Page 18 - Cape-Camera-October-2023

Cape Camera October 2023

E & D report back — 18 October 2023

Troubleshooting Astrophotography

This was officially the last E&D presentation

Kim Stevens arranged in her eight year ten-
ure as E&D convener. The presentation by Kyle

Goetsch on Astrophotography Troubleshoot-

ing that followed the AGM did not disappoint.

Joyce Goldschmidt and Kim Stevens report

CTPS members and guests enjoyed the brilliantly pre-
sented talk on Astrophotography by renowned land- To plan your images, think backwards!
scape photographer, Kyle Goetsch, with a special inter- First, determine your desired end result,
est in photographing the night sky.
He began his presentation by highlighting the pitfalls then decide what technique to use and only
of Astrophotography i.e. location, logistical issues and then will you know what settings to use.
planning; gear and setting related issues and editing.
He addressed problems members of the audience raised: to look like and shoot accordingly, so that they can have
how to focus on both the foreground and the stars; how the best RAW files to achieve the desired end result.
to light the foreground evenly; as well as post-process- While challenges facing night-scape shooting include
ing problems. light pollution, selection of technique, setting, gear,
Kyle emphasised the point that the photographer noise at high ISO settings, hot pixels, artefacts and
should try and pre-visualise what they want the photo post-processing, Kyle’s talk focused on how to improve
your editing skills.
He edited some images in real time and showed editing
techniques such as blending images, aligning images
and stitching panoramas of the night sky.

Use the right technique
Focus Stacking
Stacking
Panorama

Light painting
Star trails – single vs Intervalometer

Visit Kyle’s YouTube channel where he shares his insights into photography through
his editing tutorials : www.youtube.com/@kyleincpt. Or visit www.kylegoetsch.com.
18 Cape Town Photographic Society