For most people, stars are decorative points of light that decorate the night sky. But for you, they can also be fascinating streaks of light that add dazzle to your compositions.
Stars might appear as twinkling points of light to the naked eye, but when you point a camera at them and leave the shutter open for a while, they transform into colorful streaks across the sky. Photographing star trails is not only an artistic endeavor; it can also provide insight into the nature of stars themselves.
Stars are basically composed of hydrogen and helium, and they burn intensely. The hotter the star is, the more bluish its color, and cooler stars tend to be reddish orange. Based on this information, scientists have formed theories about the age of the stars we observe. A bright blue star, for example, is considered at the peak of its life. A duller red star, on the other hand, is much older.
Thinking about the age of a particular star on a chilly night probably demands more commitment than the average person cares to allocate to such matters. But if you point your digital camera upward and let it record trails of those stars, their colors are much easier to distinguish in the comfort of your home, gazing at your computer screen, than they are when you gaze upward into the frigid night.
Take a look at the picture of Orion's belt and sword (the constellation Orion the Hunter dominates the winter sky in the Northern Hemisphere). This image is a four-second exposure (f-1.8 at ISO 800, taken with a Canon 10D) and is an enlargement of what you'd observe with your eyes in the sky. You can see some differences in star colors, but they are subtle.
Stars without trailing effect
Capturing fireworks, evening landscapes, colorful night scenes and star trails can produce awe-inspiring photographs. However, to properly expose for these low-light pictures, it is necessary to keep the shutter open from a few seconds to many minutes or hours. The bulb shutter speed setting on the Canon XSi camera allows for long exposure times under the direct control of the photographer. With this setting, you can decide how long the shutter stays open and capture as little or as much light as you need.
Press and hold the "Aperture/Exposure compensation" button and turn the main dial left or right to set the desired aperture. The "Aperture/Exposure compensation" button, denoted as "AV +/-", is located at the top right corner of the LCD monitor. Press the "shutter" button halfway to activate automatic focusing and exposure metering. Press the "shutter" button completely and hold down for as long as you want to keep the shutter open. The elapsed exposure time will appear in the lower right corner of the LCD monitor. Release the "shutter" button when you want to close the shutter and end the exposure.
Source: Portfolio Website for Photographers | Online Portfolio
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