Steve Paxton's photos

This has beern the first time I have so real Autumn colour to show. This year I leaf pruned the tree of all its leaves mid summer and let a second lot grow and kept the tree out of the blazing sun. The second crop of leaves are smaller and turn better colour as they are not as old as the first set of leaves. the biggest shame is not all the leave are on the tree most have be stripped by the strong winds we have had. Enjoy some WA colour like never before

www.space.com/23563-rigil-kentaurus.html The first shot first night, I took this is 11 shots second night at 4 min a slightly better look at the bottom star of the pointers. no third night just clouds but I did get a small glimpse at the workings.

I was able to get a few shots last night before the clouds closed in. 11 stacked photos 3 min photos 3/4 moon and high above the city lights well polluted out. I can wait to head south to try some of the other ones . My biggest difficulty in getting use to use two axis to find the stars but no help tonight to have a learning play Clouded in for the next week. {:o( PIP 200mm above 420mm

I wanted to give the unit a go to see what It could do but I knew i was fighting clouds. Set up polar alignment with the polemaster was easier but took a bit to understand the adjustment of the two screws is one moves forward the other moves back In unison. all night long I had the polemaster screen on and watch south track it hardly moved. the biggest movement was when the clouds came over. this shot, the moon is out, the star sit 100% above the city lights, the bright star is Rigil Kent bottom star of the pointers this time of year. ISO 100 tracked for 3 min 35 sec but even the 4 min track looked ok but for the clouds. clouds won but I feel a whole lot happier. this is 8 shots clouds and all stacked there was no movement across the frame what so ever. This was shot as set up in the photo before...or in the PIP.

This was the unit I was going to buy over a year ago but I went with the more portable Star Adventurer. Of late I have noticed my bigger lens the unit was not able to track properly so it was bite the bullet and start all over again. The good part all the learning will come in real handy and all the parts are interchange able. So starts a whole lot more learning not the manual parts I know from the other tracker which is just the same. I want to set up the camera and lens much like a Telescope completely supported. This is not the final set up as I started this at the wrong time in the middle of Covid 19, parts I need are all over seas. As there is not much movement I just have to wait so dont think there will be images tomorrow. once I get the battery to run this unit I will try from home moon or no moon or pollution as well. Plus it helps me see just how the electronic parts work as well. I believe in two months I will start having fun again with the 300mm F4 and the 150-600mm Tamron lens the heavy lens. As you can see I am planning on being around a bit longer....

Just before I left At 5 AM in the morning I set my camera up as horizontal and took 4 photos of the whole bow with the 14 mm lens. The bow is sitting South to North and the Center Due West . Bottom right hand corner are the lights of Two Rocks, this is just 20 min from home. There are plenty of PIPs that come from my use of a tracker in the night sky. According to aboriginal Legend this Emu has found his mate and is protecting the Egg, hence the Emu looking out into space watching what comes, bottom left end of the bow.. In summer time the Emu is hunting for a mate hence looking down at the ground The PIP that shows the whole Bay is at 3 am when the bow is very high in the sky This shot is sitting much lower in the sky.

This was a site I thought would yeld a good milky way shot but only a western and only 20 min from home. bow. this is 3 am in the morning just before moon rise. I got a shock to see just how vividly the Milky way stood out in the night sky. the only surprise was it was so high in the sky I had to do it as a two Row bow. so 22 shots in total with the clear night filter. Put "The Spot Two Rocks" in google earth.

What looks like cloud is in fact a huge fire that is being done out of summer time In fact only three very small clouds in the shot.. This is almost in the same area of the other fire we had some months ago but I have to wait to go out.

Another of my still life in the SPC the old film camera bag. Real history. www.ipernity.com/doc/1073393/album/1068652

A focus stacked set of glasses, 7 shot in one. First ever try at this as well quite happy with the results as well. entrant in the SPC Still life.

Enjoying freedom

A set up for the SPC long time since I made a still life. Shared second place with Herb. It was fun going back to the real roots of photography. more lights here than you think but all candles out of sight but one.

By the cold light of day.

South a full circle but high above city light pollution. Clear night Filter.

North is way below my horizon so no complete circle, only a partial circle. Clear night filter

By way of comparison Auto WB. Andy Provided the Lighting as he could not get a photo ran out of battery. 2020 Clear night filter and learning to edit the colours. Just which is better I tend to like the grey blue rather than the Rusty red.