Posted by Joe Sulik on January 13, 2010 at 8:59 AM
Hi everyone, so Im going to try my first star and night photography this weekend, and Ive been reading a ton on technically how to get the shot, but one thing I cant find is if I have something in the foreground, do I focus on the foreground, or infinite for the stars? Thanks. Joe
Posted by Doug Roane on January 13, 2010 at 3:24 PM
I have just started trying night photography, so I'm no expert - but, you can do both, and blend the exposures. Or, just as with any landscape, focus about 1/3 in the frame to approximate your hyperfocal focus point (or use a hyperfocal focusing table). However, you will likely have to stop down the lens to f/16 or 22 to get adequate dof, and that might make your shutter speed longer than you want if you want pinpoint stars rather than trails, and will probably not let enough light through to really show the stars - that's why I like blending. Blending also allows you to use a low ISO for the fg and high ISO for the stars if necessary.
Posted by Joe Sulik on January 14, 2010 at 10:53 AM
Thanks for the replies, Benjamin I hadn't read the article and it was very helpful. I think I'm going to try shooting three exposures to capture the foreground, stars, and the sky just after sunset, and I might try a longer star trail shot since I might get less noise do to the winter temps. I also have a sort of off an off topic question, tomorrow my dad has to work in Bemidji for the day before we go down to South Dakota, so Jon (the other photographer coming with) and I plan on trying to find some wildlife in the area. I know where two eagles nests are in that area, but I happened to see that your from Bemidji and I was wondering if you knew any good spots to shoot at while we are waiting for my dad to finnish up work. Thanks. Joe
Posted by Benjamin Olson on January 14, 2010 at 12:39 PM
Joe,
I do mainly landscape work up here, unfortunately I haven't had the time to set-up properly or invest into wildlife work up here because of school. I just moved up here this past fall so I'm still learning about the area and what it has to offer. As far as scenic places to go I guess it depends on how far you want to venture away from town. Bemidji State Park is close, but it's a heavily traveled park, but I haven't been there this winter either so it may be worth a try. I usually try Three Island County Park north of downtown about 15 miles, they have nice XC trails up now, but I haven't been out there since Thanksgiving so I don't know what the scenery looks like right now. Otherwise there is Itasca State Park about 30 miles south of town and your last good option would be The Lost 40, it's about an hour away near Blackduck. The Lost 40 is actually a small parcel of land in the Chipewa National Forest that was never logged, so there are some huge Red and White Pines there, some of the biggest I've ever seen. It's worth the drive, its very scenic and nestled away from the towns. Given the location of The Lost 40 it makes me wonder about accessability now that there's snow, 4WD might be necessary, but I'm not sure. Well those are the only areas I've had time to scout out since I moved here in August, but I hope this helps!
I would say just give me a ring when you get up here and I'll show you some places, but unfortunately I have class all day tomorrow...
Discussion
4 replieshttp://www.naturephotographers.net/articles0509/fv0509-1.html
I do mainly landscape work up here, unfortunately I haven't had the time to set-up properly or invest into wildlife work up here because of school. I just moved up here this past fall so I'm still learning about the area and what it has to offer. As far as scenic places to go I guess it depends on how far you want to venture away from town. Bemidji State Park is close, but it's a heavily traveled park, but I haven't been there this winter either so it may be worth a try. I usually try Three Island County Park north of downtown about 15 miles, they have nice XC trails up now, but I haven't been out there since Thanksgiving so I don't know what the scenery looks like right now. Otherwise there is Itasca State Park about 30 miles south of town and your last good option would be The Lost 40, it's about an hour away near Blackduck. The Lost 40 is actually a small parcel of land in the Chipewa National Forest that was never logged, so there are some huge Red and White Pines there, some of the biggest I've ever seen. It's worth the drive, its very scenic and nestled away from the towns. Given the location of The Lost 40 it makes me wonder about accessability now that there's snow, 4WD might be necessary, but I'm not sure. Well those are the only areas I've had time to scout out since I moved here in August, but I hope this helps!
I would say just give me a ring when you get up here and I'll show you some places, but unfortunately I have class all day tomorrow...
Ben