Saturday, January 9, 2021

Astrophotography and Frost


This may not look very exciting to you but to me it is a game changer when it come to taking night time photos.  I received a SkyGuider Pro motor camera mount for Christmas and what it basically does is move the camera along the polar axis so I can take longer exposures without getting star trails or blurry images.  After playing with it for a few evenings I finally have a good handle on how to level it, align it to the north star and balance it with the weights.  I can then use my Canon DSLR and my 600mm zoom lens to take more detailed images of the night sky.


My first target was the Orion Nebula, it looks like a star with the naked eye but once you zoom in and take a 2 minute exposure this is what you see!  I was beyond thrilled with this result of the single shot. I have to still learn how to take multiple shots and layer to reduce noise in the image but for now I'm happy with this.  I only darkened the background on my computer, the colours you see are true to the original image.


My next target was the Andromeda Galaxy, also known as M31.


It was a nice surprise to see the second small galaxy and if I had moved my camera a smidge to the right I could have gotten more of the third on.  Setting up this shot took a lot of time as just the slightest move of the camera the galaxy disappeared from view.  It was a good test in patience in lining up this shot.

The skies have now been cloudy and I have switched my focus to taking picture of the hoar frost we have been waking up too all week.  I got out my lens ball to take a few shots and then the horses came by for a visit. They were a bit frosty too!







The blue sky made an appearance this week which made a beautiful contrast with the frost.



Our lockdown in NW Ontario continues so my quilting and photography has been keeping me sane and safe!  

18 comments:

  1. I so enjoy your photography! Your Quilting is great, also.

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  2. So amazing!!! I love all your photos!

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  3. Outstanding shots!! Not sure that I could pick a favourite though. I think the look on that horse's face is as much as to say, "Lady, where are your quilts? I sure could use one about now." Now that would be something ... a quilted horse blanket! :) Will be looking forward to seeing more results with your new equipment.

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  4. Oh my what fantastic photos. And very cool ones of the galaxy and the nebula. Not quite the same with a pair of binoculars! Thank you.

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  5. Gorgeous photos, as always! Is that your "Crystal Ball"?

    maggie

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  6. Beautiful pictures! You have the knack for taking great photos. Here in Windsor ON, night time photos are definitely not doable unless you plan on taking city lights photos. My son and I tried to see the shooting stars in August but we had to drive out to Tilbury and even then, there is so much light pollution down here, it's almost impossible to get a totally dark sky. I love the blue sky/frost and the horses.

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  7. Amazing! Your photos are absolutely beautiful! Every single one of them gives me a sense of pure peace. Really, you should make these into notecards and sell them, I would be the first in line to purchase them! Thank you so much for sharing these, honestly, they made my day!

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  8. You really are a talented photographer. The day shots are outstanding, but those night shots are extraordinary. I could never think if getting shots like those. Thank you for sharing them with us. Your talents are boundless!

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  9. Cool cool pictures! You’ve got me thinking of getting a new zoom lens. Had one for my old 35mm from years ago....but will probably get one for my digital camera. Thanks for sharing.

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  10. I started following your blog because of the quilts but for a long time now my favourite part of it is your photos....especially the night shots. They are just incredible.

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  11. Absolutely beautiful photographs! Thanks for sharing them.

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