Here is something we can learn from David Relph about the techniques and story behind this awarded photo. David is from the UK and did a small SLR photography module as part of his media course back in the '90s,
Where did you take this photo?
This image was taken near the small village of Egton Bridge in the North Yorkshire Moors in the northeast part of the UK. This was taken around 9 or 10pm. It was September, and close to a new moon, so with a clear sky, there were many stars visible. The location is a decent enough distance from some town lights so it was a pretty good dark sky, decent enough to see the slight cloudiness of the milky way which my camera picked up when shooting
What equipment did you use?
I used my Canon 600d, a 10-24mm Tamron wide-angle lens, and a Gitzo Tripod. Because I was shooting 30 seconds exposures I used a trigger release button to ensure a sharp image and then a torch to light up the image.
Anything worth sharing about lighting?
To enhance the shot I used a torch to light up the foreground and the tree as it was very dark and without it the tree would have been silhouetted
What inspired you to take this photo?
I really like astrophotography and this is the closest dark sky to me within an hour's drive. I love images you see in the Australian outback, and places where you really can see the milky way so I was happy to catch a small slice of that
Did you do any post-processing?
I used Photoshop CS5 to edit this image. I actually found a youtube tutorial which helped bring out the detail in the sky as I've never taken an image where the milky way was visible
What equipment do you normally have in your bag?
I now have a Canon 70d and a Neewer Tripod. Lenses I always carry my Canon 10-22mm wide-angle and Canon 50mm f1.8 lens along with Grad Filters and a 77mm 10 stop screw-in filter.
Any advice for others trying to capture something similar?
Wrap up warm! The clear skies can get chilly in the summer and freezing in the winter so a good quality coat and fleece, hat, and gloves. I also wrap a sock around my lens as this helps with any condensation that can build up on the lens. This isn't a totally 100% solution so always keep checking that your lens hasn't got condensation on it.
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