My trip to Cherry Springs State Park changed how I shoot star trails

I went up to Cherry Springs State Park in Pennsylvania last month for a weekend of astrophotography. The skies are super dark there, but I kept getting blurry star trails until a guy using a Z6 showed me his trick with a 3-second timer delay. Now I always use a remote release or that delay to avoid any camera shake at all. Anyone else had issues with sharpness in dark skies?

3 comments

3 Comments

dylan_ward1d ago

Man that's a solid tip. Remote release is non-negotiable for me now. I use an intervalometer to time my exposures too. Those long night shots are too easy to mess up with just a finger on the shutter button.

hernandez.gavin1d ago

Read somewhere that light pollution maps help find dark spots for night shots too.

the_riley1d ago

Buddy of mine forgot his remote once and bumped his tripod mid-exposure, ruined a 30-minute shot.