A first for me - Night sky

[IShootPeople]

Saturday night, I was visiting some friends in South Carolina, and we remembered there was supposed to be a meteor shower that night. So my friend and I went out into their pasture and sat in the cold to watch meteors. I hauled my camera and tripod out there to see if I could snap some pictures that were anywhere close to decent.

What do you know, but I did manage to get some okay ones! This is the first time I've ever tried night sky photography, and between my inexperience and fighting against some VERY annoying lights on both neighbors' places, I managed to get these! Still a long way to go for improving my skills, but this is a nice start, I think!!

[GBO25]

I find shooting the night sky very rewarding when the results come up trumps. The second shot here is my pick because you've got that bit of foreground interest which I think is almost a necessity with night sky shots although others may disagree. I've got a few here

[Shadowman]

Nice efforts, I like your inclusion of the trees in the second.

[Ziggy]

Well done eye in the sky.

[JBW]

In your first shot (top right corner) is the constellation that some call 'The Seven Sisters'. One way to enhance your night shooting is to use Stellarium (or any planetarium program) to help you compose your shots?

[IzzieK]

Both good shots but I like #2 better for the inclusion of the tree on the side.

Graham -- these were good shots there in your Flickr page...I am envious...

[IShootPeople]

It's so hard to know which are constellations when you have so many stars!! Thanks for the suggestion with the composition. I do plan on doing more of these in the future at different times of the year, so learning what is where is going to be invaluable.

Graham - Your pictures are stunning! I can only hope to be half as good eventually!

Thank you all!