Engaging in a daily routine of capturing a substantial volume of photos within a brief timeframe demands a systematic and efficient approach. In your daily photo capture process, incorporating flat frames, image frames, and dark frames enhances the overall quality and accuracy of your collected data.

1. Image Frames: The bulk of your daily capture consists of image frames, where you aim to capture approximately 1500 photos within a span of 15 to 30 minutes. These image frames are the core data, representing the celestial objects or scenes you are observing. Paying attention to focus and tracking accuracy is crucial to guarantee the clarity and detail of your subjects. Make sure that all the time the sun’s disc is completely in your frame.
2. Flat Frames: Out of your daily capture, set aside a dedicated segment for capturing flat frames. Flat frames, in this context, involve taking 50 images with a 2-second exposure time while covering the lens with a white cloth. These frames are vital for correcting uneven illumination and accounting for any dust particles or imperfections present in your optical system. The white cloth ensures uniform light distribution across the sensor, facilitating the correction of vignetting and dust shadows during the later calibration process. In absence of a white cloth, two layered handkerchief will also be a good alternative. Take a flat image and then check in digicamControl software if the image histogram is centered in the middle. If not then either increase or decrease the exposure time for capturing the flat images to center it. Do not change any other setting, use the same ISO, aperture value and focal length as you had during capturing image frames.
3. Dark Frames: Similarly, allocate another portion of your daily capture routine for dark frames. Capture 50 dark frames by covering the lens with its cap. These frames are essential for subtracting thermal noise generated by the camera's sensor during prolonged exposures. The dark frames, recorded with the same settings as your image frames, isolate and quantify the sensor-induced noise, such as hot pixels and amp glow. This aids in producing cleaner and more refined final images during post-processing.

By adhering to this comprehensive approach, you not only capture a large volume of daily images efficiently but also ensure the inclusion of crucial calibration frames. The combination of image frames, flat frames, and dark frames contributes to the production of high-quality solar photography by mitigating optical and sensor-related imperfections, resulting in accurate and visually stunning final compositions.

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