Post #4, Questions

A question that comes up often when I show my pictures of the Milky Way is, "How did you do that?"  Some people think I must have a fancy camera, a fancy telescope, or perhaps it was a touch up job in Photoshop.  I don't own such fancy equipment, and am a novice in Photoshop.  So how do I do it?

The technical answer to that question is hard to answer unless I know I'm talking to an experienced photographer.  I'd like to share some technical aspects behind my pictures in future posts, such as shutter speed, aperture and ISO.  I will try to explain these terms as we go, but if you'd like more insight, there are many resources on the web, such as this blog post on photography basics.

Generally, though, photography is about capturing light.  At night, there is little light to capture, therefore, I need to change my settings to increase the camera's sensitivity to light, its ISO.  I also need a slow shutter speed, so I need a tripod also to reduce camera blur during these exposures of one minute or more.  I can also let in more light with a wider aperture, a wider opening for light to pass through the lens.

I don't own a fancy camera, but I do know how to use it.  Knowing how to work my camera allows me to change my camera's settings so to take pictures at night that our human eyes can't see.  When you look up at the night sky, even if you are in the middle of nowhere, you won't see such vibrant colors in the Milky Way; the camera brings that out.   To find the Milky Way at night, you have to know where to look.  I use a star chart that I bought at Topeka's own Wolfe's Camera Shop, and have rented many books from the library on reading the night sky.

And as for the Photoshop...well, that's a work in progress.  I've only had a brief class in Photoshop...by no means am I a pro at that!  However, there's some pride in taking pictures that aren't improved (much) by Photoshop.

One other question I'm asked is, "Where was this picture taken?"  That's an easier answer!  I grew up in western Kansas, where people are few and far between, and therefore, there are less distractions at night to seeing the sky.  One place I frequent is about 40 minutes south of my hometown of Oakley, the Monument Rocks.


Close up map view of the road where the Monument Rocks are found



A zoomed out view of that same road, faintly seen on the right


The Monument Rocks are located south of Oakley, but north of the Scott State Park, off of Highway 83.