Astrophotography or shooting photos of the planets, moon, and stars, galaxies and more has always intrigued me however, not enough to attempt it until now.
While researching methods and ways to pull this off I learned it is a bit more complex than setting up a tripod, putting the camera on bulb, and walking away for a few minutes.
The real experts use an equatorial mount to compensate for the earth's roatation on the telescope that their camera is mounted on to avoid trailing in their shots. Otherwise, the photo will look like a carnival's Ferris wheel in the sky. There is more to learn; however, for our quick tip today, for myself and other newbies, try this technique:
Using any DSLR on a tripod.
Shoot at twilight for the cresent moon or setting constellations.
Use a wide angle lens set an infinity and experiment using an ISO of 1600. Use your self timer to avoid camera shake when releasing the shutter.
Add some forground elements in your shots to give you a sense of location and play with the camera's white balance to correct for any light pollution that you may encounter.
Experiment with multiple exposure times.
Cool stuff, and a nice time of the year to be outside at night. Lastly,take a small flashlight with you to help with your settings, etc.rather than fumbling with knobs and dials in the dark.
Have fun and watch your step in the dark...!
Check this link to learn more. It's a commercial web site but they provide plenty of free advice and tips. http://www.astropix.com/
2 comments:
i practiced shooting star trails a couple of years ago. It's too light in my neck of the woods to really get good shots.
Yup, that's typically the problem here in the city too much light pollution, but it's fun to try
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