› ›photoshop user› february 2016078
PHOTOGRAPHY SECRETS › ›An intervalometer is well worth the investment, but not essential. This device will automate the imaging process by allowing you to
program shutter speeds, number of exposures, and exposure intervals. Once the imaging sequence begins, it does the rest. All that’s
left for you to do is replace the camera’s battery if and when needed.
For circular star trails, locate Polaris (the North Star) and compose the image with Polaris in the frame. All other stars will appear to
revolve in a circle around Polaris.I created my Eiffel Tower composite using a Nikon D600, a 15mm Sigma f/2.8 fisheye, a Phottix TR-90 Intervalometer, and a tripod.
The star trails consist of twenty-four 15-minute exposures at ISO 1600, f/2.8, and then layered together. The Eiffel Tower image was
shot at f/2.8, ISO 1600, and 1/40.Meteor Showers
The technique used to shoot star trails can also be used for capturing images of meteor showers. Because of the sporadic appearance of
meteors, numerous exposures are necessary to capture enough light streaks in the sky. To create a meteor shower in one image, shoot as
many images as you can, select the ones with light streaks, and then layer them together while masking out everything but the light streaks.
My Perseid meteor shower composite (see next page) was created with a Nikon D800E and a NIKKOR 17–35mm f/2.8 lens piggy-
backed atop my Celestron NexStar 8SE computerized telescope to minimize blurry stars. Absent a motorized piggyback telescope,
keep exposures to a maximum of 30 seconds. I used ISO 1600 at f/2.8 with my intervalometer set to 60-second exposures every
3 minutes for 6 hours on two successive nights. I added a few longer exposures of the sky to capture the Milky Way. The foreground
image was shot during the day and then converted in Photoshop to simulate night, adding a faux-light painting effect.The Milky Way Galaxy
The Milky Way is another astrophotography image that can be captured with basic photography gear. At a clear, dark site on a moon-
less night, locate the Milky Way in the night sky. A quick search on the Web should help you find it. The best views in the Northern
Hemisphere are from February through September.Eiffel Tower star trails composite