Warning – this will only excite the photo nerds amongst you!

The start of this week was cool but with really clear evenings and almost no moon – ideal for trying to make a star trails photo.  I’d done an on-line workshop earlier this year but hadn’t tried the technique out – ideally you need a clear night, no moon and little to no light pollution.

We went scouting sites on the south coast – about 15 minutes from here – and tried it out the other night, suitably dressed in warm gear complete with beanies.  A surprising number of folk were at Wahine Park on a winter’s night in the cold(!) My technique wasn’t quite right, so I had another go, this time from our front deck.  Not ideal as there was still light pollution, but helpful in terms of getting technique right and being handy to somewhere warm.  So, below is a star trails photo looking at the southern sky over Karaka Bay.  Hoping to try for more in the US where it will be warmer, and hopefully darker.