In images, 'stacking' is a time period that refers to taking a series of shots, normally with the identical settings, and combining them into one very last photograph. It is a way this is in the main commonly used in celebrity path photography. This article will have a look at how stacking is used in famous person path images however also how the same approach can be utilized for other photographic conditions.
Star Trail Photography
There are usually two techniques for taking star trail images. The first and more conventional technique involves taking one very lengthy publicity, frequently on the order of an hour or greater. The 2nd technique entails taking a series of images over the direction of a longer period of time and then combining those photographs through stacking to create the very last big name trail photo.
There are many blessings to using the stacking approach for megastar trail pictures. If your battery dies at the same time as taking a single hours-long picture, you'll lose the entire image. If your battery dies even as taking a series of photos for image stacking, you will only lose the modern photograph. The stacking technique also affords more protection from user error (say, shining a bright flashlight around and by accident illuminating the foreground) as you can simply omit that frame.
There are many different programs available for stacking photographs, and I use one called Star Stax, which is available as a free download for PC, Mac, or Linux: www.markus-enzweiler.de/software/software.html . The Star Stax web site also includes a very helpful tutorial with step-by-step instructions and screen shots about how the use the program. Processing time for a series of 20 shots was around 45 seconds.
Shooting a Stack of Photographs to Capture Star Trails
There are many net web sites with beneficial suggestions and recommendation for taking pictures megastar trails the use of the stacking method. DIY Photography has an in depth step-by way of-step manual with recommendations for shooting both unmarried-shot and stacked celebrity trails. Another useful read with a step-via-step manual comes from Star Trails Academy, which additionally has a whole assessment of famous person trails advent and guidelines.
To summarize the system:
- You will need to find an area with dark skies (check the Dark Skies Finder) and a clear view towards Polaris, the North Star, if you want to see circling stars. Try to head out on a new moon or well after the sun and moon have set.
- You will need your camera, a sturdy tripod, and a shutter remote capable of locking. (Even this $5 corded version will do the trick.)
- You will want to shoot at a wide-open aperture for thirty seconds with as low of an ISO as you can use and still record the stars.
- Either before or after you shoot your stack of photographs (or both), you should shoot at least one "dark frame," that is a shot with your lens cap on that is with the same settings as all your stacked shots. This allows the stacking program to eliminate some of the in-camera noise or hot pixels in the final stacked image.
 |
| Star Trails: a comedy of mistakes by way of Archaeofrog on Flickr |
This stacked superstar trail image became created by combining 26 photos, which have been shot at 18mm (with my Canon T1i and Tamron 18-270mm lens) for 30 seconds at f/three.Five and ISO 800. These, plus one dark frame, have been blended the usage of StarStax. The general duration of the shot became handiest thirteen mins, and then I gave in to the fury of the mosquitoes and packed up. (There have been other errors, consisting of that my 'dark sky' spot came about to be subsequent to a active campground, as a result the identify of the shot.)
You might also be aware what look like numerous inexperienced capturing stars inside the final photo. These are in reality light trails created with the aid of fireflies (or lightning insects) flitting around the treetops within the foreground. Upon coming across these while processing the picture stack, I realized there was every other ability use for the stacking approach.
Fireflies: past famous person stacking
Earlier within the week I were seeking to capture the lights and actions of fireflies, but I had been discouraged at how hard it was to make their trails visible in a image. Many fireflies tend to blink on-and-off at the same time as staying extraordinarily nevertheless, which means that they showed up as handiest vivid dots that gave the impression of hot pixels on my photo. My first-rate effort from that day out was the image beneath, which was shot for 20 seconds at f/5.6 and ISO two hundred.
 |
| Flying fireflies captured in a single shot. |
After my experiment in stacking for big name trails, but, I found out that the same method may be used to capture fireflies. By taking pictures a chain of pictures the use of my tripod and equal settings, I ought to higher capture a mess of fireflies and extra closely approximate the experience of seeing so many fireflies all at once.
 |
| A Stack of Fireflies by Archaeofrog on Flickr |
The image above was the outcome of my first effort at using stacking to photograph fireflies. This was a stack of 20 images which were shot at 18mm (with myCanon T1i andTamron 18-270mm lens) for 30 seconds at f/4.5 and ISO 400. These were combined with two dark frames and one light painting frame (to illuminate the foreground and background) in StarStax. I tried several variations of the light painting frame (changing the opacity in Photoshop) to get a better balance between seeing some of the background and keeping the firefly streaks visible.
 |
| Fireflies at Night by Archaeofrog on Flickr |
This second image is a stack of 45 images, which were shot at 70 mm (with myCanon T1i andTamron 18-270mm lens). I started with 20 seconds at f/9 and ISO 100, but I changed the settings as it continued to get darker. The final frames were shot at 30 seconds at f/5.6 and ISO 200. These were combined with two dark frames in StarStax. I did not need to use a light painting frame with this one, as it was bright enough when I started shooting to illuminate the foreground and background. An example of two of the individual frames are available to view on Flickr: single image of fireflies and another single image of fireflies.
Stacking Photographs
The stacking technique for pics allows you to take a chain of images over a time frame and integrate them into one very last picture. While this approach is maximum normally used to create famous person trail pics, its programs are only restrained via your creativeness. For me, it solved the hassle of trying to capture quite a few flying fireflies in a single photograph, however the applications are countless.
 |
| In this stack, the brilliant white streak became due to a passing biker. |
Follow alongside on Facebook: www.Facebook.Com/BoostYourPhotography
No comments:
Post a Comment