There is only one photograph that I know of that features Deadvlei with star trails, and it was shot by Art Wolfe. I'm in Namibia every year, so on this year's Namibia workshop, I thought I'd give it a try myself.
Wolfe's shot is a double exposure on slide film; one for the overall scene when there was still sunlight (polarizer and grads to darken the sky), the second for the star trails.
For my shot I did something similar, but there are also some differences. For my first exposure I waited until the sun had set and the sky was already quite dark, so no need of any filters - the foreground was lighter than the sky anyway. The 30 second exposure was enough to pick up some glow on the dunes in the background. I then set the timer to start taking 4 minute exposures when the moon had set as well.
The next morning was pretty stressful, because I had left the whole setup in the desert, and our camp was over 40 miles away...but it was all still there, nothing trampled by oryx or chewed on by leopards.
The battery of the D3 managed to take 47 4-minute exposures, a total of 188 minutes and more than enough for some decent trails. Back home I stacked the star trail shots on top of the base layer and got this result.
Curious what you think!
Nikon D3, AF-S 17-35/2.8, 1 30-second exposure and 47 4-minute exposures @ f/4, ISO 100, tripod, timer
Comments
50 commentsWhat I enjoy most about this image is the soft glow on the left hand side which gives it a warm feeling. Additionally, the stationary dead tree in the center, combined with the swirling stars is a fantastic contrast.
- Luke
Can't add much to Luke's comments except to say that this is one of the best star trail images I've ever seen.
Guy
Chris
reaped great rewards.
- Dan.
David M. Cobb
This is a superior image for so many reasons. Most of all, it conveys such a strong emotional impact. The title is perfect. Best Regards.
aF
I remember the Art Wolfe image very well. I think your take is outstanding and handled very well.
The orange glow in the background makes this one very special. I wouldn't mind a tad more blue in the sky rather than orange. That's a very minor nit for such an awesome shot. I really appreciate all the work that you went through to take this image. Stellar work!
No masking was needed. My base image is basically this image without the star trails. In other words: the sky you see here is the sky from the first exposure. From the star trail images I only used the lightness information.
This is very interesting! Mind if you shared your technique on how to use the lightness info. only? Thanks!
The star trail shots are basically nothing but short, curved bright lines on a black background. You simply stack all the star trail shots on top of the base image and set the blending mode to Lighten. That way only the pixels that are lighter than those of the underlying pixels will appear, i.e. the trails - the black background won't be visible. Hope that helps.
Sounds like a great way to keep sky noise to a bare minimum.
thanks for sharing us the tech. details