A few months back I bought the Sigma 14-24 f2.8 for my Sony A7II to try night photography and to capture stars and when possible milky way shots. So last night I went out and gave it a go. The area I live in is not perfect for it as there are a number of large towns etc nearby but lockdown limits where I can go. I only stayed out for an hour or so and these are the best of a bad bunch. Please comment and give advice as I really want to improve in this area of photography. Cheers in advance. Ken
Wow these are very good! Your light painting in the first one is super well done, nice and even. Pretty good for a first attempt if you ask me, I never would have thought it was your first time trying it.
I think the possibilities for what you do with it are pretty broad, so take these suggestions as possibilities and I wouldn't push you one way or another:
- Shooting an image at dusk to get foreground detail and then leaving your camera in the exact same position for the stars/night sky can help to get balanced, natural light on the foreground. It does limit the use of your camera for that time. I've found that actually getting up early and shooting the star photo first and then the foreground can have a smoother effect; there can also be a nice moment where there's enough light for the foregound and the stars still come through.
- Milky way really helps to build the sky and reduce the negative space that often happens there otherwise. As you mentioned, travel is limited currently. When you can get out, use a dark sky finder and make sure you know the orientation of the milky way relative to your subject/foreground.
- Star trails can be a good way of building space when the stars are not doing what you want them to otherwise do. Make sure you know where the north star is for these shots!
Anyways, my quick two cents. I'm no aficionado, but have toyed with it for a few years.
I too have spent way too many nights out photographing the night sky. As suggested above, there are any number of directions you can choose to take this addiction, but a few suggestions I would offer are:
1. Make sure you are comfortable with your equipment and settings. Modern cameras are pretty tolerant of higher ISO settings and don't be afraid to get as much light into the image as possible as it is easier to reduce bright areas (as long as they are not blown) then to lift the dark areas. You will introduce a ton of noise by any lifting you do.
2. Explore noise reduction techniques. The third image has lots of potential but there is a lot of noise in the lighter areas of the sky (under clouds) and in the reflections. You can take numerous images and stack them in software like Starry Landscape Stacker (for Mac) and it will significantly reduce the noise in the resulting image. This takes a bit more time but the outcomes are worth it. Alternatively, work in LR or PS on the noise reduction sliders/tools to see what results you get.
3. Don't be afraid of brighter light sources. All can be of use in various situations. Ground light can draw the eye. Moonlight can light a foreground. Milky Way can draw the eye and produces quite a bit more light. Light painting can highlight a foreground subject.
4. Try not to blow any areas and exposure blend if needed. If you have a relatively clean skyline it is easy to blend two images exposed for sky and foreground. Or you can do as other suggested and take one shot with more light and one with properly exposed sky.
Too many suggestions to offer, but the above are a few I learned early on that improved my images and made the process of creating images more rewarding and fun.
Hathaway wrote:
I too have spent way too many nights out photographing the night sky. As suggested above, there are any number of directions you can choose to take this addiction, but a few suggestions I would offer are:
1. Make sure you are comfortable with your equipment and settings. Modern cameras are pretty tolerant of higher ISO settings and don't be afraid to get as much light into the image as possible as it is easier to reduce bright areas (as long as they are not blown) then to lift the dark areas. You will introduce a ton of noise by any lifting you do.
2. Explore noise reduction techniques. The third image has lots of potential but there is a lot of noise in the lighter areas of the sky (under clouds) and in the reflections. You can take numerous images and stack them in software like Starry Landscape Stacker (for Mac) and it will significantly reduce the noise in the resulting image. This takes a bit more time but the outcomes are worth it. Alternatively, work in LR or PS on the noise reduction sliders/tools to see what results you get.
3. Don't be afraid of brighter light sources. All can be of use in various situations. Ground light can draw the eye. Moonlight can light a foreground. Milky Way can draw the eye and produces quite a bit more light. Light painting can highlight a foreground subject.
4. Try not to blow any areas and exposure blend if needed. If you have a relatively clean skyline it is easy to blend two images exposed for sky and foreground. Or you can do as other suggested and take one shot with more light and one with properly exposed sky.
Too many suggestions to offer, but the above are a few I learned early on that improved my images and made the process of creating images more rewarding and fun.
Thanks for this Bob, much appreciated. I have been on FM forums for a number of years and having people take the time to give advice is one of the reasons I still post when I can.
seanderson wrote:
I think the possibilities for what you do with it are pretty broad, so take these suggestions as possibilities and I wouldn't push you one way or another:
- Shooting an image at dusk to get foreground detail and then leaving your camera in the exact same position for the stars/night sky can help to get balanced, natural light on the foreground. It does limit the use of your camera for that time. I've found that actually getting up early and shooting the star photo first and then the foreground can have a smoother effect; there can also be a nice moment where there's enough light for the foregound and the stars still come through.
- Milky way really helps to build the sky and reduce the negative space that often happens there otherwise. As you mentioned, travel is limited currently. When you can get out, use a dark sky finder and make sure you know the orientation of the milky way relative to your subject/foreground.
- Star trails can be a good way of building space when the stars are not doing what you want them to otherwise do. Make sure you know where the north star is for these shots!
Anyways, my quick two cents. I'm no aficionado, but have toyed with it for a few years....Show more →
Thanks Sean for the advice and tips. This a new type of photography for me and having fellow members take the time to help is hugely appreciated.
