Got told my star trails were 'too busy' in a critique last month

They said to pick one focal point, so now I just aim for the north star for 45 minutes. Anyone have a better target for cleaner lines?

3 comments

3 Comments

averysullivan26d ago

Yeah, that "wild curves sweeping past" idea from the elliot is cool. Parker_cooper57 is onto something with aiming off-center, but what if you just pointed at a really dim patch of sky? No bright stars at all. You'd get these super long, slow lines from the faint ones, almost like a time-lapse of the dark itself. It's way less busy because there's no star fighting to be the main subject.

the_elliot1mo ago

Parker's idea is solid, aiming off-center is the key. That critique about being "too busy" usually means everything is fighting for attention. Try picking one bright star near the edge of your frame, not in the middle. Let everything else spin around that single point. You get a cleaner focal point with all these wild curves sweeping past it, not just a neat circle in the center. It tells more of a story than a perfect bullseye.

parker_cooper571mo ago

Okay, so you're just aiming at Polaris for 45 minutes now. I mean, that will get you circles, but idk, it can get kinda boring, right? What if you tried aiming halfway between the north star and a bright star like Vega? You might get some more interesting curved lines without it looking too messy. Maybe it's just me, but I like when they look a little less perfect.