I just got back from camping in Muskoka for the first time complete with hiking, campfires, guitar playing, star gazing and more. I had a blast and took so many photos, of course. My favorite photos are from my attempts to capture the starry sky without a tripod, haha. They turned out really well despite my lack of equipment and it inspired me to share with you all how to get your own epic photo of the night sky. I don't claim to be an expert or anything as I'm still new to this area of photography but I figured it might be helpful to share what I've learned so far.
What you need:
Tripod
DSLR Camera
Lens with a low f stop
Remote Shutter Release
Cloudless Night Sky (away from city lights)
Generally these are the things that you want for the best night sky photo possible. A tripod and remote shutter release will help eliminate any shake from the camera. If you're like me though and travel light, you don't always have a tripod or shutter release. If you can, find a stable surface, use some clothes, blankets, or towels to prop up your camera for the angle you want and set your camera on a self timer. Once you click your shutter button, it will have a couple seconds to settle so there won't be any shake by the time the shutter opens.
This is a photo from a couple days ago before it was fully dark and the stars were just coming out. I didn't have a tripod so I propped it up on the hood of our car and rolled up some shorts and my towel to prop it up. I also set it on a self-timer for two seconds.
For night photos you need a high ISO, wide aperture (or f-stop), and very slow shutter speed (basically it needs to be open for around 30 seconds). The longer your shutter is open, the more light it lets in. You can see this with the light from our campfire and how it illuminates the trees above.
Settings for this photo were:
Camera and Lens: 6D with 16-35mm f/2.8L
ISO 1600
f/2.8
Shutter Speed: 30 seconds
No tripod/Self Timer
This photo was taken the same night as the first but I laid it on the seat of our picnic bench and just aimed it straight for the sky. Now, I'd say the hardest thing I've found about night photos is getting what you want in focus. Using a strong flashlight helps by shining it on your subject, auto-focusing, then turning it to manual focus so the focus doesn't change when you press your shutter button again.
Settings for this photo:
Camera & Lens: 6D with 16-35mm f/2.8L
ISO 2000
f/2.8
Shutter Speed: 30 seconds
No tripod/self-timer
This was my very first successful starry night photo taken on top of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. Pretty sweet huh? The longer your shutter is open, the more light it lets in and you end up seeing more stars from really far away in the photo than in real life which is cool.
Settings for this photo:
Camera & Lens: 6D with 16-35mm f/2.8L
ISO 2500
f/4
Shutter Speed: 30 seconds
No tripod & used self timer
This is another photo from Mauna Kea a month after the first one and I used a tripod this time (yay!) but still had it on self timer as I didn't have a remote shutter release. It turned out great and I love it. The stars were so bright here that it was pretty easy to focus well on the sky.
Settings for this photo:
Camera & Lens: 6D with 16-35mm f/2.8L
ISO 1600
f2.8
Shutter Speed: 30 seconds
Used Tripod and Self Timer
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This last one is from that night in Muskoka and I had two friends sit in the tent right next to the door and another friend hold the light and point it directly at the door from inside the tent to make it glow. The light was bright so I only had them keep it on for a few seconds. This one is super fun to do and did take a few tries.
Settings for this photo:
Camera & Lens: 6D with 16-35mm f/2.8L
ISO 1600
f/3.2
Shutter Speed: 30 seconds
No tripod/Self Timer
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Well that's all I got for you. For the most part, just try these settings on your camera and adjust accordingly. Each camera and lens is different and so experiment and have fun with it! I do a ton of guessing and checking until I get exactly what I want. Hope this was helpful and fun to read.
Happy Tuesday!
Hannah
