davew

Thanks Paul, that means a lot. I hope we are in for another of your videos soon ? They really are top notch and I look forward to them, Dave.

How are you able to image without chocolate ? You wouldn't know it from your latest shots at Old Gang. 🙂 It has been a while since I ventured out so I'll try and push myself out more often. I've got Smardale Gill viaduct in mind and that's not too far from you. Thanks Paul, Dave.

I came up Rushup Edge from Chapel this time as that's the quickest way for me. Just for you, I have a shot of the pass from five years ago on a cool September full moon night. I wanted to be slightly to my right but it was foolish to try and I won't be walking down that road at night again ! Dave.

I was quite lucky with the light as I only just got there in time and just a few minutes later the scene was flat ! Cheers, Dave.

I've had the idea to do car light trails from Mam Tor for a few years now and one of the reasons for getting out now was all the inspiring imaging that's been done here recently with DSLRs and Mirrorless cameras ( And all the purchases of lenses and cameras that's been going on 😎). Because it's been an age since I last went out I very stupidly set off with a rucksack filled with three cameras and two tripods. It took me all of five meters with that weight on my back to turn round and drop off one camera and tripod ! First up the long way to do it. This photo is based on two minute exposures for the hills and a mix of two and one minute exposures for the light trails totalling six stacked images over all. In photoshop the base image goes on the bottom of the pile and the light trails shine through via blend mode " Lighten ". The exposure time meant the stars were also trails but that doesn't bother me. Nikon D810, Sigma 14mm and various settings to suit. Second, the shorter way. A fifteen second base image to control the stars and just one light trail shot done again in Photoshop. It may not show too well here but the background is so much smoother and crisper in the two minute shots, as you'd expect. Same equipment . Finally - the setup and frame shot. Shame about the lens flare. I couldn't believe how many people stopped to chat as I was standing next to the tripod. Two fellow imagers chatted and then a group of four walking up to the top with a scope and tripod ! Madness 😁 All shots fuelled by Fry's Chocolate Cream bars which as we all know is Rich Dark Chocolate with a smooth Fondant Centre ! Cheers, Dave.

The Moon did you proud on this one ! I also noticed you snagged M81 / 82. They really are quite clear. Nice, Dave.

I'm really impressed with the results of this challenge. These must be some of the most elusive targets we aim at as most of us don't even see the clouds never mind nail an image of them. Well done 👍 Dave.

Ah ... the beauty in utter simplicity. Dave.

It’s always fun on dodgy ground ! cheers Fay

Hi Daz, As I see it ( a Nikon user ), there is no advantage obvious to me that changing cameras would be a good idea. Although Ekos is supposed to work with the 1 J2 it is now 11 years old ( I know the Canon is older ) but the sensor is the CX format that is smaller than APSC. It's the same sensor size that is in the Sony RX100 series. If you want a tiny field of view I suspect cropping the Canon would be the best bet. Dave.

There's a windmill close by but I doubt the occupiers would want me to barge in and stick a red light in the window Thanks re the train. It was a bit different. Dave.

I had a very enjoyable Kelling despite the wind and rain ( ! ) and had a very reasonable imagining run. The seeing and transparency on Wednesday were so good I actually tried imaging the sky ! On the Saturday I went for my usual solo walk round the woods armed with my camera, tripod and Chunky Kit Kats. Image 1. is a return to my favourite reflections in the water. No matter how I tried I couldn't get a clear shot of the Moon and Venus without the reeds so just rolled with it. I knew the train would pass by at some point so ran through the shot in my head many times so as not to mess it up ! Nikon Z6ii, ISO 800, 10 seconds, f 2.5, 20mm Shot 2. was a " I wonder if that will work ? " image, that would have been better if I hadn't accidently changed the Aperture when I was rushing to set up. As above, you get one chance so couldn't shoot it again. Nikon Z6ii, ISO 800, 5 seconds, f 3.5 ! Which explains why the sky is a bit thin and noisy, 20mm Shot 3. was supposed to be a last Hurrah star trail then off back to the campsite before the expected rain. I could see the mist coming but carried on regardless. That was my first mistake as I got just under 30 minutes of usable shots. My second mistake was pointing at Sheringham light pollution in the mist and the third was choosing a boring view. I'll leave it there. Nikon Z6ii, ISO 200, F1.8, 120 seconds per sub, 20mm Dave.

The R8 seems to be doing you proud. Not only that but Canon seem to be pricing it to sell. Is the body as light as it looks ? I like your ability to put together a pano and make it look like a smooth single shot. I've just got back from Kelling and that trip was partially powered by vegan brownies ( Delish ). Oh, and a chunky Kit Kat or two. I'm not making a good job of the photos however ! Dave.

Nice one again Paul. I think the building and snow look about right as you have them there. It's a very personal opinion but I've seen a few foregrounds knocking about that look like daylight shots and don't really fit. What I've tried in the past is 4 / 5 minute shots for the foreground and then dial them back. That makes them smooth and detailed but they end up looking the same as yours. I particularly like the sky in this and am slightly jealous ! Are there any barns in the area you haven't imaged ? 😊 Dave.

I always like your take on buildings. Once again, lovely stone work. Nice quantity of Ha showing for such short exposures too. I find myself hankering for a 24mm lens but can't justify one unless I get out there for a change ! Real food ?? No chocolate ?? Dave,

I love the monument and your light paining. I don't normally like mono astrolandscapes but this one of your house is an exception. It has an " Old world " look about it that the colour version doesn't. Nice, Dave.

Nice to see you back Danny. Dave.

I too like that mono shot. The Comet looks good and the background very good. You have the RedCat and the 2600 combo working so well. The R6 has done you proud for a single exposure. Dave. Edit - Oops, forgot to ask which biscuit you decided on !

That looks a really nice build. Very interesting results too. Thanks for posting, Dave.

I can't say this was my best image but it turned out to be the most fun. Shot at around 4.30 am from Kielder viaduct just after the mist had finally lifted. We, James and I that is, had stood for what felt like hours for the mist to clear off. Who would have guessed the country's largest reservoir could have a bit of mist around it ? I made sure James kept a red light on at all times as he had a large bag of Maltesers and a few bags of crisps hidden around his person and I wasn't about to let him slink off and devour them ! What you may not be able to tell is that we were both covered in frost as standing around in the mist had soaked our clothes and we were both a rather fetching sparkly white. That's why he was going nowhere with those Maltesers ! Dave.

That's really nice ! It's a great balance you have between the light painted parts and the far background. So easy to over do the foreground bits. That looks like tomato soup in a flask weather. If you don't post anymore images soon then have a Happy Christmas 🥳 Dave.

Thanks Paul, much appreciated. One very good thing about the pond being surrounded by trees is that the water stays calm even when the wind blows fairly hard elsewhere. Cheers, Dave.

Important stuff first ... I had two KitKats per night of imaging and that's it, well apart from the mint club biscuit of course. Oh yes and the plain crisps. The train is a sight to see in the distance and I have to be honest that I quite like it. The kids seem to love it too. See you there next year ! Dave.

How could you ? These are the most important part of a night's imaging ! And I have another chocoholic's opinion to back me up. Ah, yes, that's the shot. A very brooding church with fine stone walls and a touch of red in and around Orion. Thanks for updating. I'll have to give the valley some thought as I have been quite far for a photo or two. Cheers Paul, Dave.

Hi Paul, Has one of your images been removed ? I come back to view more than once and the one with the best wall detail ( For me at least ) has gone ! I've seen a few shot taken in the valley but what do you think of the area ? It's a bit of a travel for you and not much less for me. Dave.