Portfolio review
Reader Paul Greenhalgh shows that you don’t have to use full-frame camera bodies for astrophotography – a DXsensor Nikon will do everything you need
Reader Paul Greenhalgh shows that you don’t necessarily have to use full-frame camera bodies for astrophotography
Astro images have always fascinated me and I got my first real opportunity to shoot the Milky Way in Fuerteventura in 2015, with the Tefia windmill in shot while on a guided photo shoot [1]. Since then I’ve tried to get out and capture night landscapes whenever possible.
Two images that I’m particularly proud of were both created at last the minute. Penmon lighthouse in North Wales and Ashness jetty in the English Lake District were locations I’d shot before (during the day). I saw their potential for a night shoot, so they were my top priority. However, two things had to coincide in order for me to create them: the atmospheric conditions had to be right; and I had to be available to go and photograph them. These two rare occurrences presented themselves once in 2015 and again in 2017, and I’m particularly happy with the results.
I shot all these images with either a D5500 or D3100, both DX crop-sensor bodies. However,
I find it difficult to keep noise to a minimum with crop-sensor bodies. The high ISOs needed to capture enough detail in the night sky and getting some clear detail in the foreground can make the images too grainy, as it the case with Penmon lighthouse [3]. I’m very pleased with the Ashness jetty [2] shot as it’s my first image using a composite of two shots – a high ISO shot for the sky and a lower ISO (and therefore longer exposure) for the foreground to keep the noise in check. The images are then combined in software. I’ll be practising this technique further.
This star trail was shot from the roof of a villa I rented while on holiday in Lanzarote in 2017 [4]. I wish I’d composed the image better, but it was a very quick setup which I then left for the night to snap 2000 images while the Earth rotated. I batch-process all my images using Lightroom and this was no exception. However, I then used a software called StarStaX to composite all 2000 images into one and create the shot you see here.
I’d love to re-attempt all of these shots with a full-frame sensor body with faster glass to capture more detail in the images. I’m pushing the limits of my equipment here, and while I’m very pleased with them, I know the end results could be vastly improved; a D850 with the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 Art would be perfect, but at the moment I’ll just have to do the best I can with what I have.
N-Photo says
Paul, it’s great to see such beautiful images being made by somebody so passionate on DX cameras. Most nightscape shots are taken on FX bodies due to their superior lowlight performance, but you’re proving it’s possible to create stellar images with a D5500 or D3100.
You’ve retained fantastic detail in the shape and colour of the galaxy in all of your Milky Way images. It’s hard to capture a good chunk of the Milky Way as well as keeping foreground interest. So what you’ve achieved in your shot of the Tefia windmill [1] shows a working methodology.
Your use of the merged-exposure technique works really well in your
Ashness jetty image [2], and actually improves your astrophotography beyond what you achieved with your Tefia windmill photo. Taking two separate photos at differing ISO and shutter speeds, and then combining them on the computer later to get the best of both worlds is skilful. We believe that your shot of Ashness jetty is your most technically accomplished astro shot; minimal noise and a strong composition make this our favourite.
In contrast, the island to the right of Penmon lighthouse [3] is a tad noisy because it was shot as a single exposure. That being said, you’ve done your best to balance the shape of the Milky Way, the lighthouse and the landscape. Overall, it’s an impressive capture of a large portion of the galaxy.
As you say in reference to the star trails shot [4], it’s a shame that the composition wasn’t spot-on, because the star trails must’ve taken an age to capture. The house and wall in the middle provide sharp, distinct lines in the foreground. It’s only the left side and the lights which distract a little. Identifying Polaris and allowing the stars to trail above the house is a good placement which wouldn’t have been as impactful had the composition was altered.