A tutorial on how I shot the rising Milky Way at Sentosa, Singapore under extreme light pollution

[justinngphoto]

Ever wondered how I shot the Milky Way in various parts of Singapore under extreme light pollution? This tutorial might be able to get you started ! It will cover the photography equipment you need and a workflow that probably works in most versions of Photoshop.

How I Photograph the Milky Way from Light-Polluted Skies of Singapore | Justin Ng Photo

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[briansoonphotography]

Hi Justin, awesome tips there.

But just to clarify a few things if i read and understood it right:

1) only one key shot was taken right? Not several shots then stitched together with PS
2) what are the intervals between shots (provided several shots are stitched together)
3) The 500 rule - i read on other blogs that says 500 still causes star trails (if printed in large formats or if the photo is zoomed in) hence 450 is recommended. Therefore, is 500 a rule of thumb or just your preference?
4) Lastly, you mentioned in point 4 "attach the intervalometer to the camera and take a few test shots to ensure both the foreground and stars are sharp using hyperfocal distance." How do you ensure stars are sharp on-site when the original RAW file is overexposed during post-process (unless you bring along your laptop with you)?

Thanks

[justinngphoto]

1) only one key shot was taken right? Not several shots then stitched together with PS
ANS: One shot.

2) what are the intervals between shots (provided several shots are stitched together)
ANS: Not applicable

3) The 500 rule - i read on other blogs that says 500 still causes star trails (if printed in large formats or if the photo is zoomed in) hence 450 is recommended. Therefore, is 500 a rule of thumb or just your preference?
ANS: There's no correct answer to this and the figure is only meant to be a guide. It's best to try using different intervals for the lens you're using to determine what's best for it.

4) Lastly, you mentioned in point 4 "attach the intervalometer to the camera and take a few test shots to ensure both the foreground and stars are sharp using hyperfocal distance." How do you ensure stars are sharp on-site when the original RAW file is overexposed during post-process (unless you bring along your laptop with you)?
ANS: It's still possible to see stars through the LCD screen when you zoom in at 100%.

[briansoonphotography]

Thanks Justin ... i'll give this a try one of these days

[joanjoantay]

wow! First of all, your photo is gorgeous! Never knew about that, or maybe because Sentosa is somewhat 'less bright' and less 'light polluted' relative to mainland Singapore?