Dive into the starry universe of Stefano Pellegrini, who is passionate about capturing dark skies around the world. The astrophotographer strives to translate what the eyes see but the camera cannot, using stacking and combining multiple exposures to reproduce reality in all its artistry. With his love for time distortion, Stefano creates “superlong-exposures” lasting several minutes or even hours, allowing us to dream through his images. Read his story and discover his passion for night photography in this inspiring new episode of “Lens Stories”.
What is Lens Stories?
Photography is an art form that captures the world through the lens, with each photograph telling a unique story. Behind every breathtaking image is a passionate and talented photographer with their own story. Through “Lens Stories,” CYME aims to uncover these captivating narratives while highlighting the techniques, philosophies, and advice that have guided these artists on their photographic journeys. As a software developer focused on improving photographers’ workflows, it is essential for us to share these experiences and provide tools that support and enhance the work of these visual creators.
Becoming a Photographer by Fostering Passion for Stars and Mountains
Stefano Pellegrini's Techniques for Creating Complex Night Photography
My Mission is to translate what the eyes see and often the camera can’t. Using stacking and combining different exposures, only to reproduce reality in all its art, without fictions and replacements. I love complex pictures and I love pre-production: planning the final picture before shoting, something really needed if you want to make complicate pictures. I usually take multiple shoot for a single subject and superimpose them in post, to obtain one final image with more information. I use several techniques:
Stacking: several identical shots and stacking them one over the other, to have less noise.
Timeblanding: combining different photos taken at different hours in the same place, allowing merging different light separated by several hours in one single picture.
Light Painting: I like to animate the scene making light-trails using a torch, or lighting effects using steel-wool fire.
Vertical Pano: Often to have all what I see in my picture I have to make a panorama: usually a vertical one. Once I do so, I have to make for every section of the pano all the effects in this list, making several attempts to create photos that can join correctly. The result is a very big and complex final image.
Three Night Photography Tips from Professional Stefano Pellegrini
1) Scheduling the photos
2) Learning from failures
3) Never stop learning
Never stop learning: I’ll stop learning when I’ll be dead, till my eyes will be open, I will try to learn and improve, both from others, both by myself trying new stuff.
Night Photography: The Image You Are Proud Of as a Photographer
If I have to choose only a picture it surely will be my “Double Arces pano” made last summer in Utah. Maybe my best achievement ever: is an enormous panorama, almost a sphere (3 rows of 360°), to frame all this amazing location. To make it more complex I add some lightpainting and the milkyway framed in the perfect moment to have it sideways in two of the three holes.
The final image is a pano of 3 rows of 6 pics (2 rows made two times, one for the sky and one for the foreground). For the stars two row of 6 pics, each a staking of 5 shoots at 13’ ISO 10000. For the ground each a shoot at 2000 ISO 1minute plus, 13 shoots for the lights. A very difficult photo to prepare, to take and to edit: I never tried to develop an almost spherical photo in plane and it was very difficult.
Two Essential Lessons to Remember from Astrophotographer Stefano Pellegrini
1) Do it for yourself
2) Forget the others
The hardest thing is going straight to your path forgetting about the likes, the judging and the haters. . If I’m happy with one of my photo is enough: yes if then I have the approval of my peers and my followers is better, and yes, if I don’t have it I’m a bit disappointed, but I try to be more focused on me and forget external voices.
Show Your Support for Dark Skies Photographer Stefano Pellegrini
Let’s unite to support photographers and their incredible work! I highly recommend exploring the inspiring journey of night photography with Stefano Pellegrini on his Instagram. Your support means the world to these talented artists who bring enchanting stories to life through their lenses.
