Some nightscapes

[Paulo Bizarro]

Two days ago I went out to a place near Almograve beach (southwest Portugal), to photograph some star trails and the Milky Way. This is a "dark enough" kind of location, sandwiched between the villages of Almograve (about 1 km to the south) and Milfontes (about 10 km to the north). I wanted to have the rotation around Polaris, so I had to live with the light pollution coming from Milfontes (first photo). The cliffs are illuminated from people strolling through the beach to the right, beyond the field of vision; it actually provided some interest to the cliffs. In the second photo, of the Milky Way, there is light pollution from Almograve, but I am happy with it, it's a nice record.

The best part of the night is that my daughter wanted to accompany me, which was great!

As for technical details. All with Canon 6D and Zeiss 25 f/2. The first photo was combined in Starstax (wonderful little programme for this), from about 51 exposures of 30 seconds each, at f/2.8 and ISO 1600. The second one is a straight 20 second, f/2.8, ISO 1600.

I plan to explore the area a bit more, especially to the interior, near the town of Odemira, which will provide some more darker locations.

Kind regards.

[francois]

Both images are fantastic… outstanding. I can't choose a favorite, while both are nightshots, they are very different.

Thanks for sharing the technical details… I guess that I'd need to relocate to shoot similar images. Here, light pollution is a serious issue.

[Chairman Bill]

I've got a Dark Skies Reserve on my doorstep (Exmoor), and really should make more of an effort in this regard. Your photos are great, and maybe that little bit of inspiration I need to get myself up onto the hills at night.

[Paulo Bizarro]

Thanks for the feedback. This kind of photos are actually very easy to make these days, technically speaking.

Here in Portugal we also have a Dark Sky Reserve, in the interior of Alentejo province, Alqueva region. I have plans to go and visit. After all, what could be better than to set up the gear on the tripod, let the camera work for you, sit back, relax, and enjoy some great red wine, cheese, and chorizo?

Regards

[Chairman Bill]

And we've got the Perseid meteor shower over the next couple of days. Point you camera into the eastern night sky ...

[Paulo Bizarro]

For those interested in this particular corner of Portugal (Odemira), here is a link to a recent promotional video of the region:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0ZqjNZ8o7w&feature=youtu.be

cheers

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Paulo,

Those are both great, and the light pollution doesn't really interfere in either one. In fact, I like the contrast in color it provides with the rest of the sky.

[wolfnowl]

Well done!

Mike.

[Jeremy Roussak]

Both are superb, Paolo, but the first appeals to me more. I like the way the cliffs are illuminated and I agree with Eric about the effect of the light pollution; I think the image would be lessened without it.

Jeremy

[sdwilsonsct]

The second one is a straight 20 second, f/2.8, ISO 1600.

Wow! Times have changed since I last tried this a few years ago. Encouraging.
Nice images.

[Paulo Bizarro]

Wow! Times have changed since I last tried this a few years ago. Encouraging.
Nice images.

Indeed things have changed dramatically, and for the best. The current full frame sensors are simply amazing. Also, the amount of stars that shows up in the final image is much higher than the stars visible to the naked eye.

[shaunw]

Great nightspot...#1 for me if push came to shove.

Shaun