Official post your Star Trail pictures

I simply have used a tripod, Canon 17-40mm and a 20D.

Bty - Beautiful pictures everyone.

Brilliant work folks!!!!

Here's one from Kansas:

Todd Lambert wrote in post #15047813
Here's one from Kansas:

beautiful work Todd. What did you do about getting the twinkle affect in the stars ?

Thanks man! That shot is stacked sequentially and then spaced and reverse opacity per layers and exported. It's an effect done in timelapse films a lot now. I've been doing them for awhile now and I found that I really liked the effect on single shots. I'll often shoot a couple hundred shots, which I can then use any portion of. I usually limit to about 75 images since that gives the best range in my opinion. Trails can get really dominant in an image, but I always try to have some sort of foreground element which means that the trails can sometimes compete with that. This way it sort of softens them a bit.

Finally stacking a final single image on the top and then using that as the main layer with the now muted trails behind it.

If you're referring to the unusual star shapes on the outer edges, those are caused by flaws in the lens used - 24L II. But, I can't find a better lens that's wider and as fast as the 24L. f1.4 can allow you to suck in a lot of light! But the stars tend to get torqued a bit on the outer edges.

As usual Todd Lambert's work is A+!

Here's some of mine, older ones first:

Here's one of mine from last summer, "A Summer Night's Dream", APOD Aug-5-2011, http://apod.nasa.gov/a​pod/ap110805.html:

S.R.M. wrote in post #15047000
Here's a couple of mine.

1 hr of 15 second exposures with the 15-85mm lens @15mm, f/4 and 800 iso.

75 minutes worth of 15 second exposures with the 15-85mm lens @ 24mm, f/7.1 and 400 iso.

Cheers,
Stephen

These are both awesome photos and very original

first try of my star trails......

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^^ Good Job, what was your setup? how did you light the foreground?

cjdroadglide wrote in post #15053970
first try of my star trails......

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nice I remember my first try at star trails it was a flop it took a few try's and reading about how to take them, but I'm getting better

My 2nd attempt at stacking

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …/83905453@N08/8​050427541/

This is a stack of about 100 shots out of a 200-shot session. I decided the trail effect I wanted got overshadowed by the length if I tried to stack everything I had taken. Each shot is in its own layer in PS, with a gradually increasing amount of opacity to get the comet effect. The foreground (Arches NP) is lit with a 13-million candlepower spotlight, which gets waved around over the period of a few exposures. A few passing cars also added to the light source. Color of the foreground is almost natural, based on the altered white balance, but slightly heightened vibrance.

Silverwolfpup wrote in post #15046533
Oh wow this is just beautiful, What time did you start with the nice blue backdrop in the sky ? And 40s a shot did you have a invalmeter switch. Thanks for sharing

Yes, a interval-meter is required. The colour of the sky is best taken at day break.

CraigPatterson wrote in post #15074948
This is a stack of about 100 shots out of a 200-shot session. I decided the trail effect I wanted got overshadowed by the length if I tried to stack everything I had taken. Each shot is in its own layer in PS, with a gradually increasing amount of opacity to get the comet effect. The foreground (Arches NP) is lit with a 13-million candlepower spotlight, which gets waved around over the period of a few exposures. A few passing cars also added to the light source. Color of the foreground is almost natural, based on the altered white balance, but slightly heightened vibrance.

That picture is just plain awesome, i haven't got to take startrails in awhile and miss it, it's just to humid out too much dew.