Milky Way Photography (ASMR)

[TEEBS - PRAYERS I FOR TIMELAPSE INTRO, THEN HAVE IT BREAK OFF INTO SILENCE AND AMBIENT SOUNDS BEFORE NEXT SONG STARTS

FLYING LOTUS - CORONUS THE TERMINATOR INSTRUMENTAL

TEEBS - ATOMS SONG
TYCHO, CHACHI JONES - SEND AND RECEIVE]

[GET SOME IMAGES PRELOADED ON THE SD CARD SO YOU HAVE SOME AWESOME SHOTS TO “SHOW THE VIEWERS” WHEN IT COMES TIME]

SHOOT LOCATIONS:

  • Battlefield off 20 for sunset shots and good establishing shots

  • Cuchara Inn Walsenburg

  • UFO Watchtower

  • Terlingua

  • Roof of parking garage - maybe IAD, Sofia St. garage in Fred,

  • Arches (stock)

  • Marfa

  • Joshua Tree NP (Sky’s the Limit Observatory and other cool spots) hotel in Indio

  • Badlands, SD/ND

  • Devil’s Tower?

SHOTS TO GET:

  • Checking light pollution map on phone or online

  • Airport shots to show flying from one location to the other

  • Charging batteries for headlamp and cameras (use nikon for astral shots and sony for recording)

  • Setting up MSM

  • Cheersing coffee from thermos with a friend sitting in folding chairs at sunset in 20 battlefield waiting for sunset

  • Making coffee for Thermos in hotel

  • Blanket on the beach at Cape Charles at sunset

  • Sitting on hood or trunk of car

  • Pulling through Dutch Bros (mount the camera on the trunk of the car and get the baristas to let me drive back through where they hand me fake cups to make it look like a real dutch bros stop to get the good angle, and tip them well)

Record video with headlamp on

Start out by assuming you have at least basic knowledge in your DSLR camera.

First thing is to check the light pollution map to see where you are, and where a good place to go is.

Check weather and moon phase

GET A TRIPOD. Don’t need a crazy expensive one, one of the basic ones at walmart or amazon are fine.

Get an intervolometer, especially if you want to do time lapses. It is a life saver. When you set it, it takes the pictures for you. You can set the duration of each shot, and how long between shots, then you tell it how many shots you want it to take, and you just set it and forget it. I sit in the car and let the intervalometer just fire away. Remote works fine too.

Show how I set the camera up outside the car window and let the camera and all do the work. That way I can sit in the car with the heat going, and if I need to make a quick exit, I can just snatch the camera and leave.

During the daytime, focus on infinity or the horizon to mark where the focus needs to be. make a mark on the lens, then make another mark to show where the focus needs to be.

Set camera to manual focus, ISO to around 3200-6400, WB to around 4500K to reduce noise, and start taking test shots.
[ACTUALLY GET FOOTAGE OF ME TAKING PICS AND SHOWING THE RESULT TO THE VIEWERS. SHOWING HOW IT CAME OUT, AND HOW IM GOING TO FINE TUNE THE SHOTS TO GET THE RIGHT EXPOSURE, THEN START SNAPPING]

Have extra batteries on you

The best time to shoot is about 20 minutes after naval twilight. As the night goes on, the milky way will actually fade and become less brilliant.

Sequitor is great software for windows for stacking exposures. You DON’T want to use HDR software, because the photo will come out too bright.

Practice always makes perfect. When it comes to editing, set a timer for 10 minutes and walk away or do something on your phone, because these kinds of pics are the absolute easiest to get sucked into overediting.

Make a Google Map of places I’ve been that have great views of the night sky, and mention that as I come across more, I will add them.

Mention the idea about Constellation National Park. MY IDEA!

Opassa Travels