I couldn't help it, but I had to get out and try to see if I could finally shoot the stars right here, right now. During COVID, there is less traffic, fewer people around, fewer factories that produce, and I could go on and on. Simply said, there is less pollution in the air.
It was already noticeable that the environment is making good use of the situation, in a positive way. Together with 
Have you noticed that there are more stars to be seen in your area?
If so, share a shot if you'd like to. Maybe in a few days/weeks time, we can see a huge difference.
©2020 - Ruben Cress | Long exposure
Long exposure
I took this shot with a long exposure of about 30 minutes. The cloudy part just above the horizon is actually the milky way(!), something that isn't usual for us to see here in the Netherlands, especially not close to a city.
Camera details
| Camera | Sony A7 MARK II |
| Lens | Canon 17-40mm USM L f/4.0 |
| Shutterspeed | 1655.0 |
| Aperture | f/4.0 |
| ISO | 1000 |
©2020 - Ruben Cress | Countless stars
Countless stars
Still, there is a lot of pollution as you can see the orange glow just above the trees. While I felt lucky enough to see the Milky Way, I was a little bit unlucky with its position at the time. Just a tad above the horizon where it would eventually blend together with the pollution. Either way, I've never ever seen so many stars around here, that's for sure!
Camera details
| Camera | Sony A7 MARK II |
| Lens | Canon 17-40mm USM L f/4.0 |
| Shutterspeed | 44.0 |
| Aperture | f/4.0 |
| ISO | 2000 |
©2020 - Ruben Cress | Countless stars
Composition
After taking a few shots, I tried different compositions where I used the trees that were around us. I noticed the North Star and wanted to capture some movement around it. The North Star is the closest to the earth's rotation so it basically doesn't move and can always be found at the same spot. I made use of the two trees to enhance the presence of movement in the background of the photograph, as they are as much as frozen.
Camera details
| Camera | Sony A7 MARK II |
| Lens | Canon 17-40mm USM L f/4.0 |
| Shutterspeed | 373.0 |
| Aperture | f/4.0 |
| ISO | 1000 |
Flatten the curve
I've seen so many crazy news items regarding COVID19, it is bizarre indeed. I hope that all of you stay safe, and perhaps, these photographs are an incentive to think twice before getting yourself unnecessarily in crowded spaces during the day. Let's find out what we can expect in the nearby future!
Cheers,
Ruben