Top Picks of 2024: Discover the Best (Part 1)


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Producing an astrophotograph necessitates preparation, capturing the nocturnal sky, and meticulous processing. The integration of all these components results in an image that you could have visualized even prior to commencing any of these steps. Patience, along with both technical and creative expertise, is required to realize the intended outcomes. Within this article, I share anecdotes and methods related to creating some of my favored images from 2024.

Starlights and Citylights

This photograph was taken from Sadhutar (2500 meters), a quaint and picturesque valley situated in eastern Nepal. I visited this area in March 2024 and devoted 3 nights to capturing the starry sky. Nevertheless, this region is characterized by Bortle 2 skies. Some surrounding light pollution prevented it from being the best location for stargazing in this area. However, the northern sky was superior. On the trip’s final night, around 2 am, I was taking some deep sky images when one of the tour participants caught my attention. She was exploring the composition around the valley and stumbled upon this tree. Looking northward, that tree appeared ideal for a circumpolar star trail. Despite the hazy weather, the city lights resembled a multitude of stars down the valley. I was determined not to let this opportunity slip away.

I had a Nikon Z8 and the Nikon Z 20mm with me, testing it for the first time. I quickly set up, taking time to perfect the composition. This was also the moment when I was experimenting with extended shutter speeds for star trails, moving away from the traditional 30 seconds. I performed a few test shots to check the composition and histogram before settling on 60-second long exposures. I set the amount of shots to 200 (yielding over 3 hours of data) and returned to my other setup for deep-sky images. After an hour, I noticed the northern sky was becoming cloudier, which threatened to spoil the star trail photographs. I dashed to this setup, halted the sequence, and discovered that I could only obtain 30 decent images before the clouds moved in.

A single image from the sequence, unprocessedA single image from the sequence, unprocessed
A single image from the sequence, unprocessed

At first, I wasn’t entirely convinced whether I would generate an image with such a limited amount of data. After importing all the pictures into Photoshop as layers and blending them with the “lighten” mode, I realized that the image was actually better than I’d thought. For a star trail image like this, I applied a “double processing” technique, one for the sky portion to enhance saturation and smoothness, and another for the foreground to sharpen it. These two layers were then combined using a mask in Photoshop.

Equipment Specifications: Nikon Z8, Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8, Benro Rhino series tripod

Exif Information: 30 * 60 seconds, f/2.8, ISO 1600, 20mm

Starlight and citylight, the final imageStarlight and citylight, the final image
Starlight and citylight, the final image

Lali Gurans

In April 2024, my colleague Basudeb Chakrabarti and I ventured to a relatively obscure area in Nepal known as Tinjure (2850 meters). This location is referred to as the “Rhododendron capital of Nepal” due to its valley being abundant with red flowers. April and May mark the period when this valley turns crimson, as the flowers bloom. The skies were classified as Bortle 1 according to the light pollution map. However, we noticed that light pollution from the few residences slightly tarnished the condition. We decided to spend two nights.in this area before departing to another spot. The initial night, however, was squandered due to relentless rainfall and tempests. On the following day, we caught a glimpse of optimism as the morning sky revealed some clear sections. But that quickly proved to be misguided hope as rain resumed, paired with hailstorms in the evening and late night. With a somber heart, we succumbed to sleep.

At approximately 2 am, I heard my coworker yelling and conversing with someone. I was too sluggish to rise from my cozy bed to investigate the commotion. Before long, he appeared at my door, informing me that the sky had opened up. I nearly dashed to the field in my slippers (and did I mention that it was nearly freezing outside?) and beheld the Milky Way ascending over a faraway mountain. Well, it took us 15 minutes to get dressed, transport our equipment to the field, align our trackers, and commence shooting. By 2:30 am, our cameras were operational, capturing the exquisite Sagittarius arm.

Single image of the foreground, unprocessedSingle image of the foreground, unprocessed
Single image of the foreground, unprocessed

For the inaugural image of this expedition, we aimed to test the new Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2 that one of our friends generously lent us for a few days. With the preliminary shots, we were genuinely astonished by the clarity and intricate details that the lens delivered. We intended to create a vertical panorama of the Milky Way rising over the Red Valley. The sky component consisted of 2 vertorama panels, while one panel was designated for the foreground.

Single image of the top sky panel, unprocessedSingle image of the top sky panel, unprocessed
Single image of the top sky panel, unprocessed

The sky panels were compiled in Sequator. The editing and stitching occurred in Pixinsight to pull out additional details from the images. The foreground segment was edited utilizing Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop, and both parts were merged through Photoshop.

2 panels for the sky stacked and stitched2 panels for the sky stacked and stitched
2 panels for the sky stacked and stitched

Equipment specifications: Nikon Z6ii, Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2, iOptron Skyguider Pro, Leofoto LS324c + LH 40

Exif specifications: 2 panels of 10 * 60 seconds, f/2, ISO 800, 50 mm (for sky); 1 panel of 5 * 90 seconds, f/2, ISO 1250, 50mm (for foreground)

Lali gurans (Red flowers), the final imageLali gurans (Red flowers), the concluding image
Lali gurans (Red flowers), the concluding image

600 Years of trailing

Kyrgyzstan presented me with some of the most stunning skies and vistas I could envision. Upon arriving at a destination named Tash Rabat on the third day of my Kyrgyzstan adventure in June 2024, I recognized that this site held infinite opportunities for nightscape photography. My plan was to stay for two nights at this location. However, the initial night greeted us with snow, preventing me from capturing a single shot. The subsequent morning and afternoon were also overcast. Just as the sun was setting, the clouds began to disperse, almost as if by enchantment. The evening was filled with stars, revealing the finest night sky scenes visible to the naked eye.

This location featured a 15th-century caravanserai, “Tash Rabat.” This stone edifice, aged 600 years, located along the Old Silk Route, operated as a stopover for travelers and traders journeying through the route, particularly after navigating the Torugart pass. The altitude of this area stood at 3200 meters. My fellow travelers and I resided in traditional yurts utilized by nomads in the region, and it was an unforgettable experience.

Single exposure for the sky, uneditedSingle exposure for the sky, unedited
Single exposure for the sky, unedited
Single exposure for the foreground, uneditedSingle exposure for the foreground, unedited
Single exposure for the foreground, unedited

The complete editing process was handled in two segments within Photoshop. The first phase involved loading the sky images as layers and merging them to generate star trails. During this stage, processing was aimed at enhancing the colors of the stars. In the second phase, five images for the foreground were added as layers and stacked utilizing “Median” mode to minimize noise. The processing was conducted with minimal adjustments and selective dodging (to accentuate the caravanserai). Finally, the two components were blended using masks in Photoshop.

Equipment details: Nikon Zf, Nikon Z 24mm f/1.8, Leofoto LS 323c + LH 40

Exif details: 160 * 60 seconds, f/1.8, ISO 2500, 24 mm (for sky). 5 * 90 seconds, f/1.8, ISO 2500, 24mm (for foreground)

600 years of trailing, the concluding image600 years of trailing, the concluding image
600 years of trailing, the concluding image

Clear skies!




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