My Early Days In Astrophotography

I captured my first image of a deep sky object in the Fall of 2020. Using my Canon EOS R and my Sigma 150 - 600 MM Contemporary lens, sitting high atop my new SkyGuider Pro mount, I watched as a preview image appeared on my screen after a 60-second long exposure. I had successfully captured an image of the Andromeda Galaxy. Me. A bug and soap bubble photography guy! The photons that were picked up by my camera's sensor departed Andromeda some 2.5 million years ago. That essentially made me a time traveler, and I was literally jumping for joy behind my trailer in the dark. I followed that up with an image of the Orion Nebula a few weeks later and wow was I hooked. Apart from the tracking mount, the rest of my “astrophotography” setup actually consisted of several lenses that I used for landscape, wildlife, and even macro photography. To this day I have yet to dive down the deep rabbit hole that is dedicated astrophotography telescopes and go-to mounts, but I have managed to expand my toolbox with a few new gadgets. That lens that I mentioned earlier, the Sigma 150 - 600 MM Contemporary lens, has quite the following in a Facebook Group for which I’m now a member. Where others posted images of wildlife, I decided to share my experience with the lens by posting images of Andromeda and Orion. The response was amazing, with many asking for some insight into the process that was involved. That lead me to my second YouTube video where I went through my equipment and the function of each item. If you’re new to astrophotography and have considered giving it a try, you may find this interesting and insightful! Enjoy