Star trails can create some of the most beautiful night photography images. The reason I love to photograph them is because I think it is amazing that with just a long shutter speed you can see the path has taken in just one photograph.
The way I capture star trails is by shooting multiple exposures and combining them later on. For this tutorial to be effective you should know the general relationship between Shutter speed, Aperture and ISO. If you don’t I recommend checking out this site, http://www.exposureguide.com/exposure.htm
What you’ll need:
- Digital SLR Camera
- A Tripod
- A wired shutter release with a mechanism to lock the shutter down
Before you start make sure that the night is dry and clear. Set up your gear in a place where you have an open view of the sky but still compose it with some trees. Then focus your camera on a bright star. Once the camera is focused turn off auto focus so it doesn’t get confused.
For my aperture I will generally use f/5.6, with a shutter speed of 30 seconds. My ISO is always the lowest ISO necessary, starting at 200 and being at a max of 800.
Once everything is set, press the button on your shutter release, lock it down, and you are good to go.
The Finished Product
One thing I’ve noticed is that airplanes get into the shots if you photograph close to a city. I get rid of them by using clone stamp so the finished product looks better. It can take some time but generally it is worth it. Now that your photos are ready it is time to put them all together. For my star trail images I use Image Stacker. It costs $17 to get the full version and I find it very useful for combining all your images. To start click the “Add Images” button.
robynbessenger 