Astrophotography has always been my favorite form of picture taking.
At the bottom of the page there will be a guide to help you take these kinds
of pictures.
Then you to will know the joy of sitting outside in the dead of a January night,
a camera in your frozen hands, and your neighbors looking on at you.
To take your first astrophographic
picture:
Step 1: Get a camera with a 'B' setting or a setting that will allow you
to keep the shutter open.
Step 2: Buy some 400 speed film.
Step 3: Purchase a cord trigger that screws into the shutter trigger. (Or,
you can use scotch tape to hold the trigger down if you don't want to spend
any extra $)
Step 4: Choose a clear night (duh) & find a shot (veiwpoint) that you like
the most.
Step 5: Set the shutter speed 400 ISO on the 'B' setting. This will keep
the shutter open as long as you hold the trigger.
Step 6: Set the focus to the little 'Infinite ft/m' symbol & set the exposure
to it's widest setting (in most cameras this would be 2.82).
Step 7: Next you place the lens cap on and click down (or tape down) the
trigger.
Step 8: You can either attach the camera to a tripod or simply set the camera
down onto the ground.
Step 9: Once you've done this, & you're sure you are not in the cameras way,
you carefully remove the lens cap without jostling the camera. Count aloud 10
seconds then replace the cap, again without moving the camera in any way.
Step 10: With the cap securely replaced, unfasten the trigger to allow it
to close.
Congratulations! You have just taken your first astrophotograph.
With each shot you take you will want to keep the shutter open for 15, 20 even
25 seconds. The longer you keep the shutter open, the longer the trails the
stars will make in your picture as the Earth rotates.
Look up some backyard astronomy books in your local library & on the internet.
Try to find astronomical targets that you think will look great in a picture.
I reccomend Orion's Nebula (M42 on the charts)
Please do not redistribute
these images without our permission.
All materials on the Paradox Tulpa
Arts webpage are created/copywritten/protected by Juston DeCristofaro.
©2011 Juston DeCristofaro
