First Published February 24th 2018
I sometimes have those days when you just need to get out and do some shooting. This was one of those days.
Finishing work and checking the weather, and thought it was good enough to at least give it a go.
I’d been out to Thornton before and it was a complete cloudout. Got some shots i was happy with, but really needed to walk around again.
I got some of the way around and thought i had enough locations to get some good shots, in a reasonable time, so as not be a complete zombie the next day.
First of all a bit of a sit down. Looking up at the vastness of this sky is, for me, a great and inspiring experience. The clouds could only just be seen with the naked eye.
30 Seconds ISO1000 f2.8. Sitting under the stars.
Such a nice scene needed to be taken in for a while.
Producing a few good shots, i’ll leave the camera running for a bit.
A straight 35 minute trail. Edited in LR to get all the images to the same level and the colours i wanted, then PS to finish off. This one i just stacked the stars with no other changes.
This one i played with the stars a bit and introduced some trailing. Emulating the ‘comet’ look which you get with starstax, if setup as such.
We didn’t sit there for the full 35 minutes, or we would have froze to the seat. Needed to keep moving.
Walking back up to the carpark, and attempted a trail with the moon in shot. About 30 minutes and i think it turned out quite well. There were some things that needed sorting with the image though.
Dogs and dog walkers with head torches make interesting patterns.
You have to understand that when you are out in a public place, you will get disturbed sometimes, and there is not much you can do about it. Just perservere and continue your shooting. As you can see from the trail, i could still bring in this frame without the wavey light patterns.
Walking further down, away from torchlight, and noisy geese, i happened upon these great trees. Some lovely lines reaching up towards the stars.
A few different angles. Always experiment with what your shooting. look for lines, look for interest. I believe in shooting and learning. Always try something different.
I love this shot. The unseen shadows from the trees, the lines, the stars, the water. Really happy with it.
Staying safe near the water. As the temperature was dropping drastically, i needed to get back to the car pretty soon to warm up. Even with the moonlight, the stars didn’t look washed out at all.
The carpark is empty, but with a long exposure, you can see all the light thats bouncing around and creating shadows. The detail which this camera can pick up at high iso, is pretty incredible.
I haven’t used noise reduction as much as i usually would, for no particular reason. The images look great without it.
After a VERY cold walk, i think i got back in around 12:30 and decided to hit the hay pretty quickly.
This is around the time of year i usually start ramping up my trips. I am excited for what the rest of the year is going to bring.
I now have a store for Prints and anything else. Look at the top of the page and click on Shop.
If you want to email me for a custom order, or something not in the shop drop me an email.
As always, have fun, stay safe, and enjoy shooting.
Any suggestions for future blog posts, drop me an email. I will at some point be going into more detail on future posts.
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