In early April, I headed into the Southern California desert for some astrophotography. Clear skies and a new moon were perfect conditions to capture the Milky Way. And I learned a few things during this star gazing adventure. I have 3 tips to share with you for better photos of the core of the Milky Way. I hope you enjoy the episode.
Tip 1 - Planning Is Important (If Not Vital)
Astrophotography needs certain conditions to be met or your photos will fall flat. You need to know where and when to go for the best Milky Way photos. The location you choose needs to have low light pollution. Without a dark sky, the stars and Milky Way won’t be visible. Use tools like the interactive map at lightpollutionmap.info to find a dark sky.
Next, you need to know when to go. The folks at capturetheatlas.com publish a yearly calendar that lists the best dates of the year to see the Milky Way - and when the galactic core will be visible.
Finally, you need a clear sky. Fog, rain, or clouds will obscure the night sky. Use your favorite weather forecast app (or multiple apps) to check the forecast. My go-to app is Yr.no which has great micro forecasts.
Tip 2 - Choose The Right Lens And Camera Settings
The galactic core of the Milky Way will stretch across a wider part of the sky, so you want a wide angle lens to capture its breadth. You also want fast glass that can gather a lot of light, an increased ISO, and limits on exposure time to avoid blur.
Use a wide angle lens, 24mm or wider
Use a wide aperture like f/2.8
Increase ISO to 3200
Use the NPF exposure calculation in Photo Pills
Tip 3 - Manual Focus For Tack Sharp Stars
For tack sharp stars, use manual focus.
Turn off auto-focus and focus peaking
Turn on any manual focus assist features
Frame a bright star in the viewfinder
Rotate the focus ring until that star is its smallest
Resources mentioned:
lightpollutionmap.info: Use it to help you find a dark sky for astrophotography.
capturetheatlas.com: Calendars with the best times to see the Milky Way.
Yr.no: A weather app with great microclimate forecasts.
Photo Pills: Exposure calculators for pinpoint stars
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