dizzy

[n8]

Shot this in my backyard. I'm trying to figure out how to bring out the stars better as my exposure was limited to 30min.

[LeeIs]

I like these types of star trail shots. I wish there was more of them and also wish they were stronger. other than that, everything else looks ok.

[n8]

I could have used a larger f stop (this was f16) to brighten them up a bit, but there's nothing I can do about the length...trying to figure out that one.

[LeeIs]

I think just leaving the shutter open for a lot longer should do it. When I say longer I mean like for a few hours even. then u can shoot at a high aperture also and balance it out after you see the results. trial and error

[EOSThree]

If you have a max limit of 30 minutes then take several of them and stack them. There are several programs that will stack them for you. I hope to try some star trails this fall.

[n8]

Yeah, I've been looking into the stacking..cs5 should do me fine for that. I figure I'd trim down the times to reduce the noise too.

[CaraRose]

I'm not sure if a longer exposure would make the stars pop more. The longer the exposure, the brighter the sky is, and that may wash out the stars a bit. That seems to be happening already on the stars closer to the horizon.

Are there lights around you're house? Best bet is to go somewhere with low light pollution on a clear night with no moon. Unfortunately, IL is a horrible state for light pollution (in Chicago I can't even see the big dipper sometimes).

[n8]

Oh yeah, plenty of light pollution in Rockford. I've had the same concern about the longer exposures, but I'm trying to get the technique down as I'd love to try some when I'm out towards rural Az this Nov.

[CaraRose]

I was totally psyched about trying some in Rocky Mountain this year, and then realized when I got there that I forgot my shutter remote, and bulb requires the remote or constant held down shutter to work. And the only camera store in town sold Nikon remotes but not Canon (bah, humbug!).

[Greg McCary]

You could always just get a used film camera and put it in bulb. GB1 has done some very good star trails in the past. I love the focal point here. Nice.