[Theme] Show us your Star Trails!!!

[Jan Anne]

For me a photo trip is not complete without at least one cool star trail shot, here are a few of my all time favourites.

Exposure is roughly around the half hour mark at base ISO with long exposure noise reduction enabled, the used gear and locations are mentioned below each photo as usual.

So, what are your favourite star trails shots?


Sony a7S & Voigtlander 15/4.5 LTM, last weekend in the NL


Nikon D800E & Samyang 14/2.8, Sweden 2013


Nikon D800E & Samyang 14/2.8, Spain 2012

[Jakov Minić]

It's difficult to compete with your star trails, JA!
Here is the Slovenian fluke

[Mike Wallace]

Nice!  Something I'd like to try one of these nights.  TY for the inspiration! 

[Jan Anne]

Here is the Slovenian fluke

Rather a coincidental collection of events

Seriously, what are the odds that a plane flies over that ski lift drawing those vertical lines crossing the startrails???

[Jakov Minić]

Rather a coincidental collection of events

Seriously, what are the odds that a plane flies over that ski lift drawing those vertical lines crossing the startrails???

Worth noting is that I didn't shoot it with a fish-eye, but a 300mm lens 
Also, it was Erik and you noticing the plane at all, I wasn't even aware of it.
Must be karma 

[Bjørn Rørslett]

In short, serendipity. Karma might result as a bonus.

[Fanie]

I have only tried it once, with D300 and about 2 hour exposure at ISO200, NR switched on.

[elsa hoffmann]

wow I have never even done this -
the images posted are truly beautiful

[Jakov Minić]

Speaking of serendipity, this is a photo from our last year's get together in Montenegro.
We were based in Scepan Polje, a confluence of 3 rivers Tara + Piva = Drina.
The place is perfect for rafting, hence wet-suits, hence these hangers that are used to dry wet-suits (why would you want to dry something that is called wet).

Anyway, I was smart enough to pick up an IR camera, place it underneath the hangers and point it into the sky.
Little did my intelligence know that there was a light sensor (more than clearly visible in this image) placed above the window.
I am not certain who triggered the light sensor but my image got ruined. Or did it?

[Jørgen Ramskov]

Wonderful images. What are the basic steps to produce such images?

[Jan Anne]

Wonderful images. What are the basic steps to produce such images?

Very easy actually:
- Find the North (or South) Pool star on a clear night
- Shoot it with a wide angle at base ISO, wide open or one stop down
- I usually expose roughly for half an hour, longer exposure makes longer circles

Do some high ISO shots in advance to determine the composition.

[Jørgen Ramskov]

Thanks for the explanation, gotta have to try that

[Jakov Minić]

Jørgen, don't ask me I am useless

Any camera, any lens, ISO 100, High NR on, f/5.6, and chose your shutter speed between 5 and 30 minutes.
Avoid light pollution and of course, it would be nice if it's not a cloudy night 
Even the moon has a tendency of polluting the image.

[Jørgen Ramskov]

Yeah, avoiding light polution is getting more and more difficult.

[Peter Connan]

Some stunning images here!

Here are a few of mine:

They are all stacked images, 25-30 second exposures wide open at pretty high ISO's.
The first is D7000 + Nikkor 12-24 f4, the next two are D7000 + Sigma 10-20 f4.5-5.6 and the last is D750 + Tamron 15-30 f2.8