The comet NEOWISE visits Earth every 6800 years so I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to photograph it. I made this image just a few minutes from my house in Boulder, Colorado, USA last night.
I expect to make more images of NEOWISE so please let me know what you like about this one and what you would do to create a more unique image and I’ll apply them over the next week.
What technical feedback would you like if any? Any
What artistic feedback would you like if any? Any
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
Nikon D610
Nikkor 28-70mm lens at 28mm
4.0 sec
f/4.0
ISO 3200
tripod
2 sec timer
mirror lockup (due to LiveView on LCD)
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I like the reflection of the comet in the water. Longer lens to make the comet more prominent, would be my only suggestion if you are going to continue photographing it.
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Matt, I too like the inclusion of the reflection, it creates something different. Similar to the recent Neowise post from @Karl_Zuzarte you made lemonade out of lemons with the use of the cloud in the composition This comet must be very bright if it looks this strong in a location that has the level of light pollution that I assume you would near Boulder.
My only suggestion would be to experiment with some longer focal length comps too, even if you have to go up to ISO 6400, or try stacking of lower ISO shots as a result. A longer focal length shot against the silhouette of some mountains near Rocky Mountain National Park might be cool idea to try.
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Nicely done Matt - the context especially. As part of the portfolio I would consider a vertical to include the reflection and so a more telescopic focal length - of course, paying attention to the length of exposure - may need to bump the ISO significantly
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Thanks, @Youssef_Ismail, @Karl_Zuzarte, and @Ed_McGuirk. I agree - a telephoto to isolate the comet and it’s reflection is a great idea. Among the images I made during this shoot were a few with my longer lens to do just that but was relatively displeased with the results. I’ll keep trying.
But I did capture a couple worth saving and I’ve reposted one above. Details: 25 sec, f/5.0, ISO 1600, 116mm on my 70-300mm. I’m quite happy with the composition but not with my processing or the noise. Additionally, the cloud bands give the image an unappealing banding and glare.
I’ve heard stacking will improve astrophotography images but I just don’t know how to do it and would like to learn. Any suggestions?
A general rule of thumb for star exposure using a Full frame camera is 500 divided by the mm of the lens in use. This gives us the number of seconds that we can keep the shutter open before the stars start looking like trails - and this 500 is generous. For eg, if you use a 100 mm lens, then 5 secs is the max - 4 even better. As you can infer, the image may be dark - so we need to increase the light by either increasing the ISO or using a wider aperture
Addressing stacking for sharpness and reducing noise: Take very short exposure images at very high ISOs - 10,000 - some folks take even 100, yes 100 images and put these images into a program - Starry Landscape Stacker ( Mac ). There is another one for PC. Let me know if u use PC and I will find it. You also need 1 black frame which is used as a reference for noise
Trackers are also available which has a motor which is set to rotate anti-earthwise so to speak
Best,
Karl
Thanks, @Karl_Zuzarte. I appreciate the technical stacking information very much. I am on a PC.
What is the interval between images on those stacked frames?
Sequator for PC @Matt_Lancaster
Using a Intervalometer - 1 second
Careful about your buffer when taking too many images - especially with larger pixel cameras
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Karl, Can you recommend any online tutorials on stacking?
Starry Landscape Stacker has a excellent tutorial itself
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