Articles
04/08
           
After honing my skills as a film-based photographer for six years, I began the learning curve of CCD imaging in June of 2003. Studying Ron Wodaski's book  "The New  CCD Astronomy" and much web-based  information, I first tried my hand in January '04. I'm still learning, but I'm happy to be where I am.

As difficult as good film results were, LRGB CCD imaging is even more labor intensive. The effort that Rob Gendler and others put into their finished work is staggering. I've finally achieved the dream of a home observatory but I still need to make every minute of clear sky count.

I use a Starlight Xpress SXVF-M25C One-Shot-Color camera, which replaced the SXV-H9C. Except for Narrowbanding, the results that can be achieved with them closely match filtered monochrome, and they're a great alternative for many imagers.

Most of my techniques have been culled from Jerry Lodriguss, Ron Wodaski and other masters, but I'm always eager to discuss my personal methods with anyone. Feel free to write me at the email link on the main page or join me at my Yahoo Group SXV-OSC for One-Shot-Color CCD.
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  About me

A child of the 60s- Star Trek, Lost in Space, 2001: a space odyssey, Apollo launches at dawn. Like many of us, I boldly went with my heroes "Where no man [had] gone before".  I never really touched down again.

As vice-president of my middle school astronomy club I owned an 8" Newtonian. By college however, it was forgotten for a career in music, most nights playing in city clubs far from the dark skies of my youth. I’ve been a recording, performing and teaching musician most of my life and am a multi-published Nashville songwriter.

It wasn't until Christmas ‘97, when my ex bought me a star chart and modest achromat that the passion re-ignited. I politely mentioned that I’d owned a similar scope when I was ten and proceeded to trade up to my present setup. I was gifted with Fred Hoyle's book Astronomy when I was a kid. Its cover had the glossiest, full color photo of The Ring Nebula in the blackest, velvet sky. I knew from that moment I would someday photograph the heavens’ wonders. 

Working with 35mm film since 1998, I switched to CCD in 2003. Much of what I know I learned from masters such as Jerry Lodriguss and Ron Wodaski. Artistic by nature, the highly technical aspects of the hobby overwhelm me and you may have noticed a conspicuous lack of scientific credentials. For me, it’s less about chemicals and cosmology, and more about the thrill of the hunt and the myriad of beautiful colors and shapes throughout the universe.

I’m proud to have been published as a photographer and author in: Sky & Telescope, Astronomy, Amateur Astronomy, Pennsylvania Recreation & Parks and Pennsylvania magazines, Astronomy Online, AstroPhoto Insight, Cloudy Nights, and other places on the World Wide Web. I’m a list owner and moderator of two forums including SXV-OSC at Yahoo Groups. I’ve been a presenter at NEAIC, MAIC, Black Forest Star Party, and for groups as varied as Boy Scouts and camera clubs. My Astrophoto tutorial business www.IP4AP.com was named a Sky & Telescope Magazine ‘Hot Product’ in 2007.

You need only your love of the night sky to accomplish anything you want in amateur astro-imaging.


Astro-Imaging As Art


And it is art. Like any other medium, astrophotography should be treated with respect for basic rules. Elements such as composition and color matter. For a visually pleasing final product with lots of impact, thought is required beforehand in matching the object to the imaging focal length and chip size.

A slice of  nebula or an off-center galaxy doesn't make the same statement as the full object, well-composed and contrasted by a dark background. There are some imagers who approach the hobby from a technical background and lack education in the arts. Though the image might be well acquired, poor composition, unnatural colors and less than ideal processing are often the result.

I'd suggest newbies study the work of  great astro-imagers, and also landscape painters and photographers as well. See why an extra few minutes framing a shot is worth the time. Get a sense of what's considered tasteful and pleasing to avoid crossing the line into the artificial or garish.




                  CCD Thoughts

As mentioned, Ron Wodaski's book is the mother lode for a quick start into CCD imaging. Additionally, there are some great web-based tutorials as mentioned below.
If you feel overwhelmed by technical minutia, don't assume you cannot aspire to being a great imager!

Here are some opinions and recommendations.

  • If you don't have a background in film-based astrophotography, begin with Jerry Lodriguss www.astropix.com This information is invaluable for CCD as well as film. Also view our free tutorials at www.ip4ap.com
  • Start with the most solid and finest tracking mount you can afford. The Losmandy G-11 is a good value, but be prepared to tune it to specs.
  • Dark skies matter, get to them whenever possible.
  • Be prepared to make lots of mistakes and be patient as you climb the learning curve. Completing a system that works for you is lots of work. Once you get it, stick with it for a while.
  • You don't need to spend $15-$40k in order to get good images. You'll have to lay out a minimum of about $5k to start though.
  • There are now many producers of quality CCDs. Filtered monochrome cameras requiring a good deal of image reduction aren't necessary to produce stunning images. Don't be afraid to think outside the box. See Steve Cannistra's and Anthony Licata's work with a Canon consumer DSLR, and my work as well as Alan Chen and Dietmar Hager's with the Starlight Xpress one-shot-color cameras. Monochrome SX cameras are making magic in the hands of Wolfgang Promper, Charlie Warren, Rick Krejci and others.
  • SCTs are a good bargain and versatile. They also have shortcomings both optically and mechanically. If you go this route, you might need to purchase several after-market products to make them good astrographs. Starizona's Hyperstar looks really cool as well.
  • APO refractors do a great job. Some fine ED refractors come close to the results obtained by APOs, but spend the extra $1k on a triplet or Petzval if you can. Newtonians optimized for imaging are a great value.  Russian Maks can be fine instruments for the money, but suffer from QC issues and a lack of sophistication.  Like the SCT, they often require refinements to make them good astrographs.
  • A quality focusing system is the most important modification you will likely need to make. The faster the f/ratio, the more critical focusing becomes.
  • If you do choose the Starlight Xpress cameras, get Astroart 4.0 or Maxim DL if for camera control and focusing only. The native software is not up to the task.
  • There are many nice software programs, some shareware, each of which offer one beneficial trick or two that another doesn't. It can be frustrating as you collect them for these features. Without question, Adobe Photoshop CS is vastly superior to any of the CCD-specific  programs for post-processing. Start learning it today, as it took me over six years to even approach mastery. Certainly, other programs are necessary for image reduction, registration and combining, but once master          L-R-G-Bs have been accomplished, PS is king. The CS version with a plugin will enable you to process 16-bit FITS files all the way to final output. Monitor calibration is a must for accurate results! Purchase R. Scott Ireland's Photoshop Astronomy book and visit me at www.IP4AP.com
  • John Cordiale and Jim Barot at Adirondack Video Astronomy are the most scrupulous dealers I've ever worked with. Dave Barrett and Grant at High Point Scientific are too. Don't assume  because someone is an astronomy vendor, that they have the passion and ethics that you do. Many have a used car salesman's attitude.

   
  
  


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