“ Newer model cell phones have amazing camera technology that can take nice photos for anyone not wanting to buy equipment ,” says Blanton .
For his moon shots , Thompson uses a relatively basic telescope and an iPhone .
“ For shots of something like the galaxy or nebulas , though , I use a DSLR camera with a slow shutter mounted to a device known as a star tracker , which allows the camera to move along with the evermoving night sky and operate with longer exposure times . This allows for more light to hit the camera ’ s sensor for greater detail ,” he says .
According to Blanton , to thrive in astrophotography requires a lot of patience and an eye for detail .
“ Another reason I love astrophotography is that you don ’ t have to spend thousands of dollars to get interesting photos since it is all about putting in the time and attention to detail ,” he says . “ Astrophotography gives you a new perspective that only something thousands of light years away can give , and it has changed the way I look at the world .”
Thompson is most interested in capturing the Milky Way Galaxy simply for its size and beauty across the sky , but he also likes to look for planets , nebulas , clusters and other galaxies like Andromeda . As for Blanton , the types of celestial bodies and events he looks for depends on the season .
“ During the winter , I will shoot the Orion Nebula and several different galaxies . In the warmer months , Jupiter and Saturn return to the evening sky ,” he says .
Once the images are captured , Blanton uses a technique called stacking in which he will take 40-50 photos of the same thing and stack them together to make the best photo possible .
“ Once the photo is stacked , I adjust exposure , contrast and a few other settings in Adobe Lightroom , and then I usually have a finished product ,” he says .
Thompson , on the other hand , develops his photos in Adobe Lightroom to bring out the light and colors hidden in the image data .
For readers who are interested in learning more about this unique hobby but don ’ t know where to start , Blanton and Thompson have some advice .
“ My first word of advice is to get a pair of binoculars and learn the sky ,” says Blanton . “ Then , if you want to continue , purchase a telescope and attempt to take photos with your phone . If you want to proceed from there , purchase a DSLR . I love the hobby because it is usually just me , and I have to figure it all out on my own . For every good photo I make , there are hundreds that didn ’ t turn out . I have put in hundreds of hours , much of them spent on trial and error and failing over and over . But once you get that one clear shot of a nebula or distant galaxy , it ’ s all worth it .”
Thompson says that acquiring the gear and understanding the process is the easy part .
“ The difficult part is having the patience and willingness to jump on the opportunity when you suddenly have a clear sky , no light pollution and can operate in pitch black darkness ,” he says . “ For some , it ’ s all about the science . For me , it ’ s mostly about art . Take hundreds of photos until you get it right , discard the duds , frame the winners , and enjoy the art of it .” •
“ To get the perfect shot , it is all about darkness . Northeast West Virginia offers some of the darkest skies in the eastern U . S ., which makes for some pretty amazing pictures .”
The Milky Way Galaxy shot in Braxton County . Photo by Wes Thompson .
The Orion Nebula from East Lynn , WV . Photo by Josh Blanton .
The Milky Way from Spruce Knob , WV . Photo by Josh Blanton .
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