Headed to Big Bend in October with D850: I am just getting into night photography. Reading a lot on it in the David Busch, D850 book. Any tips/tricks I need to keep in mind, especially...

reggrant Loc: Dallas via S. Texas

I am just getting into night photography. Reading a lot on it in the David Busch, D850 book. Any tips/tricks I need to keep in mind, especially when bracketing and any HDR info would be greatly appreciated. I will be in Ft. Davis for a few nights and then down to Terlingua. The photo I have attached is one of my early attempts at stars down on our S. Texas ranch.
ISO 3200/f2.8/about 15 seconds on the D850/105macro.
Thanks.
Reg

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Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

reggrant wrote:

I am just getting into night photography. Reading a lot on it in the David Busch, D850 book. Any tips/tricks I need to keep in mind, especially when bracketing and any HDR info would be greatly appreciated. I will be in Ft. Davis for a few nights and then down to Terlingua. The photo I have attached is one of my early attempts at stars down on our S. Texas ranch.
ISO 3200/f2.8/about 15 seconds on the D850/105macro.
Thanks.
Reg

Try asking in the UHH Astronomical Photography section: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/s-109-1.html

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

reggrant wrote:

I am just getting into night photography. Reading a lot on it in the David Busch, D850 book. Any tips/tricks I need to keep in mind, especially when bracketing and any HDR info would be greatly appreciated. I will be in Ft. Davis for a few nights and then down to Terlingua. The photo I have attached is one of my early attempts at stars down on our S. Texas ranch.
ISO 3200/f2.8/about 15 seconds on the D850/105macro.
Thanks.
Reg

Hi, if you want comments on your photo you should post it separately in the gallery section. I will say that, if you look closely, you can see that the stars are elongated. This tells you that you were not shooting fast enough to get the stars as circles. Take test shots and look closely and then reset as needed. I have never heard of anyone using a macro for night shots. Normally, people use a wide angle lens to get a large view of the sky.

reggrant Loc: Dallas via S. Texas

Yeah, I had a Nikkor 105 Macro, because I left my wide angle back in Dallas. Thanks for the input.

reggrant Loc: Dallas via S. Texas

Will do. Thanks.

reggrant Loc: Dallas via S. Texas

I'll try them out. Thank you.

ELNikkor

15 sec, f2.8, ISO 3200 would have totally blown out the lights in that photo; even 1.5 seconds would have made it much brighter. Check your settings again...

mikeroetex Loc: Lafayette, LA

reggrant wrote:

I am just getting into night photography. Reading a lot on it in the David Busch, D850 book. Any tips/tricks I need to keep in mind, especially when bracketing and any HDR info would be greatly appreciated. I will be in Ft. Davis for a few nights and then down to Terlingua. The photo I have attached is one of my early attempts at stars down on our S. Texas ranch.
ISO 3200/f2.8/about 15 seconds on the D850/105macro.
Thanks.
Reg

Get ready to be amazed at just how dark it is! Best place for Milky Way shots, although in October you are getting to end of season! I just drove down the mountain from the lodge and out into the desert. Could not see my hand in font of my face when i shut the lights off. get a headlamp with red light, it helps.

reggrant Loc: Dallas via S. Texas

I have a headlamp that is dimmable, but without red light. What’s the purpose of the red light?

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Reg, the red light helps you see without the "blinding" effect a white light would have.
--Bob

reggrant wrote:

I have a headlamp that is dimmable, but without red light. What’s the purpose of the red light?

mikeroetex Loc: Lafayette, LA

reggrant wrote:

I have a headlamp that is dimmable, but without red light. What’s the purpose of the red light?

Your eyes can stay better adjusted to the dark when using red light. Anything white will blind you again. And in those dark settings, even dim white looks bright!
Enjoy the experience. Somewhere near Boquillas Canyon or Santa Elena should give you some nice background. Teurlinga cemetery is also very popular, but at least a 30-45 minute drive from BBNP.

ATCurry

If you haven't already, learn how to manipulate the camera in the dark, including zoom and focus. Don't expect AF to be available. This also includes putting the camera on or off the tripod and adjusting that.
Put opaque gaffer tape over any external lights on your camera.
Wear sturdy boots, long pants and take bug spray.
Plan your shoot in the daylight. You can use apps like photopils to help you.
You will need a wider lens than that 105/macro, unless star trails are what you are going for.

vbhargava Loc: San Diego

The rule of 500, may be useful. Divide 500 by the focal length of the lens that is the maximum exposure before you see star trails. So for 105mm lens maximum exposure would be 500/105 or ~5 seconds. Anything greater will result in star trails.

BassmanBruce Loc: Middle of the Mitten

ATCurry wrote:

If you haven't already, learn how to manipulate the camera in the dark,

Spot on advice in my opinion (entire post), especially practicing focus in darkness. My best results in star focus have all come from using live view 10x and pinpointing a single star.
Have fun and good luck!

reggrant Loc: Dallas via S. Texas

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions. I found the rule of 500 just after my last ranch shoot, but haven’t had a chance to test it yet. I’m keeping a running log of all your advice. If I get anything decent I’ll post.