Kathmandu night sky

[rachel]

Some of you may know that I moved to Kathmandu a couple of months ago. I arrived here in monsoon season and it's been fairly cloudy a lot of the time, I haven't had a lot of good sky nights. Some of you may also know that Kathmandu is pretty polluted, there's always a lot of haze or smog around.
What most of you probably don't know is that for the last 10 days, transport into Nepal has been blocked at the border with India, so we've been running out of stuff but especially fuel. That has led to a dramatic reduction of traffic on the roads these past few days and and consequent reduction in smog and Oh My! You should see the sky!

So last night I took advantage to try my first EVER photo of the milky way - from my own balcony! And tonight my first ever star trail composite - since it was a trial I only had 5 pictures in it so I will have to try again with more. But in one of those 5 pictures I got a shooting star!

Here they are. I have a lot to learn about this stuff, especially about the milky way and how to get a decent foreground and how to avoid noise but for starters I am very pleased with these. Any advice for future attempts gratefully received.


First the MIlky Way. I checked and checked the lens for streaky finger marks (because I though that's what it must be) and then I checked Stellarium and it really IS the milky way.... I have another version of this with the foreground cropped out but the foreground, wrong though it is, proves it was done from my own balcony. This from the RAW file with Photivo, which I'm still learning how to use.


And this the star trails, 5 photos combined in GIMP via a python script. This one looks blurry to me, but I don't think it really is, it's just that the trails aren't long enough to look like proper trails, it just looks like a camera shake.

[Shadowman]

Nice effort, were you using a fisheye on the first image?

[rachel]

No, it's not a fisheye, it was the 18-140 Nikkor that I had on it, but at its widest angle.

I also have a kit lens 18-55mm - would there likely be any benefit in using that? At very least it's lighter and the camera would be steadier on its tripod but is it likely to improve the image?

<Grabs camera and lens and runs back up to the roof>

[Rebel]

Thats a pretty good Rachel, next step is to try and get something interesting in the foreground.

[rachel]

Thank you - yes,I need to think a bit better about that. Where I am I have little choice about what makes up the foreground but need to get it better focussed and lit.
Once the blockade is over I can think about going elsewhere

[Manfred M]

Rachel - I don't generally worry too much about the night sky when I take pictures, so I'm not going to be a lot of use from a technical side. On the other hand, I do take "speciality" shots from time to time and the one thing that I have learned is that for any of these techniques to work well as a final product, composition is just as important as the technical aspects of the image.

Unless the image looks good in the viewfinder as you are composing, the technical hoops you just through are unlikely to produce a compelling image.

From a technical standpoint, long exposure night shots do require a rigid tripod. A heavier camera / lens setup will be a better combination than going to a lighter one. For my long exposure work, I also hang a weight from my tripod hook to bring an even great level of stability to my setup.

I wonder about how good Kathmandu is going to be for this type of photography. What really struck me about that city when we were there last year was how incredibly polluted the air was. I guess with the unrest with the new constitution and the aftermath of the earthquake, there are less vehicles around spewing out pollutants?

[rachel]

Manfred yes, as I said at the top, I decided to take advantage of the remarkably clear skies during the blockade to experiment - both with the camera and with how to process it afterwards. There is still some light around, of course, but not as much as you might expect in a city this size. Now that I know my camera can do it, I will worry a bit more about composition.

It's usually possible to get out at weekends to quieter places with prettier surroundings and less light/smog and in fact a week ago I did just that but it turned out to be more cloudy. Once it's possible to move around again, ie once the blockade is lifted, I'll try again

[IzzieK]

You did a good scene in #1, Rachel...I like it...yes, a tripod will be useful, but what do I know? I have plans, I have my settings noted last year but I failed to take the opportunity when it was presented to me because of the bugs biting my arms and face...you are so lucky being able to take this shot when you can.

[rachel]

Izzie, yes, considering I only had to go as far as the balcony then it's not a bad view..

But yes, I've a lot to learn and I've certainly got lots to keep me busy here and will continue to take advantage of the clean air, although as the blockade goes on I think that what we gain by having fewer cars on the road we lose by people burning whatever they can get hold of to replace the cooking gas that can't be had for love nor money.

That said, I got my clearest view yet of the Himalayas this afternoon so will be spending this evening learning how to de-haze......

[Manfred M]

This is certainly getting into the right time of year for those kinds of shots (especially if you can get out of Kathmandu). With the dropping temperatures, the water vapour level in the air will be falling as well, helping you for sure. This was one of the primary reasons we were in Nepal last November (as opposed to another time of year), as the views of the Himalayas can be stunning.

[rachel]

Yes, we're coming up to peak tourist/trekking season now but tourism looks like being crippled by the blockade (some hotels and restaurants are having to close their doors). I'm definitely looking forward to some nice mountain views. I have a feeling that the best of the milky way will be slipping below the horizon though.

[bnnrcn]

Hi Rachel #1 looks good to me, all you need is to find a better FG next time as Matt mentioned already.

[IzzieK]

I am sorry about the situation in your country. It is good of you to take advantage of whatever you can grab for now and share with us and learning in the process.

Izzie, yes, considering I only had to go as far as the balcony then it's not a bad view..

But yes, I've a lot to learn and I've certainly got lots to keep me busy here and will continue to take advantage of the clean air, although as the blockade goes on I think that what we gain by having fewer cars on the road we lose by people burning whatever they can get hold of to replace the cooking gas that can't be had for love nor money.

That said, I got my clearest view yet of the Himalayas this afternoon so will be spending this evening learning how to de-haze......

[rachel]

At the moment it's really just fuel that's affected, so transport is difficult and some hotels and restaurants are closing because they can't cook food or can't run their generators. There's still food in the shops though.

And yes, why not take advantage? There is a meteor show due on Thurs and Fri night this week so I'll be up on the roof to watch

[IzzieK]

At the moment it's really just fuel that's affected, so transport is difficult and some hotels and restaurants are closing because they can't cook food or can't run their generators. There's still food in the shops though.

And yes, why not take advantage? There is a meteor show due on Thurs and Fri night this week so I'll be up on the roof to watch

In my young-er years I was witnessed to many rioting and unrest so I really pity the people who are in the same situation. And you are in a beautiful place there with lots of photographic opportunities. And a meteor show will be nice. I hope you get a lot of good ones there...will wait for your shots.