Last night we had a fascinating talk by Dr Anthony Holloway who as well as being a keen photographer just happens to be Head of computing at the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics.
We were treated to lots of photos taken ‘After Dark’ including the obvious for an astronomer, the moon and stars, star trails and deep sky images. Not only but also landscapes by moonlight, Salford Quays by night using HDR and long exposures, fireworks and even light painting.
Anthony mentioned some tools that he used to help produce some of his amazing images so if your memory is as good as mine you will have forgotten what they were. I took a few notes and here are the links:
Photomatix: An old favourite HDR tool
Oloneo: A new fast (real time) HDR engine which allows more subtle control
Startrails: Free software to stack a set of images to generate ‘startrail’ images. You can do a similar effect using Photoshop and blending the layers in Lighten mode. Startrails is simpler, quicker and allows automatic dark frame removal. This is quite old software but is now being updated again.
Stellarium: Free Open Source software to turn your computer into a planetarium. If you have any interest in the night sky this is a must have.
The Photographer’s Ephemeris: More free software to help you plan your outdoor photo shoot. It gives you the position of the sun and moon rise and fall for any place on the planet at any time. This is another absolute must have. There is also a version available for iPhone and Android phones (although these are not free).
Deep Sky Stacker Even more free software that simplifies the pre-processing of deep sky images. This is very powerful software, designed for astrophotographers with lots of tips on how to get the best images. You may need a motorised equatorial mount to get the most out of this.
For those who want to find the International Space Station or other satellites go to Heavens Above website.
If there is a break in the clouds this weekend you might want to see if you can photograph the Lyrid Meteor Shower. To find them look up towards the east in the direction of Vega. Spaceweather webside has details.
For those who couldn’t make it have a look at some of Anthony’s photos on Flickr.
Good Luck with your After Dark photography and remember above all have fun!
Mike