For us mere mortals, taking pictures of Saturn’s rings is something that is a bit far from us. when we hear astrophotography we imagine those amazing images of nebulae of thousands of colors, we imagine solar explosions or craters on the dark side of the moon. And yes, those images would fall into this category, but to get them we need to have our pockets full of money and be willing to spend it to get them, or be lucky enough to be sent to the International Space Station 😉
Then you will say that why continue reading, what is the interest of something photographic that I already deny you beforehand. Well, you won’t be able to photograph nebulae or Neptune’s rings (without prior extra investment) but if I tell you that you can get incredible images of the sky without having to invest too much, you’re more encouraged, right? Let’s see how? We see that? But first, let me introduce you to this mega guide that we have prepared for you on night photography, with tips, tricks and a large dose of inspiration and if what is really going for you is the nature photography You have this other very complete guide. Now yes, let’s get down to business…
Basic material for astrophotography
- Camera with manual controls, interchangeable lenses (SLR/Evil) and Bulb mode.
- Tripod
- telephoto
- Remote Switch
Astrophotography Basics
Before you begin, you will need to be clear about the following concepts:
diaphragm opening: Adjusts the amount of light entering the lens and the depth of field. Since we will generally have little light, it is most likely that we will have to work with large apertures to be able to capture it (low values of f)
Speed: It is the time in which the camera shutter is open. The longer it remains open, the more light it will enter.
- Long exposure photography: Are you familiar with those images of night cities full of lines created by cars speeding past with their lights on? Well, that is done with long exposure photographs, which are those taken at very slow speeds so that the shutter is open long enough to capture the evolution of movement.
ISO: Another aspect to take into account is the sensitivity of the sensor to light, which is determined by the ISO. The higher ISO, the more sensitivity (ideal for low light situations) but at the same time loss of sharpness. On the contrary, the lower the sensitivity, the higher the image quality.
Bulb: It is one of the modes of your camera, normally marked with the letter B, and it allows you to keep the shutter open for an indefinite time, beyond the maximum allowed by your camera. With this system, the shutter is opened and closed manually by squeezing the shutter.
Where do I begin?
Although it may seem to you that with what you have you cannot do great tricks, the truth is that with patience, imagination and perseverance you can get fantastic images, even without a telephoto lens, although if the subject excites you, without one you will be left with the desire a little 😉
stars
Although it might seem that photographing stars at such a distance is not worth it, the truth is that you can get fantastic images thanks, for example, to the rotational movement of the earth.
Since the stars in the night sky are generally dim for our camera, to be able to photograph them we work with long exposures (our shutter remains open for a few seconds in order to capture enough light).
There are two ways to photograph stars for the mere mortal: with the static camera on a tripod and with the camera located on some device that imitates the movement of the earth so that it is annulled, leaving the stars visually static (above a telescope that imitates the rotational movement of the earth, or some other system). Chances are you’ll just use a tripod, at least to start with.
- If what you want is to portray the movementthe ideal is that you do everything possible to be able to work with very slow speeds. That is, lower the ISO to the maximum or close the diaphragm (high f values).
- If, on the other hand, you want to portray the stars in a static, and you do not have external help (telescope, rail…) you should do everything possible to reduce the shutter time as much as possible (fast speeds). You can do this by opening the diaphragm or increasing the ISO to values like 2000 or 4000 as long as good image quality is maintained (this depends on each camera).
In general, these are the recommendations for photographing stars:
- Well-charged batteries (holding the shutter open for some time, checking, repeating, etc., uses up a lot of battery)
- Tripod (essential)
- Remote trigger to avoid shake
- Manual focus (to infinity)
- Manual mode to control aperture, shutter speed and ISO
- Perform various tests. You can make the first ones overexposed to be able to contemplate the landscape and choose the best frame. Then rectify the exposure
- Check the histogram to rectify if necessary the times or the aperture
- Enlarge the image to 100% on the screen and check that you have focused and exposed correctly
- Repeat, check, repeat and infinite patience 😉
Sun
If darkness is not your thing, the king of stars can also be a great photographic opportunity, since alone or accompanying some beautiful landscape, it can be a great protagonist of the image. The ideal, if you want to get the sun fairly close, is to have a telephoto lens of approximately 200mm. Or, obviously, a telescope. If you don’t have either of them, don’t worry, you can get wonderful images by playing with the sun and the environment, especially when it approaches the horizon line where it looks bigger.
- Always use a tripod
- Reduce vibrations with a trigger remote or with your camera’s self-timer
- keep open the mirror of your camera if you work with a SLR that has this option, so you will avoid the movement generated when it opens and closes.
- Keep the ISO as low as possible to achieve the best possible sharpness
- focus on Handbook; cameras are easily lost when focusing to infinity, since you have some time, do it yourself to ensure focus.
- close the diaphragm about halfway to have a greater depth of field and good sharpness (eg f/11 if the maximum is f/22)
- take your time to to compose the scene
- Predict where the sun will rise or set, you can use apps like Photopills
- make different exposure tests (the best metering mode in this case is to underexpose a point to the edit obtained in point)
- Activate the Histogram of your camera to check and/or correct the image in situ.
Moon
Another great astronomical classic 🙂 . In this case you will face the darkness, in factthe darker the bettermore contrast and more will highlight the moon.
- With the moon we have more limitations when trying to integrate it into the environment because, when it is best seen, it is when it is darkest. For this reason, in this case, if we want to portray the moon as a motif in itself, a telephoto.
- If the sky is clear and the moon is full, it is possible that it emits enough light to capture elements around it. These images are very artistic, dreamlike and suggestive.
- Tripod. Even more essential than when we photograph the sun due to the lack of light. A tripod will allow you a sharp image at low speeds and with the ISO at the minimum.
- Remote Switch (or alternatively self-timer of the camera)
- If your camera has this option block the mirror to avoid tremors.
- ISO as low as possible for maximum image sharpness.
- Take into account the Moon phases. If what you want is to photograph the lunar orography, it is best to do it in the lunar quarters since the light falls from the side increasing the contrast and textures of the moon’s surface.
- Focus on manual.
- To achieve a good depth of field and as much sharpness as possible, work with medium diaphragm openings.
One more step, the telescope.
For anyone who loves the stars, the next logical step is to get a telescope and attach the camera to it, one way or another. There are several techniques that can be complicated to infinity.
Parallel Photography: It is based on attaching the camera on top of the telescope using the camera’s own optics. If it has a motorized equatorial mount, the camera will correctly follow the apparent movement of the stars and will neutralize it.
Prime focus photography: In this case, through an adapter, we attach the body of our optics to the telescope, taking advantage of its higher resolution.
projection photography: Similar to the previous one but adds a separator that emphasizes the increase, thus being able to get even closer to celestial objects.
Logistics considerations
- Look for a place away from the light pollution of cities, that is safe and where you can settle without disturbing or being disturbed and of course that is safe, since you will probably return home late at night.
- Arrive during the day to settle in comfortably before the power goes out.
- Find a path that is easy to return, don’t get lost or fall you or your precious camera 😉
- Take a flashlight and enough batteries
- Mobile and fully charged batteries
- Do not go alone and if you go, let someone know where you are going to be. Prevention is better 😉
Patience and more patience
Obtaining images of the night sky with all its elements can be both rewarding and frustrating, because there are many aspects to take into account and it is not easy to expose or compose in those lighting conditions. However, you will see that the sorrows disappear when you get a good image. In life nobody gives you anything, and in photography even less! 😉 so you know, to practice, to correct, to progress and to be better every day.
What? Do you dare to try it? Surely if you hadn’t worried too much about this type of photography until now, it’s because you hadn’t thought about the amazing results you can get 🙂 Oh, if you found it interesting, please share it so that someone else can benefit from the information . Thank you and until next time 😉