Wow such a strong video!!! Why did you even think about not posting?? Ok I get it, negative emotions linked to that night, but for me, this was so good! 1. Not scouting the location: 3 times already I stood in front of closed castle gates! 2. Clouds. Geminids 2020 for example. No gap. Sylt 2023. 3. Technical issues: infrared light leak in my lenses! Tracker freezing at -15°C at Geminids 2022. Intervalometer Always finishing after 50 shots when doing a startrail?! 4. Human error: my camera fell to the ground damaging the display, because I thought the knob I was turning was the ball head screw, not the arca clamp screw. 5. Not trying at all - every single aurora moment there was the last two years. Not hunting comet c/2023 for example. Would've been good at 85mm.... So the worst? Hmm... Geminids 2020 when I did a milky way skz swap with Luminar. And it got reposted on Instagram..... I still feel so embarrassed! Never did that again!
Great Vlog about the hassle we face sometimes out in the field. I could so relate to almost all of the 7 challanges...especially cold, clouds and technical issues...:D
Forgetting spare batteries, intervalometers stopping working, trackers stopping working in the middle of a pano, and of course, the ultimate bane of an astro photographers life.... Clouds
Yep, I can relate to most, if not all of those frustrations. A few extras I've encountered that easily spring to mind - getting lost in the dark, it's so easy to get turned around on featureless salt lakes, sand dunes etc and waste precious time. - forgetting gear - batteries, cards, tripods - you name it 🙈 - incorrect weather forecasts - I know forecasting is hard but sometimes they get it just sooo wrong - red headlamp lights (not aimed at you Jeroen 😂). I know you use them but I much prefer dim white lights as they are much easy to fix in post (and can sometimes even help light the scene). Stray red light is harder to deal with. - sleep deprivation and the drive home - so much harder than the drive to the location when you are full of anticipation and excitement for the night ahead. Sharing the trip with a talkative astro buddy definitely helps with this one
Very relatable additional points Greg 😅. Although it is hard to get lost in The Netherlands to be honest haha. Do see your point on red headlights in your frame. You have to be aware of eachother when shooting together. In this Harz adventure this was tricky as well though. And yes... that drive home. I always prefer to book a hotel if the drive is further than 2 hours.
Another great video Jeroen. As you would know so well, not going out is a big one but going out and having to shoot a video as well as images . .well that can put a real spanner in the works if you're not up for the fight so to speak ..!!! As a nightscape shooting youtuber that will put more pressure on than just about anything else at times. You appear to be handling that challenge with great enthusiasm my friend .. Well done.
You make a fair point there Richard! I am enjoying making videos a lot, but there are certainly times where the threshold to go out shooting is indeed higher because you will also have to go through all the 'fuss' of making a video, which does cost more effort. The resulting memory/souvenir from the night is always worth it though!
@@StarScaperPhoto Your work ethic is very high and I commend you on that. Just keep a look out over your shoulder .. burn out can creep up very quickly ..!!!!
@@nightscapeimages.richard thanks for the advice Richard. Very true. Already noticed this a couple of times in the past year. Since this is just a hobby for me, not work, I have adjusted to only making videos when I feel inspired to do so. Sometimes this means there is a gap of a couple of weeks which doesn't seem to be the best thing for 'the algorythm', but so be it ;-). Most important thing is we keep enjoying this in the long run!
Great video! There are so many difficulties in trying to do astrophotography I am amazed why I do it at all. Maybe because it is such a challenge in a niche field which is what pulls me in?? Negatives: Late nights, cold, wind, clouds, light pollution, many trial and error camera settings and difficult focusing issues with stars and foreground. Then there is the processing. Positives: Not many 'photographers' can do this successfully and if you can pull it off your shot is kind of unique! It is like a last frontier to the camera photography world. Geraint.
Another interesting video, thanks for sharing. Hope you get some epic conditions soon. Astro can be unpleasant this time of the year due to bad weather conditions where I live. I'm looking forward to getting out again when the weather improves.
Thanks Martin! Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining here! Just wanted to let people know that they are not alone if not everything goes to plan you know 😅
OK, so 100% all relatable!! Great observations, Jeroen - I think pushing through all of those frustrations is what makes it so rewarding when it comes together. The one I struggle with most is not going out at all, because it seems that’s the one that should be completely within our control. Equipment failure, clouds, unable to scout a location (it’s not always possible to get somewhere before dark) - they all happen through trying, and if you try then a night under the stars is never a failure. But NOT trying - that’s the one I find hardest, even though it’s inevitable that family, work, tiredness etc etc have to take the priority sometimes. But I find it hard to forgive myself if I miss a clear night - which I know is weird! Great video as always. 👍
That sounds all too familiar Paul! For me it often finding the balance between where to put the energy. Is it worth it with this forecast to be extra tired tomorrow, etc. More.often than not though I think it is. But there are too many times I find myself at home looking to the stars (of Aurora ;-)) from my window.
At least you walked away with some cool shots. I know how you feel when it’s cold outside. Luckily I didn’t have to hike that far from the cars. Once I got my two cameras going, I would run back to the car to stay warm. Last week I was trying to do Milky Way panorama for the first time so I had to babysit the camera for a while. Thankfully it wasn’t too cold. I have new found respect for folks shooting Milky Way pano.
My biggest frustration is going out all alone in the dark without planning and also relying/depending on people to join to make it more "enjoyable" and safe(?) 😂
Great video as always, mistakes and distractions we all make. I have a special distraction that I keep thinking back to a fantastic night in the middle of July in Portugal where I live and in the morning when I woke up I went to download the photos to Lightrrom and found that I had only taken the photos in JPG, I forgot to reset them. the RAW ones, because a few days before I was doing some testing with the camera in JPG and I never remembered to reset it to RAW, Panoramic views where the horizon line doesn't line up, wind doesn't allow you to use the traker, clouds are a constant. This year I haven't had a cloudless New Moon yet. Tks. Jeroen
Last year, where I live in Michigan, the Canadian wildfires pretty much killed the entire season of shooting. There was a haze that just wrecked the sky.
Oh man I felt this one. I have so many nights out where I've just decided to scrap the the video. Huge one for me is brain fog. Trying to talk to a camera coherently at the same time as observing surroundings and conditions after a full day just sometimes does not work. As long as you learn something by the end of it, it isn't a waste.
Brain fog... I was looking for a word to describe my 'falling sharpness' as the night follows along. This might be it! Haha. Thanks for watching and letting me know your thoughts!
I guess you could try tracking reflexion of the stars using the opposite rotation mode of your tracker (the southern hemisphere rotation mode). Opposite rotation to the usual one should keep pinpoint stars in the reflexion if the water surface is calm enough. I did try in for tracking reflexion over the sea, but it never worked correctly due to waves and water movement... Would have to try it on a shallow lake with no wind.
Thank you for the idea. That might be worth a shot! The other idea I had to re-polar-align in the reflection itself. On the other hand, just doing a quick non-tracked stack also did the trick pretty ok.
Ahhhhh yes, clouds (bad weather). My arch enemy :D. Interesting about trying or I should say not trying. I've been more pissed in the past if I went out and didnt get a shot. Dont know why, but this really drains my energy and motivation... I wont forget how dissapointed I was at the end of 2023 when I went to Italy to photograph Orion above a lake and of course I came home emptyhanded. And speaking of frustration, for me its a chain-reaction one: not going out for some time, I forget how to edit... I must rewatch tutorials on how to blend Ha and RGB for example almost every time.
Clouds are the arch enemy for everyone I guess ;-). Interesting point you make about being dissapointed when you go out and it doesn't work out. I guess it depends on how much effort it took. And maybe also how much free time to spare you have to begin with. For me I'd much rather fail trying than than the possibility of failing by not trying at all for sure.
My worst: hiking up a mountain for two hours at minus 10°C. And my DSLR's shutter died that night after about 10 shots🙈. Because of the distance I didn't bring my backup cam 😅 I enjoyed the nightsky for an hour or so and then went back home. Have to say my Canon 70D got quite abused that winter. So was kinda expected it died after 70k declinations
Great film. I think the failure is part of this hobby. In my case, yesterday for example, the forecast in north of Poland was showing perfect conditions for at least 4 hours of the night. At the end, the clouds covered the sky for good. I came back home quite frustrated. Then, when I woke up the sky was clear all the day... Astrophotography can teach you how to be patient 🙂
Count me in as one of the people that spent 30 minutes of valuable imaging time trying to figure out why the guide camera was fine but the main camera was showing nothing. Then I took the lens cap off. Wasn't funny at the time.
It’s a weird colour cast that you get on Canon 6Ds (especially Astro-modified ones) when you shoot a long exposure with the live view still enabled. Frustrated me for ages until someone pointed out what caused it!
Actually it wasn't. I found out at home that the glow wasn't present when I turned off live view. Putting it on again the glow returned. Weird, but manageable from now on👌
@@StarScaperPhoto as a 6D astromodified user, I have the same issue when shooting long exposures with live view, weird purple cast on some.paet of the image... And I didn't noticed it the first night I shot with it... It completely ruined my honeymoon with the camera 😅. Now, I never ever forget to close the live view after focusing on the stars....
Wow such a strong video!!! Why did you even think about not posting?? Ok I get it, negative emotions linked to that night, but for me, this was so good!
1. Not scouting the location: 3 times already I stood in front of closed castle gates!
2. Clouds. Geminids 2020 for example. No gap. Sylt 2023.
3. Technical issues: infrared light leak in my lenses! Tracker freezing at -15°C at Geminids 2022. Intervalometer Always finishing after 50 shots when doing a startrail?!
4. Human error: my camera fell to the ground damaging the display, because I thought the knob I was turning was the ball head screw, not the arca clamp screw.
5. Not trying at all - every single aurora moment there was the last two years. Not hunting comet c/2023 for example. Would've been good at 85mm....
So the worst? Hmm... Geminids 2020 when I did a milky way skz swap with Luminar. And it got reposted on Instagram..... I still feel so embarrassed! Never did that again!
Haha, so glad you liked it ánd it is good to read that these challenges are so recognizable also for you 😅.
Clouds, without a shadow of a doubt, those damn clouds.
Always 😅
Curses to the fluffy eternal enemy!!!!!
@williemacdonald72 yes!
Great Vlog about the hassle we face sometimes out in the field. I could so relate to almost all of the 7 challanges...especially cold, clouds and technical issues...:D
Haha, nobody is complaining, it's all worth it and still it's good to see people can relate 😅. Thank you!
Forgetting spare batteries, intervalometers stopping working, trackers stopping working in the middle of a pano, and of course, the ultimate bane of an astro photographers life.... Clouds
Yes! All true😄
Also not checking focus after putting a lens warmer on messed up the only clear night had in ages
Yep, I can relate to most, if not all of those frustrations. A few extras I've encountered that easily spring to mind
- getting lost in the dark, it's so easy to get turned around on featureless salt lakes, sand dunes etc and waste precious time.
- forgetting gear - batteries, cards, tripods - you name it 🙈
- incorrect weather forecasts - I know forecasting is hard but sometimes they get it just sooo wrong
- red headlamp lights (not aimed at you Jeroen 😂). I know you use them but I much prefer dim white lights as they are much easy to fix in post (and can sometimes even help light the scene). Stray red light is harder to deal with.
- sleep deprivation and the drive home - so much harder than the drive to the location when you are full of anticipation and excitement for the night ahead. Sharing the trip with a talkative astro buddy definitely helps with this one
Very relatable additional points Greg 😅. Although it is hard to get lost in The Netherlands to be honest haha. Do see your point on red headlights in your frame. You have to be aware of eachother when shooting together. In this Harz adventure this was tricky as well though. And yes... that drive home. I always prefer to book a hotel if the drive is further than 2 hours.
Another great video Jeroen. As you would know so well, not going out is a big one but going out and having to shoot a video as well as images . .well that can put a real spanner in the works if you're not up for the fight so to speak ..!!! As a nightscape shooting youtuber that will put more pressure on than just about anything else at times. You appear to be handling that challenge with great enthusiasm my friend .. Well done.
You make a fair point there Richard! I am enjoying making videos a lot, but there are certainly times where the threshold to go out shooting is indeed higher because you will also have to go through all the 'fuss' of making a video, which does cost more effort. The resulting memory/souvenir from the night is always worth it though!
@@StarScaperPhoto Your work ethic is very high and I commend you on that. Just keep a look out over your shoulder .. burn out can creep up very quickly ..!!!!
@@nightscapeimages.richard thanks for the advice Richard. Very true. Already noticed this a couple of times in the past year. Since this is just a hobby for me, not work, I have adjusted to only making videos when I feel inspired to do so. Sometimes this means there is a gap of a couple of weeks which doesn't seem to be the best thing for 'the algorythm', but so be it ;-). Most important thing is we keep enjoying this in the long run!
Great video! I completely share all the frustations!! Good luck for the next adventures!!
Thank you! You too!
Great video! There are so many difficulties in trying to do astrophotography I am amazed why I do it at all. Maybe because it is such a challenge in a niche field which is what pulls me in??
Negatives: Late nights, cold, wind, clouds, light pollution, many trial and error camera settings and difficult focusing issues with stars and foreground. Then there is the processing.
Positives: Not many 'photographers' can do this successfully and if you can pull it off your shot is kind of unique! It is like a last frontier to the camera photography world.
Geraint.
Thank you! I can so much relate to what you say. Most important thing I think if the fun keeps outweighing the negatives we'll be fine 👌
Another interesting video, thanks for sharing. Hope you get some epic conditions soon. Astro can be unpleasant this time of the year due to bad weather conditions where I live. I'm looking forward to getting out again when the weather improves.
Thanks Martin! Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining here! Just wanted to let people know that they are not alone if not everything goes to plan you know 😅
OK, so 100% all relatable!! Great observations, Jeroen - I think pushing through all of those frustrations is what makes it so rewarding when it comes together.
The one I struggle with most is not going out at all, because it seems that’s the one that should be completely within our control. Equipment failure, clouds, unable to scout a location (it’s not always possible to get somewhere before dark) - they all happen through trying, and if you try then a night under the stars is never a failure. But NOT trying - that’s the one I find hardest, even though it’s inevitable that family, work, tiredness etc etc have to take the priority sometimes. But I find it hard to forgive myself if I miss a clear night - which I know is weird!
Great video as always. 👍
That sounds all too familiar Paul! For me it often finding the balance between where to put the energy. Is it worth it with this forecast to be extra tired tomorrow, etc. More.often than not though I think it is. But there are too many times I find myself at home looking to the stars (of Aurora ;-)) from my window.
At least you walked away with some cool shots. I know how you feel when it’s cold outside. Luckily I didn’t have to hike that far from the cars. Once I got my two cameras going, I would run back to the car to stay warm. Last week I was trying to do Milky Way panorama for the first time so I had to babysit the camera for a while. Thankfully it wasn’t too cold. I have new found respect for folks shooting Milky Way pano.
In the end it is always worth it 👌
@@StarScaperPhoto yes it is :)
My biggest frustration is going out all alone in the dark without planning and also relying/depending on people to join to make it more "enjoyable" and safe(?) 😂
Haha, sounds familiar 😄
Great video as always, mistakes and distractions we all make.
I have a special distraction that I keep thinking back to a fantastic night in the middle of July in Portugal where I live and in the morning when I woke up I went to download the photos to Lightrrom and found that I had only taken the photos in JPG, I forgot to reset them. the RAW ones, because a few days before I was doing some testing with the camera in JPG and I never remembered to reset it to RAW,
Panoramic views where the horizon line doesn't line up, wind doesn't allow you to use the traker, clouds are a constant.
This year I haven't had a cloudless New Moon yet.
Tks. Jeroen
Haha, that jpg mistake must have hurt 😅. Thanks for sharing!
Last year, where I live in Michigan, the Canadian wildfires pretty much killed the entire season of shooting. There was a haze that just wrecked the sky.
Ouch, I have indeed read about those wildfires. Sounds horrable :-(.
Oh man I felt this one. I have so many nights out where I've just decided to scrap the the video. Huge one for me is brain fog. Trying to talk to a camera coherently at the same time as observing surroundings and conditions after a full day just sometimes does not work. As long as you learn something by the end of it, it isn't a waste.
Brain fog... I was looking for a word to describe my 'falling sharpness' as the night follows along. This might be it! Haha. Thanks for watching and letting me know your thoughts!
My biggest frustration is walking back and forth to a rolling camera again and again for some kind of astro youtuber...
Haha just kidding 😘
You do it well though 😝
That made me laugh out loud!!! "Just act natural".
Number 7 is my biggest problem :D So i often i see some clouds or like not completely perfect conditions and then i stay at home.
That's a dangerous one indeed Kevin! Know all about that 😅
I guess you could try tracking reflexion of the stars using the opposite rotation mode of your tracker (the southern hemisphere rotation mode). Opposite rotation to the usual one should keep pinpoint stars in the reflexion if the water surface is calm enough. I did try in for tracking reflexion over the sea, but it never worked correctly due to waves and water movement... Would have to try it on a shallow lake with no wind.
Thank you for the idea. That might be worth a shot! The other idea I had to re-polar-align in the reflection itself. On the other hand, just doing a quick non-tracked stack also did the trick pretty ok.
Brother, I love your videos 🌌❤️ . your Vlog is look's like Alyn Wallace 💔 vlogs.
Thanks dude! I am definately inspired by Alyn but sooo far from close to what he did.
Ahhhhh yes, clouds (bad weather). My arch enemy :D. Interesting about trying or I should say not trying. I've been more pissed in the past if I went out and didnt get a shot. Dont know why, but this really drains my energy and motivation... I wont forget how dissapointed I was at the end of 2023 when I went to Italy to photograph Orion above a lake and of course I came home emptyhanded. And speaking of frustration, for me its a chain-reaction one: not going out for some time, I forget how to edit... I must rewatch tutorials on how to blend Ha and RGB for example almost every time.
Clouds are the arch enemy for everyone I guess ;-). Interesting point you make about being dissapointed when you go out and it doesn't work out. I guess it depends on how much effort it took. And maybe also how much free time to spare you have to begin with. For me I'd much rather fail trying than than the possibility of failing by not trying at all for sure.
I think you should bring beer to every location. Makes cloud watching easier! 😂 Works for me. 😉
@@Seegurkenwombat usually only the weather is annoying, but if I drink, I get annoying too 😀 and we dont want that
My worst: hiking up a mountain for two hours at minus 10°C. And my DSLR's shutter died that night after about 10 shots🙈. Because of the distance I didn't bring my backup cam 😅 I enjoyed the nightsky for an hour or so and then went back home.
Have to say my Canon 70D got quite abused that winter. So was kinda expected it died after 70k declinations
Haha, that must have been so frustrating!
Great film. I think the failure is part of this hobby. In my case, yesterday for example, the forecast in north of Poland was showing perfect conditions for at least 4 hours of the night. At the end, the clouds covered the sky for good. I came back home quite frustrated. Then, when I woke up the sky was clear all the day... Astrophotography can teach you how to be patient 🙂
Clouds are definately high up on the challenge list for us indeed 😅
Count me in as one of the people that spent 30 minutes of valuable imaging time trying to figure out why the guide camera was fine but the main camera was showing nothing. Then I took the lens cap off. Wasn't funny at the time.
Hahaha, no! Hope it is funny for you now? 😅
I Think that strange purple light on that foreground is from your microphone??
It’s a weird colour cast that you get on Canon 6Ds (especially Astro-modified ones) when you shoot a long exposure with the live view still enabled. Frustrated me for ages until someone pointed out what caused it!
Actually it wasn't. I found out at home that the glow wasn't present when I turned off live view. Putting it on again the glow returned. Weird, but manageable from now on👌
@@StarScaperPhoto at least you know now
@@StarScaperPhoto as a 6D astromodified user, I have the same issue when shooting long exposures with live view, weird purple cast on some.paet of the image... And I didn't noticed it the first night I shot with it... It completely ruined my honeymoon with the camera 😅. Now, I never ever forget to close the live view after focusing on the stars....
Frustration number 8: focussing on the wrong point in very dark so your shots come out all blurry. 😭
Haha, ouch. We've all been there 😅
@@StarScaperPhoto so thank god I'm not the only one 😂😇