Behind The Lens
Firstly, we're sure you are wondering just who is behind the lens? The talented photographer who captured this amazing series of star trails is Lincoln Harrison. The Australian photographer has made a name for himself after experimenting with long exposure on his camera to capture what happens in the night sky which is impossible to see by the naked human eye.
2
What Are Star Trails?
When a photograph has used long exposure in order to capture star trails, it means that the photograph displays the fascinating motion of stars due to the Earth's rotation. This is why these photographs contain brilliant, bright circular shapes. Star trail photographs show single stars as streaks across the photograph, and the longer the exposure, the longer the streak.
3
Long Process
Yep, as you can imagine, capturing such lengthy star trails as seen in these photographs would have required an extremely long exposure! Lincoln Harrison spent up to 15 hours in tumultuous winter conditions to capture these extensive star trails - Now that's dedication! The most fascinating part of it all is that Lincoln Harrison never intended to become a famous photographer. He simply bought his new camera in order to take pictures of items he wished to upload to eBay to sell.
4
Try It Yourself
Did you know that if you have a camera, then you can most likely capture your own star trail photographs? Although most photographers use a DSLR camera to capture the amazing star trails, Lincoln Harrison used his Nikon D3100 to achieve his famous images. Typical exposure times begin at 15 minutes and can be many hours long, depending on the desired length of the star trail streaks on the image. Keep in mind though that long periods of time may drain your battery operated cameras, and this is why mechanical cameras that do not require a battery are more useful for this task.
5
What Else?
What else are star trail photographs used for, we hear you ask? Not only do they look pretty, star trail photographs also serve much more important functions. Professional astronomers use star trails to measure the quality of different locations in which they want to set up their large telescopes. This helps them to determine whether they will gain a clear and unobstructed image. Don Pettit, an American astronaut, also recorded star trails with a digital camera from the International Space Station in earth orbit between April and June of last year.
6
More Than One Direction?
No, it's not a reference to another British boy band! Did you know that the star trails differ according to hemisphere and the way in which the camera is facing? Neither did we! If you are in the Northern Hemisphere and you capture the star trails occurring in the northern direction, then the image will show circular streaks that center on the north celestial pole. If you take your image facing south whilst in the Southern Hemisphere, then the image will show circular streaks that center on the south celestial pole. If the camera is aimed towards the east or west however, then the image will produce straight line streaks. Fascinating!
7
One In A Million
Lets face it, no two star trail photographs will ever look completely the same, and this is what makes Lincoln Harrison's 'Startrails' series so unique and amazing! We love this simple landscape of an outback setting with a simple tree. But what makes it so beautiful is of course that amazing and colorful swirl in the sky. We're sure you will agree that it is absolutely breathtaking!
8
Tunnel In The Sky
Looking at this hypnotic picture has us imagining a large, swirling tunnel in the night sky! We love how this photograph also captures the beautiful, Australian outback sunset, as well as the bare and sprawling landscape. Lincoln Harrison's series highlights the beauty of the night sky in the Australian outback and rural areas in which there is very little pollution in the sky. It is the pollution and smog that seems to endlessly stay in the sky over cities, as well as the bright lights from buildings, that blocks out most of the stars from our view.
9
From Sunrise To Sunset
If there's one man who doesn't mind missing out on sleep, it's photographer Lincoln Harrison...He recalls camping out near Bendigo over Lake Eppalock in order to capture the star trails, stating, "It was a grueling night with a total shooting time was 15 hours in freezing conditions, sunset to sunrise". It might explain the gorgeous colors and streaks of star movements in his photographs, but one thing is for sure; This guy has certainly got guts!
10
The Outback Shed
If there ever was a great symbol of the Australian outback, it would have to be the "shed": a small house-shaped structure made from materials such as wood and iron, which at times can take on a fairly dilapidated look (such as the one shown in this photograph). Photographer Lincoln Harrison does so much more than just convey the carefree architecture and attitude of the Australian outback. He also captures its unique celestial movements as the stars seem to dance across the night sky.
