Setting Up To Shoot The Stars

I have only stayed the night on Lake Freeman once, but it was a magical night. A clear night with very little humidity allowed the stars to shine. With very little wind the lake was so calm that it mirrored the scene above. I probably spent more time looking at the stars that night than actually making pictures. Shooting stars were all over the place, and it really was a sight to see. This one night on the lake really made me want to spend several nights out on the lake.

Shooting the Stars

To make this shot I set my tripod up on the edge of the pier. This really is not an ideal spot to set up as the pier can move, but with all of the double decker piers lined up it it is the only way to make a clear picture like this without a distracting foreground. I made sure that I had my white balance close which I normally do not worry about. For some reason I decided to do so that night. As I talked about earlier on this blog it was a good thing as I was just shooting jpegs that night. My camera only had the SD card in it that I have set for large jpeg. My CF card slot was empty which normally shoots full size RAW images. The fact that I was able to use several shots from that night speaks volumes to why you get it right in camera. Had I relied on fixing it in post I would not have been able to salvage most of the photos from that night. It is also a good reason to always check your gear. Just because it is saving images does not mean that it is saving them the way that you want it to.