On one of the last warm days of summer, I headed to the High Fens with one of my regular companions to try our hand at astrophotography. According to the Light Pollution Map, this was a reasonably dark area within a manageable distance. Around Signal de Botrange, we could spend a few hours with the camera and the night sky.
The evening immediately taught us a few practical lessons. No shorts, more insect repellent and, above all, a better look at the moon beforehand. A warm day does not guarantee a comfortable night, and a dark spot on the map says nothing about how much moonlight is shining above it.
Points or streaks
When photographing the Milky Way, you want to record faint light and usually keep the stars as points. If a camera without a tracking mount exposes for too long, the rotation of the Earth becomes visible as movement in the stars. How soon you notice it depends on factors including focal length and framing. There is therefore no single shutter speed that works for every camera and lens.
With star trails, that movement becomes the subject. A long exposure, or a series of combined images, shows how the stars seem to turn across the sky. The same effect that is unwanted in one photograph is the whole point of another.
The moon was around its first quarter during our visit. That was enough to make photographing the faint Milky Way more difficult. Moonlight can illuminate a landscape beautifully, but it also reduces the contrast of the fainter parts of the night sky. Checking the time of moonset is therefore part of preparing for another attempt.
A dark sky is no invitation to wander anywhere in a nature reserve, either. Respect the access rules and stay in permitted areas. For us, this evening was mainly an introduction to a kind of photography that involves a lot of waiting, with plenty to look at in the meantime. Only the shorts should have stayed at home.
Comments