A Beginner's Guide to Night Sky Star Photography

Sometimes when staring at the sky we feel that we are just a tiny cog in an infinite wheel. Most people who live in the cities are unable to see the galaxy. The shinning city lights cover the stars in the night sky. If you really want to shoot a beautiful galaxy you may need to drive to a remote area. Also, enough preparation is needed. You might stay in the middle of nowhere for a whole night. Below tips are introduced for you to capture a beautiful star sky.
1:Get to know the moon
The moon might be our first obstacle when shooting the stars. You may doubt that. But actually, it is the truth. Why? Because the moon is much brighter than the stars. What you can do is to shoot behind the moon. Use the moon to light up the foreground in the image. Do not include the moon in the picture.

2:Light pollution
Although it is possible to shoot at some slightly light pollution area the effect maybe not that good. Besides, our human eyes are not so sensitive to the light pollution,you’re your cell phones can capture some. In some without light pollution areas, you can surprisingly find that the starlight can be so bright that everything on the ground can be lighted.

3:Camera settings
If you are not familiar with the star photography, you might think to set the shutter speed to minutes will yield proper exposure. But as the earth is turning, and the stars are relatively moving, if you use long time exposure, the stars will look blurry. If you want to capture the trace of the stars then it is another topic to discuss.

For the camera settings. Try dialing a higher ISO. 1SO 1600、3200、6400 are all fine. For the shutter speed, the 20s-30s are ok. Last, try using the widest aperture, f/1.4、f/2.8 ect. All those settings aim to get more light entering the camera.

4:Tripod and Cable
A solid tripod plays an important role in star photography. The situation is normally complicated when shooting outdoor. Firstly the terrain might be relatively complicated. Secondly, the weather condition might be complex.
A tripod should have enough weight to stand the strong wind. If you are using the carbon fiber tripod, it is better to add some weight to the tripod. Additionally, a shutter cable is necessary. Surely if it is ok to you, you can use the auto shooting function to shoot.