Cloudy Nights, Stellar Sights: Photographing the Milky Way Core
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 13 окт 2024
- In this Nightscape Photography adventure we head out to a dark bortle 3 region in France to photograph the rising Milky Way Galactic Core. The weather forecast is tricky, but we decide to take the gamble. Although the clouds continue to haunt us, we have a great night of landscape astrophotography where the Milky Way mysteriously reveals itself through gaps between the clouds. Should we call this genre of night sky photography "astrocloudscapes" from now on? I also test my new equipment for the first time: the Nikon Z6 with a Nikkon/Nikkor Z 20mm f/1.8 S lens.
Despite the clouds it was a great trip! Ready for the next one! 😊
Yessir! Give me more! 😎
The haze lets the stars pop
It is just amazing.
IMO u were lucky to get the exact right amount of clouds
Thank you! In the end the haze created a great atmosphere.
Wow!! That plane shot might be the best shot you ever did in my opinion. The composition is so strong!! True dedication and it paid off. Hope the z6 prevails!!
Oh wow, that means a lot Jan! Thanks! I also really liked that one. Have to say I was also kind of jealous of the awesome comp Corné came up with 👌
Welcom to team Nikon :D that plane shot is awesome! Really love it. And I know I said this before, driving for 5 hours with no guarantee... that is some proper dedication.
Thanks Matej! I got a good first impression of the Nikon! I know, we are crazy haha. But we like the adventure also 😅.
Great moments in France Jeroen and great shots as always! I'll wait the next adventure. Hoping at clear skies 🤞
It is great to read that you enjoyed the video, thanks for commenting! And indeed: hoping for clear skies here also! I was all ready to go ojt untill those hazy buggers came around again. How are the forecasts there?
These are sensational images Jeroen. I very much admire your dedication to the craft and your resilience under pressure. I agree with many others that the light cloud actually enhances the images quite a lot. I hope you enjoy the experience with Nikon equipment my friend.
Thanks for watching Richard! Call me dedicated, call me crazy. Truth will probably be somewhere in the middle ;-). I am enjoying the Nikon so far which has now also been modded. After a shoot tonight I finally think I got the hang of focussing with the 20mm lens 😅. I'll still have to look on the screen back home, but focussing in the corners seems to be working nicely to really minimise coma. We keep learning!
Yes, the airplane shot is best. Wow, I will never complain about dark skies and cloudy nights again. I live in a Bortle 5 zone (64 km north of Los Angeles), but in almost every direction within 3 hours I can get to a Bortle 2. Although we have our share of clouds, in summer most nights are cloudless. The downside is that days are regularly over 38 C and everything is brown, not lush and green like most of Europe. Great work, love your channel!
Thanks so much! Living so close to a bortle 2 sounds like living the life 😎
Stunning shots Jeroen! Really admire your dedication to drive such big distances while rolling the dice on the clouds. Really think it paid off here, clouds added a superb layer of texture to the sky and let the MW peak through just enough. Must feel pumped after that adventure.
Yes, sometimes we are a bit crazy. I agree 😅. But you know, without trying you know it won't work for sure. I AM looking forward to my first clear sky core shots of the season though haha.
great Vlog again...the plane shot is amazing...! Enjoy your new camera system...:)
Thank you Benjamin!
Fantastic set of images and adventure, Jeroen. That commitment to drive so long for patchy weather is awesome!! I agree with you that *some* clouds definitely add to an Astro image - since realising that I’ve been a lot more relaxed while out shooting. Always love the vids. 🙌
Thank you so much Paul! We had a blast! I agree with being more relaxed once you agree to 'some' clouds. Still I am hoping to catch my first cloudless core of the year soon 😅
Great photos, even with some cloud cover! I hope it will become clear again in the coming week before we approach the summer nights. I haven't photographed the Milky Way even once this year... 😅
Thanks Mark! Yeah, the clear skies have been scarce this year. That partly drove us to France, even with shady forecasts haha.
Great video and love the persistance..enjoyd the airplane pic.. welcome to Nikon Z6 and 20mm combo.. Greg and I love that too..
Thank you Virat! I knew it was a popular combo but I did not realize it was só popular! 😄
Great Episode with really cool photos! Also your video qaulitiy is superb! I had no luck this year so far :( I own a Z6 and z20mm too and focusing is a b****, i dont like the focus by wire at all. I dont know if you already know the trick to get Sony like iso boost on the Nikon, simply switch to the Video Setting and put in 25fps with 1/25 shuttertime and highest iso with open aperture. Then you can simply switch from photo mode to viedeo mode to compose and the switch back.
Thanks so much Jan! That means a lot 👍. Shame you haven't had much luck yourself yet this year. Hope that will change soon. I do exactly that with the video switch, super handy for making a quick comp. I haven't been able yet though to set the video to something else besides 16:9. Would be great to have it in the same aspect ratio as the photo, nut no big deal!
Very nice! Great shots as always. Welcome to Nikon. I think you will probably going to like the Nikon files and the stunning Z lenses.
Thanks Koen! I got a good first impression of the Nikon. Although I do think it is always 80% about what you do with the equipment in stead of the equipment itself 😉
@@StarScaperPhoto agreed, but having goof equipment helps with that.
True that
Nice job,I also bought a new set of equipment,but the forecast wasn't great,so wish me clear skies:)
Thank you! And ofcourse clear skies! 🤞
Great to hear you've gone down the Nikon path - same setup as I've got 🙌. Love the results with the clouds, who needs starglow filters 😉. Love the fields of yellow flowers - we have canola fields here which produce the same results at the right time of year.
Thanks Greg! Seems to be a popular combination that Z6 with the 20mm! Haha, love a bit of free starglow. Although I'm still hoping to capture my first cloudless core soon 😅
@@StarScaperPhoto Keeping my fingers crossed for you. I'm expecting my luck to change for the worse ss winter approaches.
Cool shots! I was hoping you take us on a plane ride haha. I love aviation. Planning to go out to the desert next week if the weather is good.
Haha, sorry for not taking off 😄. Hope you will get clear skies and great shots!
Fantastic plane shot !
I live close to Pyrénées mountains (1 hour driving) borttle 3 guaranteed. Do not hesitate if you want to come around, it will be pleasure to make you visiting nice places
Thanks Raphaelle! If I ever make it that way I'll remember this! Will probably not be by car though, more than 14 hours drive haha.
@@StarScaperPhoto 14hours it's a lot !
It might be doable through Toulouse or Bordeaux airport
Great video! I loved the plane scene and the field of flowers.
Congrats on the new setup, i use the MSM Nomad and its a great tool to use for me as a novice and i am polar alligned within 30 seconds.
Thank you! Hope the Nomad will arrive soon. Won't get rid of the star adventurer though also.
@@StarScaperPhoto The star adventurer looks amazing for longer focal lenghts.
I am really impressed with how you get the milkyway to pop with only one exposure. I just took a 22min exposure and still cant get it to pop. Maybe i need to upgrade my Nikon D800 this year. 😅
Again, i love your work. I wish you lots of clear nights before summer sets in 🤞🏻👌🏻
@Roysivertsen the adventurer is a tank and especially combined with a good tripod can withstand some good winds also! How I get it to pop us 50% dark sky and 50% processing.
Nice Trip, nice photos especially the one of the plane even with clouds, a top video as always Jeroen
I think you made a good camera upgrade for the Nikon Z6, it was a shame not to have upgraded to a Z 6 II, you didn't have to use an external Intervalometer and you could also connect a Power Bank to power the camera all night.
But it made an excellent update, just the fact that you turn the camera off and on again and it stays in perfect focus at infinity is a rest and saves a lot of time to start taking photos as soon as you turn on the camera you need the autofocus is on and then turns the focus off again as soon as the camera is turned on.
The Z 20mm f/1.8 S lens is a spectacle for an astro, as well as the Z 35mm and 50mm f/1.8 S are very good and light and will work very well with the MSM Nomad, I'm waiting to receive a Nomad too for travel, should arrive from Holland at the beginning of next week
The clouds this year are also a tragedy here in Portugal, a hug and clear skies
Thanks so much Mario! I considered a Z6II for that, but the price difference was a bit too much for only that (although it is a GREAT option to have in camera, I agree!). Interesting you say the Nomad will arrive from Holland? I expect mine to arrive in a couple of weeks from China 🤔. Clear skies!
Wederom prachtige foto's Jeroen. Ik zou wel eens willen weten waar de locatie is met dat vliegtuig. Ik ben binnenkort een paar dagen vrij en hoop dan lekker op pad te kunnen met de camera. Keep it up!
Thanks Niels! Tof om te horen! Een beetje tijd besteden aan research hoort erbij hè. De regio is aardig gepinpoint in de video, hier ga je uitkomen 😊.
I think you have a really hard cloud complex at the moment :D Great shots from the area, i also checked the area on lightpollmap last year but never drove there.
Hahaha, yes I do! And thanks man. The area is super dark. Also means there is not much around for foregrounds. But with a little persistance...
@@StarScaperPhoto let`s see what the future brings, at the moment i am shooting nothing
Dat zijn hele mooie foto's weer maat 😍👌! Ik was daar ook afgelopen zomer in de omgeving, om precies te zijn was ik in Fossé. Een prachtige bortle 3 omgeving en dit jaar wil ik weer heen.
Bedankt man! Is een fijne donkere omgeving inderdaad! Waar deel jij je resultaten? Volgens mij kwam Corné laatst ook aan met inspiratie van een reel/short (?) die je ergens gedeeld had uit een geweldig tof ravijn achtige omgeving in België?
Op je YT gewoon dus ook! Ga het nu checken 💪
Ja die omgeving waar ik afgelopen winter was die je op mijn RUclipskanaal zag heet Le Fondry des Chiens, vlakbij Phillipville. Daar zou je eens hele interessante vlog kunnen maken amigo 🤗👊🙏
"I am getting older..."
Take it from me, almost 70 years of age, having a flip screen will save your neck and back. Too bad about the clouds, you did the best you could. This is encouraging for me, as I leave tomorrow to a dark sky spot in Texas for milky way imaging. Forecast is not good, but hey, who cares? What ISO do you use normally for non-tracked shots shooting at f/2.8?
I was not 100% serious about the getting older part but thx for the flippy tip haha! Hope you come away with some nice results in Texas!
And oh, iso 3200-6400 ish if not tracked. Tracked I am around 800-1600.
OH NO! He's become that "Nikon Guy" R.I.P Canon 6D
Hahaha. That 6D isn't going anywhere soon 😊
can you see the milky way with the naked eye or can you only see it through a long exposure photo?
In a dark spot you can definately see the MW with the naked eye, although it will appear more like a slightly glowing cloud in the sky. Not as defined as in photos but I think certainly worth it.
When "the" is followed by a consonant sound, you say "THUH." When "the" is followed by a vowel sound, you say "THEE."
That's what you get when you let a Dutchman speak English 😶