Photo with a star: the rules of life of an astrophotographer shooting at Lumia
We have told you many times about the use of our smartphones, as they say, beyond their intended purpose. It is worth remembering, for example, using Lumia as part of a telescope and microscope , as well as a controller of a 3D printer , or the Nokia N9 as a quantum random number generator .
Moon (shot through a telescope on the Lumia 1020)
But those were extremely interesting, but somewhat hyperbolic variants, and today we will talk about a simpler, but no less mundane (literally and figuratively) way to diversify life for yourself and your smartphone. We talk about astrophotography.
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Just want to warn: the text below is not intended for amateurs and professionals who consider the beauty of deep space. The purpose of the text is to try to captivate astrophotography of those who have never thought about it before, assuming that expensive equipment is needed for filming the sky. Experienced users are encouraged to read this post .
Jennifer Hanen , photographer and creative technologist helps Microsoft by working on competitive activities in the official Lumia Conversations blog. And she devotes her free time to astrophotography, and I must say that she pretty much succeeded in this. And, perhaps, there was nothing particularly remarkable about this (perhaps every second professional photographer at one point addressed this topic), but Jennifer popularizes this type of photo with Lumia in skillful hands.
Our colleagues were able to talk a bit with Jennifer, and she, in turn, gave us practical advice on shooting space through the lens of a mobile device.
I love astronomy since childhood, says Jennifer. - This and, apparently, my love for mobile devices and became the reasons for my hobby mobile astrophotography. And this is not only a question of getting great shots, but also the constant improvement of one’s own skills far beyond what the average user can imagine. For the last ten years I have been constantly told by somebody: “You cannot do it on the camera of the phone!” And I think that I can and I do it.
What makes me shoot on a mobile phone camera? The main reason is that I want to find beauty around me daily, no matter where I am. And with each new iteration of Nokia's flagship camera phones, and now from Microsoft Lumia, I got more and more opportunities to capture and convey what I find beautiful.
The constellation of Scorpio on the Milky Way. Photo without a tripod, as a support - a car window. I pray that the picture is a success: the sky is very dark. June 27, 2014 f / 2.2, ISO 4000, shutter speed 4 seconds, 0.0 EV, WB Auto
When my Lumia 1020 came to me , the first thing I did was to go away from civilization, or, more precisely, 5.5 hours from it — you need a completely dark sky for astro photography. My first attempt was to shoot the constellations Scorpio and Sagittarius in the Milky Way, and everything was completely successful. I was still impressed by the opportunities that the Lumia 1020 offered me.
Most of my journey to high-quality astrophotography has become a slow but sure comprehension of the night sky, or rather, what I see, lifting my head up. A lot of time was spent to find out where it is best to shoot in my area, where the lights of cities do not shine the sky. As I gained knowledge and many experiments with the camera of my smartphone, many of which failed, I also learned how to create really good pictures.
The most pleasant moment in my photo trip was the need to make daily walks with my dog ​​during the sunset or immediately after it. We both liked to walk, explore different places under the huge sky and the Pacific Ocean at our feet.
Mars and the Moon. Beach at Long Beach (Shooting with Nokia 808 PureView); ISO 100, f / 2.4, shutter speed 2.7 seconds.
I could not afford to buy some fancy camera or equipment for a telescope. Therefore, most of my photos of the planets in the twilight were taken on the Lumia 1020 camera at arm's length, when I tried to focus on the lightest point in the sky. And my photos of the stars were made with a tripod and photo cover for the Lumia 1020.
Twilight is a cheap and easy way to practice astrophotography. The moon and planets move along the same path in the sky, which is called the ecliptic. As soon as you understand how they are located in the sky from the point of view of your location, then you will easily learn how to identify the simplest and most recognizable goals for photography: the planets of the solar system and their satellites. Most of all I love the time of evening twilight - it is the best time to view the sky in the west. Watching the eastern part, for obvious reasons, is better at dawn. During these periods of time, you can shoot certain planets without the help of additional equipment or a tripod.
Photo without a tripod, elbows pressed to the body, as you exhale, August 31, 2013 f / 2.2, ISO 4000, shutter speed 1/3 sec., 0.0 EV, WB Auto
When I shoot the moon and planets at dusk at dusk , I usually don’t even need to adjust the settings in the Lumia Camera app. To focus, just touch the area on the lightest part of the sky and press the camera shutter button to take a photo. Only.
Why focus on the brightest part of the sky? This will add darkness to the darkened areas, and against this background any visible planet will glow brighter. Try to do it yourself - direct the lens to the moon or any planet in the twilight sky, touch the darkest part of the sky on the screen, and the moon or the planet will get too much light and the lightest part of the sky will lose all the dynamics of shades and colors. Therefore, you should focus on the brightest part: The moon and the planets will become clearer, and you can convey the color and shade of the sky at sunset or dawn.
If you want to experiment with shooting settings , then start by lowering the ISO number. I noticed that in the twilight I can reduce this figure to 200 ISO and still get a clear photo, even if I take it off the arm. Often the software for my camera on Lumia makes the photo brighter than in reality, so I reduce EV to -0.03 or -0.07 (exposure compensation). When I reduce EV, I look for what I can lean on or put on a camera to ensure that the planets are obtained in the picture as a point, not a strip.
Orion Constellation
When I take pictures of the Moon and don’t want to get just a glowing ball , I lower the ISO, shutter speed and EV until I get the balance I need between the shape of the Moon and the rest of the scene in sufficient lighting to get an interesting photo.
Adjust the focus to infinity if you cannot get the camera to focus on the celestial body. However, there may be options: for example, the Moon turns out to be clearer if you do not set the focus to infinity in the menu, but simply tap your finger across the free piece of sky on the screen.
Increase ISO. If your photos are too dark, start increasing the ISO level. Start with ISO 400 or 800 and look at the result. You can start with 3200 or 4000 ISO, but then the noise level will increase. I try to use the minimum ISO value - then I get a clear shot with minimal noise. At dusk, I often lower the ISO, because my Lumia 1020 lightens things up a little more than I want.
Moon and Venus. Photo without a tripod, the hand lies on the hedge, January 2, 2014 f / 2.2, ISO 4000, shutter speed 1/3 sec., 0.0 EV, WB Auto
Increase shutter speed. If after a test with a high ISO level, the photo still remains too dark, begin to increase the shutter speed. You can shoot handheld at shutter speeds of 1/30 second. With a shutter speed of 1/15 second, some kind of support is required (at worst, try to press your elbows against your body). However, in order for your picture of the planet and the stars to be really clear, you will need a long shutter speed (from 1/8 second to 4 seconds), and accordingly you will need a tripod. I often set the shutter speed to the largest amount that is available today on the Lumia 1020, - for 4 seconds, but when using a tripod.
Setting an ISO with a higher shutter speed may be the very first of all preferred settings. Try and experiment.
When photographing the sun, including a solar eclipse, do not look at the sun and do not direct the camera directly at it - you can spoil your eyesight, and the matrix of the camera to your smartphone. Most solar filters that are sold with cheap telescopes are useless and will not protect your eyes, just like the matrix. If you want to photograph this star closest to us, then try to wait for light clouds or get a good telescope to observe the sun with a good set of filters and accessories.
Venus and the Moon at sunset; ISO 800, f / 2.2, shutter speed 1/13 sec.
A little bit about useful programs for a beginner astrophotographer:
We recommend installing Stellarium with the Solar System and Comets plugins on your PC / Mac / Linux. The application will help you to better understand the sky map, as well as in real time to track all the most significant events occurring on it. In addition, this utility will show you the level of sky exposure according to your location.
Lumia also has several useful applications: for example, Star Chart , Star Walk, or their free equivalent SkyMap Free . Using the internal gyroscope, magnetometer and navigation, they will help determine exactly where the constellations and cosmic bodies are above your head.
And we write on: Habrahabr | Twitter | VKontakte | Facebook | Google+
Moon (shot through a telescope on the Lumia 1020)
But those were extremely interesting, but somewhat hyperbolic variants, and today we will talk about a simpler, but no less mundane (literally and figuratively) way to diversify life for yourself and your smartphone. We talk about astrophotography.
')
Just want to warn: the text below is not intended for amateurs and professionals who consider the beauty of deep space. The purpose of the text is to try to captivate astrophotography of those who have never thought about it before, assuming that expensive equipment is needed for filming the sky. Experienced users are encouraged to read this post .
Jennifer Hanen , photographer and creative technologist helps Microsoft by working on competitive activities in the official Lumia Conversations blog. And she devotes her free time to astrophotography, and I must say that she pretty much succeeded in this. And, perhaps, there was nothing particularly remarkable about this (perhaps every second professional photographer at one point addressed this topic), but Jennifer popularizes this type of photo with Lumia in skillful hands. Our colleagues were able to talk a bit with Jennifer, and she, in turn, gave us practical advice on shooting space through the lens of a mobile device.
I love astronomy since childhood, says Jennifer. - This and, apparently, my love for mobile devices and became the reasons for my hobby mobile astrophotography. And this is not only a question of getting great shots, but also the constant improvement of one’s own skills far beyond what the average user can imagine. For the last ten years I have been constantly told by somebody: “You cannot do it on the camera of the phone!” And I think that I can and I do it.
What makes me shoot on a mobile phone camera? The main reason is that I want to find beauty around me daily, no matter where I am. And with each new iteration of Nokia's flagship camera phones, and now from Microsoft Lumia, I got more and more opportunities to capture and convey what I find beautiful.
The constellation of Scorpio on the Milky Way. Photo without a tripod, as a support - a car window. I pray that the picture is a success: the sky is very dark. June 27, 2014 f / 2.2, ISO 4000, shutter speed 4 seconds, 0.0 EV, WB Auto
When my Lumia 1020 came to me , the first thing I did was to go away from civilization, or, more precisely, 5.5 hours from it — you need a completely dark sky for astro photography. My first attempt was to shoot the constellations Scorpio and Sagittarius in the Milky Way, and everything was completely successful. I was still impressed by the opportunities that the Lumia 1020 offered me.
Most of my journey to high-quality astrophotography has become a slow but sure comprehension of the night sky, or rather, what I see, lifting my head up. A lot of time was spent to find out where it is best to shoot in my area, where the lights of cities do not shine the sky. As I gained knowledge and many experiments with the camera of my smartphone, many of which failed, I also learned how to create really good pictures.
The most pleasant moment in my photo trip was the need to make daily walks with my dog ​​during the sunset or immediately after it. We both liked to walk, explore different places under the huge sky and the Pacific Ocean at our feet.
Mars and the Moon. Beach at Long Beach (Shooting with Nokia 808 PureView); ISO 100, f / 2.4, shutter speed 2.7 seconds.
I could not afford to buy some fancy camera or equipment for a telescope. Therefore, most of my photos of the planets in the twilight were taken on the Lumia 1020 camera at arm's length, when I tried to focus on the lightest point in the sky. And my photos of the stars were made with a tripod and photo cover for the Lumia 1020.
Twilight is a cheap and easy way to practice astrophotography. The moon and planets move along the same path in the sky, which is called the ecliptic. As soon as you understand how they are located in the sky from the point of view of your location, then you will easily learn how to identify the simplest and most recognizable goals for photography: the planets of the solar system and their satellites. Most of all I love the time of evening twilight - it is the best time to view the sky in the west. Watching the eastern part, for obvious reasons, is better at dawn. During these periods of time, you can shoot certain planets without the help of additional equipment or a tripod.
Photo without a tripod, elbows pressed to the body, as you exhale, August 31, 2013 f / 2.2, ISO 4000, shutter speed 1/3 sec., 0.0 EV, WB Auto
When I shoot the moon and planets at dusk at dusk , I usually don’t even need to adjust the settings in the Lumia Camera app. To focus, just touch the area on the lightest part of the sky and press the camera shutter button to take a photo. Only.
Why focus on the brightest part of the sky? This will add darkness to the darkened areas, and against this background any visible planet will glow brighter. Try to do it yourself - direct the lens to the moon or any planet in the twilight sky, touch the darkest part of the sky on the screen, and the moon or the planet will get too much light and the lightest part of the sky will lose all the dynamics of shades and colors. Therefore, you should focus on the brightest part: The moon and the planets will become clearer, and you can convey the color and shade of the sky at sunset or dawn.
If you want to experiment with shooting settings , then start by lowering the ISO number. I noticed that in the twilight I can reduce this figure to 200 ISO and still get a clear photo, even if I take it off the arm. Often the software for my camera on Lumia makes the photo brighter than in reality, so I reduce EV to -0.03 or -0.07 (exposure compensation). When I reduce EV, I look for what I can lean on or put on a camera to ensure that the planets are obtained in the picture as a point, not a strip.
Orion Constellation
When I take pictures of the Moon and don’t want to get just a glowing ball , I lower the ISO, shutter speed and EV until I get the balance I need between the shape of the Moon and the rest of the scene in sufficient lighting to get an interesting photo.
Adjust the focus to infinity if you cannot get the camera to focus on the celestial body. However, there may be options: for example, the Moon turns out to be clearer if you do not set the focus to infinity in the menu, but simply tap your finger across the free piece of sky on the screen.
Increase ISO. If your photos are too dark, start increasing the ISO level. Start with ISO 400 or 800 and look at the result. You can start with 3200 or 4000 ISO, but then the noise level will increase. I try to use the minimum ISO value - then I get a clear shot with minimal noise. At dusk, I often lower the ISO, because my Lumia 1020 lightens things up a little more than I want.
Moon and Venus. Photo without a tripod, the hand lies on the hedge, January 2, 2014 f / 2.2, ISO 4000, shutter speed 1/3 sec., 0.0 EV, WB Auto
Increase shutter speed. If after a test with a high ISO level, the photo still remains too dark, begin to increase the shutter speed. You can shoot handheld at shutter speeds of 1/30 second. With a shutter speed of 1/15 second, some kind of support is required (at worst, try to press your elbows against your body). However, in order for your picture of the planet and the stars to be really clear, you will need a long shutter speed (from 1/8 second to 4 seconds), and accordingly you will need a tripod. I often set the shutter speed to the largest amount that is available today on the Lumia 1020, - for 4 seconds, but when using a tripod.
Setting an ISO with a higher shutter speed may be the very first of all preferred settings. Try and experiment.
When photographing the sun, including a solar eclipse, do not look at the sun and do not direct the camera directly at it - you can spoil your eyesight, and the matrix of the camera to your smartphone. Most solar filters that are sold with cheap telescopes are useless and will not protect your eyes, just like the matrix. If you want to photograph this star closest to us, then try to wait for light clouds or get a good telescope to observe the sun with a good set of filters and accessories.
Venus and the Moon at sunset; ISO 800, f / 2.2, shutter speed 1/13 sec.
A little bit about useful programs for a beginner astrophotographer:
We recommend installing Stellarium with the Solar System and Comets plugins on your PC / Mac / Linux. The application will help you to better understand the sky map, as well as in real time to track all the most significant events occurring on it. In addition, this utility will show you the level of sky exposure according to your location.
Lumia also has several useful applications: for example, Star Chart , Star Walk, or their free equivalent SkyMap Free . Using the internal gyroscope, magnetometer and navigation, they will help determine exactly where the constellations and cosmic bodies are above your head.
And we write on: Habrahabr | Twitter | VKontakte | Facebook | Google+
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/366671/
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