ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY
Our view of the night sky is changing. It is more important than ever before, to capture images of the night sky in its entirety
Josh Dury
Josh Dury Photo-Media is a recognised award-winning professional landscape astrophotographer, presenter, speaker and writer from the Mendip Hills in Somerset. His work is recognised by major publishing and media outlets, including the BBC, ITV and CNN amongst others. See more of his work at www.joshduryphoto-media.com
When planning to photograph the night sky, we first need to consider what is happening above our heads. The weather, as we know in the UK, can be unpredictable due to the jet stream and weather systems across the Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, we need to be prepared to photograph our subjects either in advance, or at the last minute. It is always good to have a number of weather apps to obtain an average for what is happening in the night sky over the coming days and weeks. I tend to use the BBC Weather, Met Office and Ventusky apps. I usually try to plan for a clear sky that avoids any chances of clouds obscuring my shots. It depends on the photographer as to what you capture, but at the same time, clouds can lend some perspective and dynamism to your images. It depends on the subject and narrative you want to achieve.
Light pollution and surrounds
Next, we consider the impact of light pollution from our nearby towns and cities. There are a number of good light pollution maps out there, which indicate the strength of light pollution from your location. Light Pollution Map or LPM, is a good app for measuring the light pollution of your area and shows the effect of artificial light at night, both nationwide and globally. In astronomical terms, this is measured on the Bortle Scale – this is a numeric scale from 1 to 9, with (1) being measured as ‘dark skies’ and (9) as severely ‘light polluted’. Try to find a location which is as dark as possible so you can observe details of greater clarity within the night sky. www.amateurphotographer.com
KIT LIST
This Sony model is capable of pushing high ISO values and has improved signal-to-noise ratio. Its compact size also makes it beneficial for travelling light.
Sigma produces robust lenses and latest advancements allow shooting at wider apertures, which is ideal for capturing the light of distant stars.
This aluminium tripod is robust yet lightweight. The TMA47AXL series is ideal for landscapes as it’s well-built to help prevent wind shake.
With landscape astrophotography, it’s advised to use a remote shutter release cable to prevent camera shake, which is critical for long exposures.
Lens
