Startrail
photography
There is a progression of techniques in taking pictures
of the night sky. The simplest is to place your camera on a
tripod and open the shutter for a while. The stars form
streaks on the film as the Earth rotates under them,
creating a startrail image. Not yet ready to attempt more
complicated astrophotography, I found that there is plenty
to learn and much opportunity for pleasing compositions even
with this simple method.
My ultimate
startrail shot
I pondered how to capture that feeling I once shared with a
friend seeing the stars from zenith to horizon, then
continuing beneath us as we looked out over their
reflections in an alpine lake. This became the inspiration
for my quest of the ultimate startrail picture: a full
semicircle of startrails reflected in the calm waters of a
lake. I have not achieved this goal, but the pictures here
are some of the rewards along the way.
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