Volume 1 of my 2-volume Nightscapes and Time-Lapse set describes:
• How to shoot still image “nightscapes” – images of landscapes taken at night by the light of the Moon or stars, and …
• How to shoot time-lapse movies of the stars and Milky Way turning above Earthly scenes, all using DSLR cameras.
The 425-page ebook includes —
• Numerous Photo 101 sections explaining the basic concepts of photography and video production (f-stops, ISOs, file types, aspect ratios, frame rates, compression, etc.).
• Numerous Astronomy 101 sections explaining the basics of how the sky works (how the sky moves, where the Moon can be found, when the Milky Way can be seen, when and where to see auroras).
• Reviews of Gear – I don’t just mention that specialized gear exists, I illustrate in detail how to use popular units such as the Star Adventurer Mini, Pulse, Pluto Trigger, Time-Lapse+ View, Radian 2, SYRP Genie Mini, Dynamic Perception, Rhino, and Revolve motion control units, with comments on what’s good – and not so good – to use.
You’ll learn —
• What are the best cameras and lenses to buy (cropped vs. full-frame, Canon vs. Nikon vs. Sony, manual vs. automatic lenses, zooms vs. primes).
• How to set your cameras and lenses for maximum detail and minimum noise (following the mantra of “expose to the right” and using dark frames).
• How to shoot auroras, conjunctions, satellites, and meteor showers.
• How to shoot nightscapes lit only by moonlit, and how to determine where the Moon will be to plan a shoot.
• How to shoot panoramas of the night sky and Milky Way, using Camera Raw, Photoshop, and PTGui software.
• How to shoot tracked long exposures of the Milky Way using camera trackers such as the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Mini.
• How to shoot star trail images made of hundreds of frames.
• How to plan a time-lapse shoot and calculate the best balance of exposure time vs. frame count vs. length of shoot, and recommended apps to use.
• How to shoot advanced “Holy Grail” time-lapse transitions from day to night, including tutorials on using GBTimelapse camera control software
• How to shoot sequences using specialized motion-control devices.
• What can go wrong and how best to avoid problems in the field.
NOTE: Volume 1 does NOT cover any processing topics and techniques.
What’s in the book —
• Getting Started
• Chapter 1: Choosing and Using Gear
• Chapter 2: Twilight Time
• Chapter 3: Auroras
• Chapter 4: Other Amazing Sky Effects
• Chapter 5: Moonlit Nightscapes
• Chapter 6: Milky Way Nightscapes
• Chapter 7: Stacking, Stitching, and Tracking
• Chapter 8: How to Reduce Noise
• Chapter 9: Taking Time-Lapses
• Chapter 10: Advanced Camera Control
• Chapter 11: How to Shoot Holy Grails
• Chapter 12: Avoiding Common Problems
• Chapter 13: The Time-Lapse Lifestyle
• Appendix: Learning More and Being Inspired
To learn more, go to www.amazingsky.com/nightscapesbook.html
NOTE: The ebook is a large download of a high-resolution file to preserve details in photos, for zooming in for close inspection.
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