Under Aquarius, Northamptonshire
A favourite tractor was parked perfectly for placing underneath the huge constellation of Aquarius.
Sky: single shot, 18mm, f5, 10 seconds, ISO 800 | Foreground: 10 exp. blend, 18mm, f5, 8 seconds, ISO 500.
Jupiter and Hay, Northamptonshire
A precariously loaded hay trailer made for an interesting foreground for the western night sky in mid-November. Jupiter is burning brightly on the left and there are several constellations visible in the sky above. Despite the very nearly full moon making its presence felt, I was happy with the level of detail captured in the stars.
The fact that the sky was being lit by a bright moon meant that the sky exposure used the same ISO and aperture as the foreground.
Sky: single shot, 22mm, f5, 10 seconds, ISO 500 | Foreground: 10 exp. blend, f5, 8 seconds, ISO 500
Gold Digger
Little Red Tractor
Baggage Shunter
Retired Tractor
Portable Grain Dryer
Three Ploughs
Farming Machinery
The Old Morris 10
Stargazing in Retirement
Blue Plough by Moonlight
The Golden Bucket
Weird and Wonderful Contraption
There is a field, within easy walking distance of my home, where there are literally dozens of old farm and industrial vehicles, which are occasionally sold on. The challenge is separating these vehicles from each other, to isolate them for the picture. Here, the arms of the old diggers in the background are a little distracting, although the fascination of this tractor and contraption serves to keep my attention focused on it!
Sky: single exp., 22mm, f3.2, 10 seconds, ISO 2500 | Foreground: 9 exp. blend, 22mm, f5, 10 seconds, ISO 500
An Old Morris 10
Abandoned cars are always good subjects for nightscapes and light painting. This was a fairly straightforward process: a single shot for the astronomical twilit sky, and then 5 shots for the light painted vehicle. There were other items of machinery behind and to the left of the vehicle, so I had to be careful not to light them, and thus preserve the "abandoned and forgotten" feel!
Sky: single exposure, 24mm, f5, 10 seconds, ISO 500 | Foreground: 5 exposure blend, 24mm, f5, 10 seconds, ISO 500
Broken but not forgotten
Another one of my favourite images. I really like the way the old tractor looks as though it's gazing at the stars, reflecting upon happier, younger days. Here the sky behind the old tractor is to the north west, with no clear constellations to identify, but this does not matter as the tractor is the main subject and the definite focus of attention. For this reason, I was happy to keep the sky a very deep blue, by using pretty much the same exposure details for the tractor as for the sky. The only change was to refocus on the tractor to ensure she was sharp.
Sky: single exposure, 24mm, f5, 8 seconds, ISO 500 | Foreground: 6 exposure blend, 24mm, f5, 10 seconds, ISO 500
Moonset
I was waiting for the moon to set so I could get on and photograph the Milky Way above some machinery. In this single shot, I was keen to have the grass harvester in silhouette and in sharp focus as if it were admiring the moonset.
Single Exposure: 120mm, f4, 13 seconds, ISO 1000
"Ivy", the overgrown tractor
Digging for stars
Fuel in the tank
Ursus c-385 under the stars
I hadn't seen this tractor before, and it had been parked right next to the footpath in a perfect pose. I did try the shot from the other side as I wanted to get the Milky Way in the background, but the composition just didn't work.
Sky: single exposure, 19mm, f4, 13 secs, ISO 2500 | Foreground: 5 exposures, 19mm, f5, 13 secs, ISO 500
The Old Field Rake
Take in late May, I was walking the fields one afternoon and spotted this old girl, in the perfect position for a shot of the spring Milky Way rising in the eastern sky behind. It was worth the soggy knees and stomach, making sure the rake was low in the composition.
Sky: 11 stacked exposures, 14mm, f4, 13 secs, ISO 3200 | Foreground: 6 exposures, 14mm, f5, 11 secs, ISO 500
An old friend under the stars
This little tractor is a common sight in the fields around my home village, and I have made it the subject of many nightscape images. The rollers, plus the semi-exposed engine and the caterpillar tracks all make for useful detail to creatively highlight with lightpainting. There were actually two other tractors parked at the edge of the field behind the rollers, and I didn't want to have them visible in this particular image. The benefit of adding light yourself is that if you don't light something in the dark......it's not there!
Sky: single exposure, 24mm, f3.5, 13 seconds, ISO 3200 | Foreground: 15 exposures, 24mm, f5 10 seconds, ISO 500
Midnight Combine Harvester
Another favourite subject for lightpainting under the stars. I always make a point of never touching the machinery in any way - save the light from my torch. Although it would have been wonderful had I been able to place a low level light within the cab, I never even try to see if the cab is open. So, the light in the cab in this shot is from my torch, shone into the cab from the other side of the vehicle.
Sky: 21mm, f3.2, 13 seconds, ISO 1000 (single) | Foreground: 21mm, f4, 10 seconds, ISO 500 (9 exposures)
An old Fiat caterpillar tractor under the stars
You can tell from this image that the tractor was previously semi-buried in the dirt that has now all but been removed, exposing the tractor for photographic investigation. Although battered, broken and abandoned, this little machine and its orange paintwork provides a perfect subject for nightscape photography.
Sky: 17mm, f4, 13 seconds, ISO 1000 (single) | Foreground: 17mm; f5, 10 seconds, ISO 500 (15 exposures)
Field rake under the Winter Hexagon
The weather had been uncharacteristically wet (even for the UK) and so the fields were sodden and muddy, making photography both difficult and treacherous in the night. I had set out with the intention of capturing the Winter Hexagon (or Circle as some would prefer) in the clear winter skies. Although there were thin clouds coming in from the south west, I knew there was just enough time to set up a shot. The challenge was to find a suitable foreground subject to lightpaint, and this field rake was going to have to do!
Sky: 14mm, f3.2, 13 seconds, ISO 2500 (single) | Foreground: 14mm, f5, 13 seconds, ISO 500 (2 exposures)
Ford Tractor under the stars
Sometimes, you just want a dark sky and nothing else!
Sky: 24mm, f5, 8 seconds, ISO 500 (single) | Foreground: 24mm, f5, 8 seconds, ISO 500 (4 exposures)
Starlit combine harvester
A favourite subject of mine, found in various positions in the fields around my village, this combine was parked right next to the public footpath, and was too good an opportunity to miss.
Sky: 20mm, f4, 6 seconds, ISO 2000 (single) | Foreground: 20mm, f5, 10 seconds, ISO 500 (12 exposures)
Vintage Nuffield tractor and mower under the stars
I had spotted this old Nuffield and mower, parked in the corner of a field, on a walk that same afternoon. I knew it would make a good subject for lightpainting under the stars, and the forecast for that evening was promising. The short, 10 minute walk from home was well worth the effort.
Sky: 21mm, f3.5, 10 seconds, ISO 2500 (single) | Foreground: 21mm, f5, 10 seconds, ISO 500 (12 exposures)
Grass harvesters under Perseus
Just to demonstrate that it is still worth looking for nightscape images under the light of a bright moon, high in the sky. These grass harvesters were in a field, adjacent to the public footpath, and actually make a interesting subject to photograph during the day. At night, they provide stunning silhouettes, resembling a herd of diplodocus, grazing, and enjoying the marvels of the night sky. In this particular shot, I used only two exposures to light the 4 harvesters on the left. The one of the right is lit by the light of the moon.
2 x exposure blend: 24mm, f4, 10 seconds, ISO 640
At the end of a good day's work
This image was captued under the light of a bright moon, high in the sky. The evidence for this is in the detail visible in the fields behind the subject that would otherwise have been black, had the moon not been shining.
Sky: 24mm, f3.2, 13 seconds, ISO 800 | Foreground: 24mm, f4, 10 seconds, ISO 640, (10 exposures)
At rest under the stars...
This is a favourite shot of the vintage Nuffield, principally because of the angle it was parked at, and how this worked with the view of the Milky Way in the background. Saturn and Jupiter are the bright stars towards the left hand side of the frame, and the handle of "The Teapot" asterism in Sagittarius is clearly visible below and to their right.
Sky: 12 exposure stack of f3.2, 10 seconds, ISO 3200 | Foreground: f5, 10 seconds, ISO 500 (11 exposures)
A well-earned rest...
Resting in the long grass, I spotted this tractor under Perseus in the clear skies overhead. I wanted to light it in such a way that the tractor would appear to be being drawn out of the undergrowth towards the light.
Sky: 22mm, f3.5, 10 seconds, ISO 1600 | Foreground: 22mm, f5, 10 seconds, ISO 500 (10 exposures)
Abandoned and overgrown
Despite being "reclaimed" by nature, there was still something proud and independent in the countenance of this old machine.
Sky: 20mm, f3.2, 13 seconds, ISO 3200 (single) | Foreground: 20mm, f5, 10 seconds, ISO 500 (7 exposures)
Renault Tractor by moonlight
I'm not particularly pleased with this image, but I wanted to capture something with the Plough in the sky! It nearly worked, although a key star in the asterism is obscured by those trees.
Sky: 24mm, f3.2, 10 seconds, ISO 1600 (single) | Foreground: 24mm, f5, 10 seconds, ISO 500 (4 exposures)
A Vintage Night Out
The position of this Nuffield under the Milky Way was an image begging to be photographed. The Milky Way stretching into the sky above, coupled with the planets of Saturn and Jupiter shining brightly combine to make this one of my favourite local nightscapes.
Sky: f3.2, 10 seconds, ISO 3200, single exposure | Foreground: f5, 10 seconds, ISO 500, 11 exposures
The Old Lady of Millennium Way
This grand old lady has been parked in this spot for a number of years now, and always makes for an interesting nightscape subject. This was also a first attempt at stacking images of the nightsky. It worked fairly well, and helped to soften the two very definite aircraft vapour trails that were clearly visible overhead.
Sky: 10 exposure stack of f2.8, 10 seconds, ISO 6400 | Foreground: f5, 15 seconds, ISO 500 (15 exposures)
Track Marshall tractor under Venus and Auriga
This little tractor is a favourite subject, and I am always looking forward to seeing where it is going to pop up next! Here you can see the excellent work that the farmer has done in preparing the field, using those rollers. Having scouted this subject and location earlier in the day, I knew that Venus would be low in the sky, and just above the rollers. This was a single exposure for the sky, and I am pleased with how many bright stars are recorded.
Sky: f2.8, 13 seconds, ISO 1600 (single exposure) | Foreground: f5, 15 seconds, ISO 640 (15 exposures)
Track Marshall tractor resting in the long grass
Sky: 22mm, f3.2, 13 seconds, ISO 2000 (single exposure) | Foreground: 22mm, f5, 10 seconds, ISO 500 (10 exposures)
Komatsu Earth Mover
Sky: f4, 10 seconds, ISO 3200 (single exposure) | Foreground: f4, 15 seconds, ISO 640, (16 exposures)
Bogey under The Plough
Sky: 14mm, f3.2, 15 seconds, ISO 2000 (single) | Foreground: 14mm, f5, 10 seconds, ISO 500 (12 exposures)
Tractor and Trailer
This is an image from the very early days of my nightscape photography, and there is plenty that is wrong with it. The subject matter was fine, but I could have made more of it with more sympathetic lighting. The ground has been lit reasonably well, but the tractor and trailer are too bright in the frame. This is definitely an image to learn from!
Sky: f2.8, 13 seconds, ISO 2000 (single exposure) | Foreground: f3.5, 15 seconds, ISO 640 (20 exposures)
Stargazing tractor
Sky: 14mm, f3.2, 10 seconds, ISO 3200 (single) | Foreground: 14mm, f5, 10 seconds, ISO 500 (6 exposures)
