Photograph the Milky Way

Milky Way, Jasper, Alberta, Canada

Checking the long-range weather forecast and the moon phases, next week.  It appears that the evening of the 24th and 25th of September will be a good time to photograph the Milky Way. 

Two locations in southeastern Massachusetts that are good locations with only a small amount of light pollution is the Stone Barn Farm property of Allens Pond Massachusetts Audubon Sanctuary, located in Dartmouth, Massachusetts and Gooseberry Neck portion of Horseneck Beach State Reservation in Westport, Massachusetts (walk part way up the path from the parking lot and look south).  Any time after 8 PM will be great since that will be the end of astronomical twilight plus the crescent moon will have set.  Everybody is welcome to join me at the Stone Barn, both of those evenings to observe and photograph the beautiful Milky Way.

The gear that you will need to capture photographs of the Milky Way are a digital camera with a wide-angle lens that has an f-stop of four or larger, a sturdy tripod with an appropriate sturdy head, a cable release, extra batteries, and a small flashlight (red if possible).  Wear appropriate clothing, non-DEET bug spray, snacks and/or drink in a sense of fun.

You will be shooting in manual mode and also have the focusing in manual mode.  The way I prepare for nighttime shooting is during the day I take my camera and appropriate lens and focus at an object in the distance, note where the infinity mark is and utilize gaffer tape (the reason to use gaffer tape is that gaffer tape leaves no residual) to tape the focusing ring of the lens into position; finally, make sure both the camera and lens are set set to manual focusing.

Setting the lens

 My favorite lenses for night sky photography is the Ronikon 24 mm f1.4 and the Tokina Fish-eye 11-17 mm. The Ronikon lens is manual focus, and despite being relatively inexpensive is very sharp and is available in various mounts.  It can be purchased from Amazon

In order to capture the maximum amount of light from the stars, the ISO will need to be set at 1600 or 3200.  If your camera has the capability with low noise, you can go high as ISO 6400.  The shutter speed should be between 20-30 seconds or you can use the 500 rule; 500 divided by millimeters of the lens will give you the best time so you will not get start trails.  Example 500/24 = 20.8 seconds, so setting your timer for 20 seconds will be great.  The aperture of the lens should be set to wide open or close to it.

Milky Way at the Stone Barn with the Ronikon lens

Take a test shot and adjust the settings as needed.  I also will bring a larger light so we can lightpaint the landscape.

Milky Way at the Stone Barn with a fish-eye lens and Light-painting

I also utilize for my location shooting PhotoPills, The Photographer's Ephemeris
 and Star Walk on my iPad.

So hope to see you there.  Any questions or need directions contact me at mborn@photobee1.com


Using the coupon code mborn you will receive a 15% discount on any or all of the Topaz plug-ins.



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Skimmer Ground Pod a Review

One of the best ways to obtain pictures of shorebirds, plus many other creatures is to get down to their level, rather than photographing them from above.  I have mainly utilize my tripods to do this, but, depending on which model I would use because some of them have center posts I could not get completely flat.  I noticed other photographers, utilizing the skimmer ground pod and photographers could be laying flat on the ground.  I decided to purchase one and see how it worked out.

The skimmer ground pod is approximately 10" in diameter and 1.5" high, the Skimmer's flat bottom allows it to slide and pan easily along the beach or mud without scooping up earth, protecting equipment from grit and moisture. The sides are turned out slightly to push sand and mud out and away, helping to keep debris from coming over the top. A protected area inside the plate can even be used to store teleconverters, extension tubes, and other incidentals for quick access while shooting.  The Skimmer was designed by photographers for photographers to meet our rigorous demands in the field.

The skimmer is made with heavy duty reinforced crush-proof molded plastic, weighs on the 15 ounces with an integrated raised mounting platform and a standard 3/8 -16 captive stainless steel bolt.  The bolt will accommodate a quick release clamp, a ball-head or a gimbal head, depending on what your preference is.  I utilized a gimbal head, which for me is me more freedom of movement.  The skimmer also has a reinforced attachment point to which you can add a clip or a lanyard to attach it to your belt or your camera bag.  Because the skimmer is plastic.  It is easy to clean and you can remove the stainless steel bolt with the hex wrench which is supplied.

The skimmer pod is available from Hunts Photo, and because you are a reader of my blog by clicking this URL you'll be able to purchase the skimmer at a 10% discount which is good until December 31, 2014.  You also can also call our store at (800) 221-1830 and use promos code: VaBit to purchase over the phone

The photographs of me were taken by my grandson Kyle.