• Sony G Series & Skywatcher: Diamonds Camera Monarto Safari Park Astrophotography Tour

 

The day was warm, the air was dry, the earth was dusty, and this was the beginning of our beautiful Friday afternoon as we gathered at the Monarto Safari Park.

With Sony cameras in hand, tripods strapped to backpacks with various Sony G-Master and G-Series lenses inside, we waited patiently for the excited masses to join us at the cafe. Peter, a representative from Sony Australia, arrived with more equipment to share shortly after.

Some wanted to tour the safari park and arrived earlier and would meet at the cafe. Others would drive up to the Monarto Zoo once they would finish their working day.

 

Regardless of how we got there, everyone was watching the weather throughout the week. We were all there for one purpose and that was to learn, shoot and enjoy Astro Photography with a canvas of stars in front of us. It was cloudy for most of the week with a shower or two here and there but clearing by the weekend. Friday was the day and as the Diamonds Camera crew arrived the cloud was patchy but with the hope of clearing in the afternoon and evening.

 

Once the eager photographers arrived and everyone was settled Lindsay stood tall, excited to brief us on what to expect as he gave us a running list of the night's events and activities. While the light was still good, we journeyed out of the cafe, past the Meerkats, and after a quick 10-minute walk we arrived at the Chimpanzees. A proud mother was displaying her newborn as we snapped some photographs.

 

We made our way back past the cafe and into our cars as the convoy of cars then progressed towards the land we'd extensively photograph, albeit in the dark, and spend the night. Once settled and everything unloaded, we proceeded to familiarise ourselves with the surrounding area. Setting up on the tree line Will Godward from Tasco was unloading his telescope and setting up his StarTracker tracking units for us to follow the stars with our Mirrorless and DSLR cameras.

 

The light starts getting low and we set up our tents. With our temporary sea of green tents now coating the grounds we make our way to the kitchen where dinner has been prepared and is ready to serve. The catering was superb and most certainly fuelled us for the night ahead. Again, we are briefed about how the night will play out and everyone is assured that if they want to try a lens it will be available at some point. No one misses out.

 

We walked 200 meters to the field where the telescope, StarTrackers, and an abundance of Vanguard tripods are set up. We were in luck. The cloud was patchy but presenting us with an opening great enough to see the stars and shoot through. There were moments where the cloud would pass over and as quickly as it came it quietly moved on.

The night was still but the sounds of laughter, preferred camera settings, and shared ideas and techniques for shooting the heavens were shared. Red lights from NiteCore head torches lit up the grass to give it an eerie glow while safely allowing us to navigate through the darkness.

 

Sony cameras with large telephoto lenses and teleconverters photographed the deep dark sky to record images of the Orion Nebula (M42) in all of its magnificent glory. While other, wider lenses captured more, with stars as a backdrop creating a silhouette of trees in the foreground.

As the night progressed some people sat around the campfire set away from the cameras and the campsite for a quiet moment. Others preferred to keep shooting through the night and into the early hours of the morning. But eventually, the sound of shutters had turned to silence as everyone had retired to their tents.

 

Sunrise followed shortly after and those capable rose with it to capture the beautiful morning glow. Breakfast and pack down of the tents weren't far behind. Will gave a presentation on his techniques for making his astrophotographs as beautiful as they are. Eventually, we all said our good bye's as we made our way out of the Safari Park, down the freeway, and back into Adelaide.

 

Another Diamonds Camera adventure awaits.

Please stay tuned for more exciting future events and activities with Lindsay and the team from Diamonds Camera.

If you'd like to be apart of our future activities, you can keep an eye out here https://www.diamondscamera.com.au/camera-training-school 
or contact us directly https://www.diamondscamera.com.au/contact