Figure 2 shows this exposure in Adobe Camera Raw. In night photography circles, this exposure-which you can modify, depending on your individual circumstances-is sometimes called the "Rule of Fours."įor example, I made one of the component exposures of the star trail stack shown in Figure 1 at two minutes, f/2.8, and ISO 320-roughly in line with the Rule of Fours in terms of exposure value. As a general guideline, in the dark of the moon and concentrating on the sky rather than the Earth, a good starting exposure for starlight is four minutes at f/4 and ISO 400. To record the most starlight on your camera's sensor, it's important to use a fairly wide aperture, such as f/2.8 or f/4.
Stars wheeling in the heavens generally don't emit enough light for accurate light-meter readings in most cameras, making night photography of star trails a seat-of-the-pants, trial-and-error affair. When the moon is larger than a crescent, it adds enough light to the night sky to "wash out" the star trails, preventing them from creating a dramatic display. In addition, star trail photography really works best with little or no visible moonlight. Therefore, light pollution from cities-and even towns-must be avoided. If the object of capturing star trails is to show bright light streaming through a dark sky, obviously the stars must be bright when compared to the night sky. Using these techniques, soon you'll be able to create stunning imagery of stars wheeling through the heavens at night! Star Trail Exposure Basics I'll show you how to use three different methods for stacking starlight exposures in Photoshop Creative Cloud (Photoshop CC).
Fortunately, Photoshop offers a number of easy ways to do this. Once you have the night exposures you need to create a stack, the next step is putting them together correctly. In this article, I'll explain the basics of exposing for a star trail stack, as well as the best way to think about stacking in the digital darkroom. With practice and imagination, you can create star trail imagery that surpasses mere gimmickry, portraying the very real poetry of the night sky. The good news is that creating this kind of image has become much easier with advances in digital capture technology and improvements in the digital darkroom. But to pull off this kind of photo, you do need to know how to expose for a star trail stack, and you must also know the secrets of stacking in the digital darkroom. The Northern Star will update this story as information becomes available.Figure 1 Shot in the remote backcountry of Death Valley National Park, this stacked star trail image is composed of 306 exposures, which I combined in Photoshop.įortunately, you don't need any great astronomical insights to create striking star trail imagery. Those with any information related to this incident are encouraged to reach out and notify the DeKalb Police Department. Monday through Friday during the summer to offer support for students and staff. NIU Counseling and Consultation Services is open from 8 a.m. Staff is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to answer calls. Students can call 81 at any time to contact a counselor. If you or someone you know is struggling reach out or encourage them to reach out and seek help. No funeral or visitation arrangements have been announced. DeKalb police do not suspect foul play at this time, but his death is under investigation. The body of 21-year-old Adeboyejo was found in his car in a parking lot near Greenbrier and Russell Road, DeKalb Deputy Police Chief Jason Leverton said.Īdeboyejo appeared to have sustained a gunshot wound and a firearm was found in the vehicle. He was a sophomore studying biomedical engineering. Adeboyejo was reported as missing through social media posts by the DeKalb Police Department, Northern Illinois University and family members of the student. Latif Adeboyejo, originally from Chicago, was last seen June 5 leaving campus driving a black 2010 Ford Fusion. DeKALB - An NIU student has been found dead in a parking lot near campus after being reported as missing on Sunday.