Photology: August 2010

Monday, August 30, 2010

...twohundredfortytwo/threehundredsixtyfive...

Tried a new startrail technique tonight. Instead of the ol' "frame yer shot and lock the shutter" technique I instead opted to shoot 100, 30 second exposures and layer them with this nifty FREE program, Startrails. The basic theory is by layering multiple exposures you eliminate the sensor noise (those icky color speckles that destroy clarity of an image) created by long dark exposures taken in warm climates. The longer the exposure the warmer the sensor gets, the warmer the sensor gets the more noise it creates and in summer it's already warm outside.

As I type this I haven't seen the finished product so I'll be as surprised (good or bad) as you. This was just a test. We'll be camping in the Allegheny National Forest this weekend and I plan on doing some serious startrails among other nocturnal photography awesomeness then.

This worked better than expected! I'm super stoked with the end result, check out that satellite! I live next to a prison which bombards my sky with enormous amounts of light pollution. I'm very surprised the trails are that bright. I even nailed Polaris like a champ. It figures, my wife turned on the porch light in the same frame as the satellite was passing so that's what's going on with the light flares in the sky and the weird edge on the roof (I had to black out the light on the house in that frame).

I can only assume those are also startrails (or planet-trails) reflecting on the windows

Saturday, August 28, 2010

...twohundredforty/threehundredsixtyfive...

My step-father has been telling me about these rotting train cars for months now and I finally had a free weekend. Drove 90 minutes to get there and on initial impression I was unimpressed but after I got "permission" from Mr. GreaseCoveredDude, [conversation as follows: ME: "Is it cool if I wander around here and take some pictures of these railcars?" MR. GCD: "Ah don' give a sheeit"] I ended up with some nice shots. I was forced into some HDR work due to the bright midday sun casting strong shadows.