Star trails

Capture scenes and stars at night

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Inclement weather doesnt mean stopping your shoot, as David Clapp explains: Many photographers abandon the camera after the light levels drop, but its best to stay as long as possible, just in case something amazing happens. Fanad Lighthouse, in Donegal, Ireland, was caught in ne rain, which extended the beams further than I have ever seen. A 30 sec exposure brought out the dark blues to give this image a wonderful night-time feel, smoothing the rough seas into a painterly calm. Exposure 30 secs at f/8; ISO800 Lens Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM

Weather conditions

The rst bit of kit youre going to need is a tripod. This is essential for slow shutter speeds as your camera needs to be fully supported to keep it as still as possible to avoid capturing signs of camera shake. When setting your tripod in place its vital that it is stable. You can weigh the centre column down with a bag for extra support. It is also advisable to use a shutter release for minimal contact with the camera during the exposure. Pro Guy Edwardes says I used a remote release to re the shutter at the precise time that the water began to ow back into the ocean, creating attractive lines and a smoother more predictable effect in the foreground. Exposure - 1 sec at f/22; ISO 100 Lens - Canon EF 24-105mm f4L

Tripod stability

To capture successful starry skies you need clear and calm conditions, and to avoid locations with potential light pollution. Youll be shooting long exposures, so its best if theres little wind to ensure your tripod remains still. Pro David Noton says This location, in Bryce Canyon in Utah in the middle of the night, is great for shooting starry skies as it doesnt suffer from too much light pollution from nearby cities except on the horizon. I upped the ISO to 6400; my 1D X didnt seem to mind as it can control noise well. The increase in sensitivity enabled the sensor to capture more detail in the sky. Shooting at f/4 on the excellent EF 14mm lens also captured enough depth of eld for this shot. Pushing technology is all part of the learning process and Im certainly hooked on stargazing! Exposure 20 secs at f/4; ISO6400 Lens Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM

Push the ISO

Drew Buckley explains how he captured this amazing image: This nal shot consists of a sequence of 88 30-second exposures that were stacked in a program called StarStax and then saved out as a single image. I then shot a separate image, using a hand torch to light the burial chamber and bring out the shadows in the foreground; the full moon did the rest of the lighting. I then opened both images into Photoshop to combine them. The star trail image was the base layer with the other image on the layer above. I selected the Lighten blending mode to combine the shots, which just transferred the lit shadows onto the star trail image. Exposure 88 x 30 secs at f/4; ISO1000 Lens Canon EF 17-40 f/4L USM

Combining exposures