The 5 billion star hotel

I'd rather sleep under this 5 billion star sky than in any 5 star establishment in the world...

Many folks who see these images want to know how they are captured.
Here is a quick run-down of the process used to capture this photo.

1. Get to a place where there is minimal light pollution. Nearby towns and settlements exude enough light to feasibly affect your shot and the amount of stars visible.
2. Scout around for decent compositions during daylight, bearing in mind your main compass directions and suitable compositional elements.
3. Use a sturdy tripod.
4. Use a wide-angle lens with a large maximum aperture (think 1.4 or 2.8).
5. Make sure what time the moon rises and sets, and what phase it is in - this will also affect star visibility.
6. If you want more stars - wait for there to be no moon or new moon.
7. If you want more landscape illumination, shoot with a subtle moon at a low position in the sky.
8. Use your torch and camera "live view" to pre-focus on a clear object at least 10 meters in front of you, or manually set your lens to the hyperfocal distance.
9. Set your ISO to something between 1600 and 6400, depending on your camera's low light capability and your expected ambient light.
10. Set your exposure time to somewhere between 20 and 30 seconds (anything more will start to induce "star trails" as the earth rotates around its axis.
11. Use a strong torch to "paint" the foreground during the exposure. I find it works best to bounce the light source off your hand and use your hand to direct the light (your hand also diffuses the light and adds some warmth to colder/blue light sources).
12. Check the resulting shot and make adjustments to composition, focus point or settings as you deem necessary.

The settings for this image?

Nikon D800

Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 (focal length 14mm)

f2.8

20 seconds shutter release

ISO-3200

Location?

The Mountain Zebra National Park in the Karoo desert, South Africa.

Have fun experimenting!

Morkel Erasmus

Psychedelic Karoo Dreams

I was photographing this dry shrub under the Milky Way in the Karoo desert of South Africa earlier this year. After getting the standard "static" starscape I normally attempt, I started playing around a bit with in-camera techniques.

This is the "standard" photo...

Nikon D800  |  Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 @ 14mm  |  f2.8  |  30 seconds  |  ISO-3200

Now, the photo you see below was captured using in-camera techniques.
Some of you won't believe me, I'm sure...as it looks like something that was tweaked in Photoshop, right?

Nikon D800  |  Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 @ 14mm  |  f2.8  |  30 seconds  |  ISO-3200

For this photo, I started at 14mm focal length, performed light painting to get the bush sharp and lit up, and merely zoomed the lens in to 24mm gradually during the last 10 seconds of the 30 second exposure. You need to be very steady and gradual in this process.

Here's another variation...

Nikon D800  |  Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 @ 14mm  |  f2.8  |  30 seconds  |  ISO-3200

In this case, I followed the same approach as above, but instead of turning the zoom ring during the latter part of the exposure, I turned the focus ring, rendering the image out of focus for the last 10 seconds.

It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I do like experimenting with these slow shutter exposures, and trying different techniques. It can be so boring to capture the same images over and over and over and over and...

What do you think? Which do you prefer?
Leave me a comment...

Until next time!

Morkel Erasmus

Death under the Stars

Few things in the African bush evoke such awe and nostalgia as standing under a moonless clear sky at night and gazing up at the starry expanse above. How many other explorers and adventurers before us have done the same at night (while shuddering involuntarily at the roar of a lion that sounds closer than it is). 

This image was photographed in Etosha (Namibia) at a private research waterhole where I was privileged to spend some time earlier this year with my friend Hans Rack. Needless to say, this shoot was kind of interesting as elephants and rhinos would move ultra-silently and walk past us within a few meters (and the lions weren't too far by the sound of it). We remained within a reasonably safe radius from our sleeping structure...but it remained a bit unnerving and exciting at the same time. Gotta love these adventures!

On this flat featureless terrain there wasn't much I could use as a foreground anchor in this shot - but luckily some Kudu remains helped to give this an ominous feel. What do you think?

Techs:

Nikon D800

Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8

f2.8  |  30 seconds  |  ISO-3200

click on the photo to display properly

I am off to Etosha with my family on Friday - and though I won't be able to repeat this excursion I am looking forward to another trip to the African wilderness!

Morkel Erasmus

The Amazing African Night Sky

Well, good afternoon. I don't really know where you are when reading this, or what the time is...but right now it is about 17h40 on a lazy Sunday afternoon in South Africa.


I am aiming to now post at least one blog post per week, if not more, but in a more "photo-of-the-day" style, with intermittent longer, more thoughtful posts. That way I can keep everyone updated on my photos as I process them from previous travels, and keep the site a little more active.


Those of you who've been to Africa before will know that there is just nothing like the night sky of Africa. In the USA I know they speak of Montana as "Big Sky Country", but in Africa it just seems that everywhere is "Big Sky Country". And if the daytime clouds and expanse don't convince you, the stars at night surely will. In general Africa has many places that are still quite devoid of serious "light pollution", which enables a much clearer view of the Milky Way and Southern Hemisphere "starscape".

The Milky Way as seen in the Kalahari desert, South Africa
f3.5  //  30s  //  ISO-6400