Parkes radio telescopes - Parkes, NSW - Australia
Apr, 2017Views
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Awards
Top Shot Award 21
Contest Finalist in The Night Sky And The Stars Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in The Stars Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Night Wonders Photo Contest
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Contest Finalist in Into The Night Photo Contest
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Behind The Lens
Location
Parkes Radio Telescopes are located 20 Kilometres North of Parkes in Central NSW, Australia.Time
Early in the morning around 2am. A clear crisp winters night. Just get a good jacket and your good to go. Gloves might also be a good idea.Lighting
The full moon gives a strong side light and the stars were very bright due to the clear air, allowing for a 20 second exposure. I used f6.3, its a lot sharper than f4 on the 17-40 lens and stars stay sharp. An iso of 400 is still pretty good for low noise, although i'd generally like to use a lower iso.Equipment
Canon 5dmk3 and a 17-40 lens. I use a heavy 055 tripod, solid as a rock. I have taken this tripod everywhere for the last 10 years, its worth the extra effort.Inspiration
A gorgeous crystal clear night is so inspiring. There is no distant light pollution and to be in the middle of seemingly nowhere and have these amazing machines right in front of you is a great way to spend a bit of time.Editing
Post was done only in Lightroom. A bit of contrast was about it. It was a pretty clean shot to start with.In my camera bag
I travel with an older Crumpler bag, very comfortable. In it I have 2 cameras, a 5dmk4 and a 3 with a 70-200, a 17-40, a sigma 12-24 and a 100 macro, I like to keep 2 600ex flashes so I can light up a fair area if I need to. A manfrotto 055 tripod with a levelling head, heavy but real solid.Feedback
Stars are a fantastic subject. There is plenty of advice on getting the best star shots out there, but the best advice I could offer is to just get out there on any clear night and start shooting. A problem some people have is to find infinity in the dark. Generally there is a small white mark like a sideways L on the lens indicating the infinity. Or if you have it digital zoom in 10 times focus check. I try not to use a torch or a light once I have set up it takes too long for your eyes to adjust again to the dark. I have a small torch but I have some white tape over the lamp so it is a soft dull light. Another tip is, if it is a moist night, to put a hand warmer on the lens, you know those pack with a mineral in it that you rub and they stay warm for a while, I put one of those on the lens to keep the dew off. Just have to do it carefully so the focus stays exactly right. Oh, one more thing, a lot of star shooters say to go on a dark moonless night, which is probably a good idea but I like it when there is moonlight, it saves you tripping over things, lights up the landscape and you still see stars.
