SIX STEPS TO AWESOME ASTRO
Dan Mold shares his favourite tips and tricks for capturing incredible astrophotography images that are literally out of this world
A strophotography is a fantastic way of taking your landscapes to the next level by injecting the awe and wonder of our fascinating solar system into your scenic shots, and it’s a great way of honing your low-light camera skills.
Modern digital cameras pick up much more detail in the night sky than the human eye – so you can capture incredible depth, use long exposures to create amazing star trails, boost the ISO to capture an aurora or attach a telephoto lens to pick out distant galaxies in breathtaking detail.
When it comes to equipment, night sky photography is a genre that you can geek out in – with different filters, lenses and tracking mounts to name just a few. Over the page, we’ve listed our core gear essentials as well as some optional extras to elevate your astrophotography photography. That said, you’ll be able to follow many of the techniques we’re covering with just basic kit, such as capturing pin-sharp stars, blurring them for star trails and shooting the Northern Lights. Ready to photograph galaxies far, far away? So let’s jump right in!
1 WISE BUYS FOR ASTRO
As with any photographic genre, there are optional expensive, niche items and A accessories – and that’s no different when it comes to astro. The good news is that you can get great results with simple kit such as an entry-level DSLR or mirrorless camera and a sturdy tripod. If you want to take your astro shots further, you may then wish to expand your kit bag with an extra lens or accessories such as an equatorial mount. It’s worth noting that cameras with an APS-C sensor can be better suited for deep sky shots of the moon or nebula due to their crop factor, which makes them a bit more zoomed in. Though it isn’t essential, you can get your camera converted for astro, removing the UV/IR cut filter to make your camera more sensitive to red H-Alpha light.
STURDY TRIPOD FROM £220/$270
Low-light scenes require long exposures so a steady tripod is vital for extending the shutter speed without pushing the ISO up to a high value that could degrade your pictures. Tripods also make it possible to stack multiple images seamlessly together, whether it’s for star trails or to focus stack your foreground and background for a totally sharp astro landscape photo.
