My First Foray into Astrophotography: SE Sky
Hello fellow stargazers and aspiring astrophotographers! I'm thrilled to share my very first attempt at capturing the wonders of the night sky. This image, titled 'SE Sky', was taken during a recent holiday in Norfolk, specifically facing the South East. It's a testament to the allure of astrophotography and the exciting learning curve that comes with it.
The Setup and the Shot
For this maiden voyage into the cosmos, I used the following equipment and settings:
- Camera: Canon 100d (1.6 crop factor)
- Lens: Kit lens at 21mm
- Exposure: Single shot, 15 seconds
- Aperture: F3.5
- ISO: Auto (which landed on a rather high 12800, explaining the noise!)
- Tripod: Essential for a stable 15-second exposure.
- Sky Conditions: Bortle 4 skies, which are wonderfully dark and ideal for this kind of photography.
I also performed some slight editing in Adobe Lightroom to bring out the details and manage the noise.
Lessons Learned and Future Plans
As you can see, the high ISO, while capturing a lot of light, also introduced a fair amount of noise. This is a classic beginner's pitfall, and a good reminder that managing ISO is crucial for cleaner images. The comment "A high ISO reduces noise" from the subreddit is actually the opposite of what's true – lower ISOs generally produce less noise. This is something I've learned and will be more mindful of in future shoots!
I'm excited to report that I've already switched to a 50mm prime lens for subsequent attempts, and the initial results are promising. I'm in the process of editing those shots and can't wait to share them with you.
The quest for clearer skies continues, and I'm eager to practice more and improve my astrophotography skills. Stay tuned for more celestial captures!
