Star shapes at small apertures...

[rpcrowe]

I shoot many of my night and golden hour images using a 70-200mm f/4L IS lens. I often like to stop down for the resultant star shapes from point source lights.

At f/32, I get very definite and specific star shapes. I was able to shoot this at f/32 because there was still a decent amount of light at golden hour. f/32 @ 1/20 second...


My Canon 7D allows a maximum of 30 seconds exposure. This shot was done at ISO 160 using f/14 @ 30 seconds. There are some star shapes but, not the definite stars produced at f/32. However, I could not have shot this at any smaller aperture unless I wanted to boost my ISO...


I have solved the long exposure problem by purchasing a remote release with a self timer that allows very long exposures. It seems to work quite well and was very inexpensive..
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intervalomet...item33894b1716

I will use it the next time that I am shooting night shots and want very long exposures...

Another thought is a star filter. I have a 4-pointed star filter and will use it the next time that I shoot at night...

[kintatsu]

I've found that the longer the focal length and the smaller the aperture, the longer the rays. The smaller apertures make great stuff. I've got some that even the pinpoint reflections have starbursts. Nice photos!

[IzzieK]

I was about to mention the star filter because I have one from my film days..love the colours, Richard...

I shoot many of my night and golden hour images using a 70-200mm f/4L IS lens. I often like to stop down for the resultant star shapes from point source lights.

At f/32, I get very definite and specific star shapes. I was able to shoot this at f/32 because there was still a decent amount of light at golden hour. f/32 @ 1/20 second...

My Canon 7D allows a maximum of 30 seconds exposure. This shot was done at ISO 160 using f/14 @ 30 seconds. There are some star shapes but, not the definite stars produced at f/32. However, I could not have shot this at any smaller aperture unless I wanted to boost my ISO...

I have solved the long exposure problem by purchasing a remote release with a self timer that allows very long exposures. It seems to work quite well and was very inexpensive..
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intervalomet...item33894b1716

I will use it the next time that I am shooting night shots and want very long exposures...

Another thought is a star filter. I have a 4-pointed star filter and will use it the next time that I shoot at night...

[William W]

Nice shots Richard.

The lens Richard used must have Eight Blades. There are eight points to the stars.

A Lens with an Even number of Blades will produce that exact number of rays; a Lens with an Odd number of Blades will produce DOUBLE that number of rays from the Star.

I like eight and six: hence I do take some note of the number of Aperture Blades a lens has: I do not like lenses with 5, 7 or 9 blades to make shots like the above - the resultant stars are usually quite mucky (except the Five is sometimes OK).

The star effect (lengths) is often easier to get with a Prime than with a zoom at more modest apertures (i.e. not fully stopped down), but it depends on a few other things especially the design of the zoom.


WW

[FrankMi]

Great shots Richard, and very effective use of the star effects!

For those that are interested, if you want to add, control, or enhance star effects, Topaz Labs has a Photoshop add-in called (surprisingly) Star Effects. I have played with it a bit but usually prefer to not include star effects for all but a select few images.

[mknittle]

Thanks Richard, Nice shots.

[deetheturk]

Richard,iv'e been looking and looking,no dogs? Great images by the way!

[Ken MT]

I think that the couple in Red and Maroon about the middle of the scene may have had a dog!

[Colin Southern]

Hi Richard,

A "poor man's" way is to use bulb mode and just hold the shutter release down; works OK with a solid tripod. Most of the passive releases have a release lock - so you can just click it down and lock it (and time the exposure with a watch). These Canon TC80N3 knock-offs are ridiculously cheap though.

[rpcrowe]

Colin...

I am pretty good at counting off seconds "one thousand and one, one thousand and two" ( some folks use "one alligator, two alligators" etc.)and so on. This is how I used to shoot with larger view and copy cameras. I can get pretty close to the actual seconds doing it this way. However, I am getting lazy in my old age and opted for the "knock off" timer which works quite well, is pretty darn cheap, and also functions as a standard corded remote release. Since I need to use a release anyway, it might as well count off the seconds when I want it to

I plan on using it for the first time tonight. I will post images! I saw a smashing view of some buildings at sunset on the San Diego Bay when our kids took us to dinner a few nights ago!

[Brev00]

I am glad that you and others here share my love for star shapes. They can make such a great accent as you show so well in the two photos you have shared above. I look forward to posts from your future adventures. I thought I was the only one wondering about trying to finagle a star burst somehow or another. Cool stuff.

[Colin Southern]

Colin...

I am pretty good at counting off seconds "one thousand and one, one thousand and two" ( some folks use "one alligator, two alligators" etc.)and so on. This is how I used to shoot with larger view and copy cameras. I can get pretty close to the actual seconds doing it this way. However, I am getting lazy in my old age and opted for the "knock off" timer which works quite well, is pretty darn cheap, and also functions as a standard corded remote release. Since I need to use a release anyway, it might as well count off the seconds when I want it to

I plan on using it for the first time tonight. I will post images! I saw a smashing view of some buildings at sunset on the San Diego Bay when our kids took us to dinner a few nights ago!

I use a timer too.

Funnily enough though, with long exposures, it doesn't make much difference if your counting is a bit out; if you're aiming for a 10 minute exposure; 5 to 20 minutes is only 1 stop either side.

[Colin Southern]

PS: Here's some stars of the show :P (click for bigger view, yada yada)

[William W]

PS: Here's some stars of the show

14 point stars - the EF 16 to 35 mkII USM?

WW

[Colin Southern]

14 point stars - the EF 16 to 35 mkII USM?

WW

Hey Bill,

Yes @ 16mm.

[William W]

. . . it doesn't make much difference if your counting is a bit out; if you're aiming for a 10 minute exposure . . .

. . . five-ninety-eight-alligator . . . five-ninety-nine-alligator . . . six-hundred-alligator"

"Phew . . . I need a cold New Zealand white"

[Colin Southern]

. . . five-ninety-eight-alligator . . . five-ninety-nine-alligator . . . six-hundred-alligator"

Damn ...

... under-exposed!

One-alligator ...