Re: leaving the shutter open

bob wrote:
I saw a very cool slide (not digital) that had a picture of the
movement of the stars over a twenty minute period of time. Suposedly
this was done by leaving the shutter on a camera open for twenty
minutes. How can i do this? If so how? (please note I have used very
few camera's in my life other than disposables!)

As others have stated, you need a camera with a "B" or "T" setting - these settings keep the shutter open for long periods of time. While some digitals can do this, they are not ideal for it as you will be pretty limited in the time period you can use. Even most of the recent crop of film cameras aren't really suitable, as they will drain batteries pretty quick for this type of shooting. Ideally, get yourself an older fully manual camera. I have an old Hanimex DR-2 Super (which I think is a rebadged Cosina. Ricoh also rebadged this model), and it is ideal for this. It does use batteries for metering, but doesn't need them for the shutter at all. I also have a Ricoh KR-10 which works ok but isn't quite as ideal, because it will flatten batteries if left in it. I can take the batteries out and it's fine. The third camera I have used for this is a Yashica Minister 3 - it is a 1960's vintage rangefinder and is ideal. Whatever camera you get, make sure it has a "B" or "T" setting, and there is a little threaded hole in the shutter release button.
Secondly you need a mechanical, locking, cable release. This screws into the little hole in the shutter button.
Thirdly, you will need a lens. While you can use a Zoom lens, I don't recommend them for this type of photography - while your camera is pointing upward at the stars, there is a chance the focal length will change under the lens's own weight while you are taking the picture. So you are best with a prime lens, in the 28-50mm range.
Finally for equipment you will need a good sturdy tripod, or some other sturdy support for the camera.
Now you will need some film. You are best not to use high speed films. 100 speed will be fine. Black & White, Colour Negative or Colour Slide won't matter - although slide arguably gives the best results, you will get acceptable results with either.
I find an aperture setting of F8 to be pretty good, although the exact results will vary depending on the lens. The smaller the aperture, the fainter your trails will be, however at the same time you will get a sharper image with less blurring.
So, off to take photos. Preferably find a spot with a dark sky - get away from the city. Set the tripod up with the camera facing toward the South (Southern Hemisphere) or North (Northern Hemisphere). Focus the lens at infinity, set the aperture, set the camera to "B", fit the cable release, press the button, and wait. 30min-1hr will give a nice effect. The longer you leave it the longer the trails will be.
To add interest to your photos there are a few things you can do. Including a building, some trees or some other reference point in the frame will add character to the photo - but it will only appear if it has some form of lighting. There are a few ways you can do this - pick a moonlit night (probably not a full moon though)- the resulting photo can end up looking like daytime, with a blue sky, but with star trails. Another technique is to fire a flashgun a few times at the object. You can even use colour gels over your flashgun for a more spectacular effect. Or even shine a torch on the object. Experimentation is the order of the day - experiment with different apertures, different exposure lengths, different numbers of flashes, different amount of torchlight etc. You might go through a few rolls of film, and have a few nights with little sleep, but when you get a great photo it will all be worth it.
Oh, and just be careful when you go back inside if it is a cold night and you go into a warm house - your camera may fog up. Best of luck :-)
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