The Olympus 100-400mm f/5.0-6.3 vs. the 300mm f/4 on a Handheld High Res Moon Photograph
I recently picked up the Olympus 100-400 f/5.0-6.3 lens from OM Digital Solutions Reconditioned Gear website. I waited a long time to get this lens because I’ve really happy with my Olympus 300mm f/4 lens. The refurbished price plus an…
How to Create a 360 Degree Star Trail with an Olympus OM-D Camera
Olympus has created a Live Composite feature that greatly simplifies long exposure photography including star trails, street scenes, fireworks and light painting. How Does Live Composite Work? Live Composite mode takes an initial image as the base exposure and then…
Next Steps in Learning Deep Sky Astrophotography – An Equatorial GoTo Mount
One of the next pieces of equipment I purchased that really improved my astrophotography was Equatorial GoTo Mount. A GoTo Mount will improve and assist your astrophotography in several ways: Precise location and slewing (moving) to Deep Sky Objects in…
How to Mount a Guide Scope to Your DSLR / Mirrorless Camera without a Telescope
I have several good Canon DSLR lenses that I have been using for Astrophotography. Using my Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Go To mount with a good polar alignment, I’ve been able to get 3 – 3.5 minute exposures. I wanted to take…
Mindset and Tips for Learning Deep Sky Astrophotography
It’s the middle of the night, you’re learning new photography techniques with new equipment, and photographing long exposures on dim or invisible objects. What could go wrong? Everything and anything! The other night I was photographing the Lagoon Nebula. It…
Deep Sky Astrophotography – Frame Types You Need to Shoot
Astrophotography differs from most other forms of photography in that not only do you need to take multiple exposures and stack them, you also need to take different types of frames / images. Typically, multiple frame types (Lights, Darks, Flats,…
Deep Sky Astrophotography – Finding Your DSO Target in the Night Sky
If you don’t have a GoTo Mount, it can be a challenge to find your Deep Sky Object (DSO) in the night sky. However, there are techniques to help you locate your target. In this blog, I will discuss several…
How to Add a Comet to Stellarium
Comets are not preloaded into Stellarium, but it is quick and easy to load one so you can find where and when you can see a comet in the night sky. Here are the steps to add a comet to…
How to Polar Align a Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer for Astrophotography
An accurate polar alignment is key to being able to take longer deep sky astrophotography exposures and to capture more information in your images. It’s important to take your time and get it as accurate as possible. Polar alignment, leveling…
How to Set Up the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer for a Deep Sky Astrophotography Shoot
When I first started out in deep sky astrophotography, I made myself a checklist to set up my equipment for an astrophotography shoot. If I didn’t do this, I knew I would forget a step and have to start over. …
