stars to make the Dipper stars more prominent. In real life, you can actually barely make out the other stars the camera captured, so this edit is actually more along the lines of how we see the dipper during this time of night.

Jun 26, 2020 at 08:11 AM

bmike-vt
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · The Big Dipper in Upstate NY

Nicely done. Which peak were you on? Been missing the ADKs since we left... although I’m not at all keen on coming back.

Jun 26, 2020 at 08:49 AM

graytrekker
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · The Big Dipper in Upstate NY

Daniel - nice processing - love the blue to orange transition and the sea of clouds.

I felt the same way a couple of falls ago, trying to capture Orion (also on the edge of blue hour). It is such a dominant, recognizable constellation. It was. my first attempt at astro. However, if captured under "normal" astro conditions, you can barely make it out in all the stars that the camera "sees". Like you, I was trying to match what I was seeing. You did a much better job than I! Hopefully the weather gods. will give me another chance this fall. Thanks for the share!

Doug

Jun 26, 2020 at 10:07 AM

junglialoh
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · The Big Dipper in Upstate NY

Nicely done. Actual brightness in magnitude scale is quite different between each star in this Big Dipper constellation due to the very different distance of the individual star from us significantly, but long exposure could make them indistingusable

Jun 26, 2020 at 02:50 PM

castlk52
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · The Big Dipper in Upstate NY

Very nice.

Jun 26, 2020 at 04:42 PM

TrojanPhotog
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · The Big Dipper in Upstate NY

Gorgeous!

Jun 26, 2020 at 08:13 PM

DanielJStein
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · The Big Dipper in Upstate NY

bmike-vt wrote:
Nicely done. Which peak were you on? Been missing the ADKs since we left... although I’m not at all keen on coming back.

Thanks boss! I was on a peak near Saranac Lake! Come back sometime...

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graytrekker wrote:
Daniel - nice processing - love the blue to orange transition and the sea of clouds.

I felt the same way a couple of falls ago, trying to capture Orion (also on the edge of blue hour). It is such a dominant, recognizable constellation. It was. my first attempt at astro. However, if captured under "normal" astro conditions, you can barely make it out in all the stars that the camera "sees". Like you, I was trying to match what I was seeing. You did a much better job than I! Hopefully the weather gods. will give me another chance this...Show more →

Thanks Doug, I am so glad you like it! This was my first time shooting a widefield constellation at blue hour and I had no idea if it was going to work out. Orion is next, later in the year...

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junglialoh wrote:
Nicely done. Actual brightness in magnitude scale is quite different between each star in this Big Dipper constellation due to the very different distance of the individual star from us significantly, but long exposure could make them indistingusable

For sure, somehow I was able to get a great starmask using the TK7 actions panel set to Lights 6 with some adjustment tweaking. The dipper stars stuck out like a sore thumb even before star reduction, but long exposure certainly made much dimmer stars visible.

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castlk52 wrote:
Very nice.

Thank you!

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TrojanPhotog wrote:
Gorgeous!

Thanks!

Jun 27, 2020 at 09:32 AM

bmike-vt
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · The Big Dipper in Upstate NY

DanielJStein wrote:
Thanks boss! I was on a peak near Saranac Lake! Come back sometime...

Nice. Some lovely country up there. I stayed at Hotel Saranac when photographing a couple of client projects and then I got my Lake Lila MW image that same weekend.

I’ll consider coming back after you get your COVID shit together. Watching from over here it’s looking a bit like a shit show and every day I wonder if I’m seeing a failed state happening in real time...

Had to cancel the class I teach in the Berkshires this May. Also had a conference I was to present at out in Vancouver get cancelled. Maybe next May I’ll be able to teach my class again in W. Ma... I’ll have to bring the kit - some good skies that way.

Jun 28, 2020 at 12:19 AM

Danpbphoto
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · The Big Dipper in Upstate NY

Really a beautiful composition! Every aspect compliments the next....foreground to heavens!
Dan

Jun 28, 2020 at 09:13 AM

Jeffrey
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · The Big Dipper in Upstate NY

Beautiful imaging. Thanks for sharing technique.

Jun 29, 2020 at 02:00 PM

aFeinberg
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · The Big Dipper in Upstate NY

das nice!

Jun 30, 2020 at 05:07 AM

DanielJStein
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · The Big Dipper in Upstate NY

bmike-vt wrote:
Nice. Some lovely country up there. I stayed at Hotel Saranac when photographing a couple of client projects and then I got my Lake Lila MW image that same weekend.

I’ll consider coming back after you get your COVID shit together. Watching from over here it’s looking a bit like a shit show and every day I wonder if I’m seeing a failed state happening in real time...

Had to cancel the class I teach in the Berkshires this May. Also had a conference I was to present at out in Vancouver get cancelled. Maybe next May I’ll be able to...Show more →

Yeah uhhhh we kinda suck. I don’t understand why it is so hard to wear a mask lol!

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Danpbphoto wrote:
Really a beautiful composition! Every aspect compliments the next....foreground to heavens!
Dan

Thanks Dan!

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Jeffrey wrote:
Beautiful imaging. Thanks for sharing technique.

You are welcome, I am always happy to give a little insight into my processes.

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aFeinberg wrote:
das nice!

Thanku!

Jul 02, 2020 at 04:56 AM


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