The Big Dipper by taffy

The Big Dipper

What a great photo day -- thank you so much for your favs and views that put the Sunbathing shot in the top twenty this week. It means a lot to me. And thanks as well for your wonderful response to what I think may be my favorite image I've done since starting 365 -- the triptych of last night's sunset. We're leaving tomorrow for Chicago and things are crazy so I won't get to comment for another day (or two) but I've read all comments and just smiled all day!
Knowing that in Chicago I'll never get a night shot of stars as it never is dark enough, I set up my camera looking out over the lake, following directions that I'd found online. It's not as good as so many others I've seen on the site, but if you look fairly close at the lower center just a little to the left, you can see the big dipper among the other stars. I'm excited to even have stars visible, but want to work on this again when I'm back on the island with a clear-ish sky.
Its a beautiful shot. I am going to Victoria's highlands in a few weeks and will be able to have another go at a shot like this, weather permitting. Congratulations on yet another TT too, well deserved.
And have a safe trip back to the lovely city of Chicago.
August 23rd, 2014  
Oh....WOW this is beyond amazing!i echo a Kane with a huge congrats for TT,Safe travels..I will miss seeing Beaver Island through your eyes!
August 23rd, 2014  
Awesome
August 23rd, 2014  
Fantastic picture.
August 23rd, 2014  
Wow, Taffy, that's impressive.
August 23rd, 2014  
Amazing capture Taffy congratulations on your TT. I'm on the move too, be away overseas for 5 weeks slow and expensive Internet so I won't be commenting regularly.
August 23rd, 2014  
I have only tried this once Taffy in my first year and wasn't very successful as it was too light. An excellent first go at this so will done!
August 23rd, 2014  
That should read well done!
August 23rd, 2014  
Stunning!
August 23rd, 2014  
Pretty sky! I like the purple tones.
August 23rd, 2014  
Awesome shot Taffy! I'm going away next week and going to try some night shots, I really want to get a good one of the milky way.
August 23rd, 2014  
Awesome shot
August 23rd, 2014  
Lovely night photo.
August 23rd, 2014  
FAbulous shot Taffy. Have a safe trip back
August 23rd, 2014  
Wonderful shot! I love all the stars and color of the sky! Have a good trip back to Chicago! I grew up in suburban Chicago (Arlington Heights) and look forward to seeing some Chicago photos!! ;)!
August 23rd, 2014  
Beautiful sky! I've wished to find a place where I can see the stars also. What a treat to see and capture this image.
August 23rd, 2014  
Fabulous, Taffy! So sorry we never got to try it out when I was there, but maybe next year! You're right that you won't see stars in Chicago!
August 23rd, 2014  
Wow what a fabulous image! I would love to try something like this but not many places in UK where you get no light pollution. Must investigate. Also must check your exif to see how long you had shutter open. Safe journey back to Chicago! Fav by the way!
August 23rd, 2014  
Awesome
August 23rd, 2014  
wow. this is something
August 23rd, 2014  
Fantastic shot. Fav
August 23rd, 2014  
Nice shot.
August 23rd, 2014  
Fabulous shot. We never see the sky so clearly where I live! Still I can pick out the plough (Big Dipper) it looks great here among all the other stars. Safe trip back to Chicago
August 23rd, 2014  
so many stars showing - great shot
August 23rd, 2014  
wow. lovely shot
August 23rd, 2014  
Totlly fav! Really impressive
August 23rd, 2014  
Sue
I'm impressed, fabulous!
August 23rd, 2014  
Your the second friend who has said they are in TT this week I must check it out. In Bar Harbor Maine they are trying to do all lighting so it points down or is less polluting so people can enjoy the night sky. I think more communities should do this. I miss the night skies of my childhood.
August 23rd, 2014  
Great star shot Taffy, must have been a long exposure; star trails are just beginning to show.
August 23rd, 2014  
@silver_fox Thanks! Yep, it was about 3 minutes (197 seconds). If I get a chance to try again next weekend, I think I'd do it for 2 to 2.5 minutes.
August 23rd, 2014  
great shot
August 23rd, 2014  
Have you considered doing a batch of images and merging them?
August 23rd, 2014  
@silver_fox I only know how to use HDR, have never used a stacking program and don't have LR or PS. Have you any advice, given that? IF the weather is clear, I could try again next weekend.
August 23rd, 2014  
Have you tried Gimp? Not sure if it stacks; but does most everything PS is supposed to do and is free.
August 23rd, 2014  
Spectacular! So many stars!!! Even the purple color of the sky looks amazing!
August 23rd, 2014  
@silver_fox I haven't...it's all the time it takes to learn something new. I can't believe the school year is starting and over the summer I didn't: (a) organize my photos, (b) clean up vacation photos, (c) learn LR, (d) learn PS. And here we are...leaving in 10 minutes to go home to Chicago. Where did summer go? Thanks for the lead on Gimp, though...I'm going to check it out and see if there's a tutorial and these night shots really are fun.
August 23rd, 2014  
Super shot, off to see the tryptich now.
August 23rd, 2014  
Great capture:-)FAV!
August 23rd, 2014  
I'll add my "TERRIFIC" to the comments! Glad you had time to grab this before leaving the island. Have a great school year! :)
August 23rd, 2014  
Stunning
August 23rd, 2014  
Beautiful capture, great to be able to take night-time shots without the light pollution of a big city
August 23rd, 2014  
Awesome night sky...hoping to do the same when we go to the Highlands of Scotland next month
August 23rd, 2014  
Your starry night would make Vincent envious!
Great shot!
Fav
August 23rd, 2014  
Beautiful night shot
August 23rd, 2014  
Love the colours. Looks like an explosion of stars. Leaving the Island must feel like the end of summer. It came too fast.
August 24th, 2014  
Very pretty!! I'd like to attempt a night sky at some point but will probably be better off waiting until early winter- less trees in the way then!
August 24th, 2014  
@pixiemac Have fun with photographing there! I found that 3 minutes was a bit too long. When I looked at the live view, it looked so dark, but if I left the lens open too long, it's overexposed. Better to go a little dark and then up the brightness in post processing. I have a lot to learn still!!
August 24th, 2014  
Great capture of star trails
August 24th, 2014  
Awesome shot
August 24th, 2014  
StarStax is a free program, some tutorials available, but pretty intuitive. Katie's got a small info blurb on one of her Boost your photography blogs. You can search for it from her blog page, I believe
August 24th, 2014  
it turned out great!
August 24th, 2014  
@bill_fe Thanks Bill! I knew someone had written about this but couldn't remember where I'd seen it.
August 24th, 2014  
Spectacular Taffy! Just beautiful!
August 24th, 2014  
Great parting shot of Beaver Island! I went to a lecture on this once, and they have meetups and workshops for doing Startrail photography, but it requires a long drive into the desert and staying overnight, and I just have not mustered up the time and strength to do it! It does take practice and time commitment, but the results can be so spectacular. Great job!
August 24th, 2014  
Wow, what a beautiful shot, Taffy. I am in awe of your photos. So wonderful to see such beauty and uniqueness. Guess you are home by now. Hope you had a great trip. FAV
August 25th, 2014  
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