Photographing the Stars: Tips and Tricks

Summer vacations, clear days and good temperatures make more people want to appreciate and capture what is up in the night sky. We speak especially of the stars.

However, these are a somewhat complicated object to photograph, since it is difficult for our camera to capture the light they emit. If you want to learn some tricks to be able to photograph them well, keep reading this article!

GENERAL TIPS

• Choose the appropriate place: To photograph the stars you will have to get away from the light that the big cities give off, since your camera will need to capture a lot of light to be able to portray the stars. However, if the streetlights pollute the sky too much, your camera will capture a reddish light that tint the entire sky, instead of the stars. Avoid also nights with full moon (unless this is your subject), as it also emits a large amount of light.
• Mind the weather: The clearer the sky, the more stars you will be able to photograph. Also try to photograph in aday where there is no fog or a lot of humidity, or that will cloud the sky.
• Be patient: Photographing the stars takes time, both due to the long exposure of the shots and to the trial and error process, so arm yourself with patience and go for it.
• Help yourself with apps: There are several applications that can help you plan your photo session, identifying and locating the stars you want to photograph. We recommend Stellarium and Photopills.
• Explore all the possibilities:  Although a photo of the sky alone can offer us a spectacular scenary, think about introducing some additional elements in the frame that gives strength to the photo, such as a mountain, the sea, a silhouette, or shapes made with lightpainting ...

NECESSARY EQUIPMENT

• Camera: You will need a camera that lets you manually set the shutter speed to be able to take long exposure photos. Even better if it has the Bulb mode, as it will give you even more freedom when shooting. Some recommended cameras for this type of photography are: Canon EOS 6D Mark II, Canon EOS 80D, Nikon Z6 + Adaptador FTZ and Sony A7 III.

• Tripod: Essential to photograph at night, since we will be taking shots of several seconds, or even minutes.

• Remote shutter: With it you will avoid having to touch the camera and, in this way, the possible trepidations caused by it. If you don't have one you can also activate the timer on your camera, but if you are going to use the Bulb mode you will need to use a remote shutter.

• Angular and bright lens: This is optional, but with one you will be able to capture larger and more impressive landscapes. We recommend the Samyang 24mm f/1.8 AF Compact for Sony E, el Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 o el Irix 15mm f/2.4 Blackstone

• Battery: Make sure it's completely charged. If you have an extra one, carry it with you.

CAMERA PARAMETERES

• Manual mode: As we already mentioned, you will have to disable the automatic mode of your camera, since you will need to configure your camera in a more specific way. Thus, it will be necessary to place your camera in Manual mode.

• Diaphragm: To capture as many stars as possible, it is necessary to open the diaphragm as far as possible, that's why it is advisable to use bright lenses.
• Shutter speed: Remember that stars are always in motion so to capture photos of the stars or the Milky Way as static as possible, set the shutter speed to a maximum of 20 seconds. Increasing the shutter speed even more will result in Star Trails.
• ISO: The more we raise the ISO, the more stars we will be able to capture. However, be careful, because the higher the ISO we have, the more noise our sensor will generate. The recommended minimum ISO to be able to capture enough stars on a dark night (with no moon and no light pollution) would be ISO 1600-3200. However, as each camera is different, our advice is to try to find a compromise between ISO and stars, and decide to what level the noise in your shot is acceptable.
• Infinite focus: Many lenses show the distance at which they are focusing on the focus ring, and at one end we will find an infinity symbol. If we place the ring at infinity, the stars will come out perfectly focused. If we do not have an infinity in our lens, we will have no choice but to calculate the hyperfocal distance.
• Color temperature: Adjust it according to your taste by indicating the Kelvin number in the white balance of your camera, to get a cooler tone (with the bluest sky) or a warmer tone (with the reddish sky), depending on the aspect that you are looking for.

Our last tip is that you don't forget to enjoy yourself. Sometimes it can be frustrating not getting the shot of your dreams, but do not get frustrated and remember that above all you are there to enjoy and appreciate what surrounds you!