How to Take Pictures of Stars

A step-by-step guide to photographing the stars at night.

Step 1: Understand Your Equipment

Before you head out to shoot the stars, familiarize yourself with your camera and make sure to adjust the settings for photographing stars. You'll need a camera that allows manual control of ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. A sturdy tripod is essential for stability during long exposures, and a remote shutter release can help prevent any movement when capturing your shots.

Step 2: Choose the Right Location

Find a dark spot away from city lights to minimize light pollution. Locations at higher elevations are typically better as they are above some of the atmosphere that can obscure the stars. National parks or rural areas are often ideal choices.

Step 3: Set Up Your Camera

Mount your camera on the tripod and set it to manual mode. Start with these night sky photography settings: Aperture: Set your aperture to its widest setting, typically f/2.8 or f/4, to let in as much light as possible. ISO: Begin with an ISO setting around 1600. You may need to adjust this depending on the brightness of the night sky. Shutter Speed: For sharp stars without trails, start with a shutter speed of about 20 to 25 seconds. If your lens is wider, you can go a bit longer without star trails.

Step 4: Focus Manually

Auto-focus won't work well in the dark, so switch to manual focus. The easiest method is to set your lens to infinity and then adjust slightly if necessary. You can use the live view mode and zoom in on a bright star or distant light to adjust your focus precisely.

Step 5: Compose Your Shot

Look through your viewfinder or on your camera’s display to frame your shot. Try to include some interesting foreground elements like trees, mountains, or water bodies to add depth and interest to your starry sky photographs.

Step 6: Experiment with Long Exposure

For those interested in capturing star trails, increase your shutter speed significantly. Exposures can range from 30 minutes to several hours depending on your desired effect. Remember, long exposure star photography requires a lot of patience and trial and error.

Step 7: Take the Shot and Review

Press your remote shutter release or use your camera's built-in timer to take the photo. Check your camera’s display screen to review the image. Look at the exposure and sharpness of the stars. Adjust your settings if needed and try again.

Step 8: Post-Processing

Even the best night shots can benefit from some editing. Use photo editing software to adjust exposure, contrast, and color balance to bring out the best in your star photos. Editing can also help reduce noise, which is common in night photography.

Picking the right camera is super important when you’re starting with star photography. It can make a big difference in how easy it is to take great photos of the night sky.

Here are some of the best cameras for beginners who want to try star photography:

1. Nikon D3500 – £356.32

Why it’s great: The Nikon D3500 is an affordable entry-level DSLR that offers excellent image quality and a user-friendly interface. It has a decent ISO range, which is crucial for low-light photography, and its 24.2-megapixel sensor captures sharp, detailed images.

Key features: It comes with a guide mode, which is perfect for beginners to learn how to adjust their settings for different types of photography, including night sky photography.

2. Canon EOS Rebel T7i / 800D – £619.58

Why it’s great: This model from Canon’s Rebel range is great for beginners who want a camera that performs well in low light. It has a 24.2-megapixel sensor and a more advanced autofocus system, which is helpful when shooting in low-light conditions.
Key features: The T7i has an articulated touchscreen and offers an extended ISO range of up to 25,600, making it versatile for night photography.

3. Sony Alpha 6000 – £410.40

Why it’s great: The Sony α6000 is a compact mirrorless camera with impressive speed and image quality. Its 24.3 megapixel sensor and fast hybrid autofocus make it ideal for capturing clear night skies.

Key features: It has a wide ISO range from 100 to 25600 and its electronic viewfinder helps with composition and focus in low light.

4. Canon EOS M50 – £619.26

Why it’s great: Another excellent entry-level mirrorless camera, the EOS M50 offers a good mix of features and performance for beginners. It has a 24.1-megapixel sensor and performs well in low light.

Key features: The M50 supports 4K video and has a variable-angle touchscreen, which can be useful for composing shots at the tricky angles typical of astrophotography.

5. Nikon D5600 – £360.27

Why it’s great: With its 24.2-megapixel sensor and wide ISO range (100-25600), the D5600 is an excellent choice for beginners who need performance in a variety of lighting conditions.

Key features: It has a flexible touchscreen, which is useful for composing night shots, and its wireless connectivity options make it easy to share photos instantly.

6. Sony Alpha 6100 – £555.16

Why it’s great: An update to the α6000, this camera offers improved autofocus and colour reproduction, which are essential for capturing the nuances of the night sky.

Key features: It has a 24.2-megapixel APS-C sensor, real-time eye autofocus for animals and people (useful for silhouette portraits against the night sky) and high-resolution 4K video capabilities.

Tips for choosing a star photography camera:

Sensor size: Larger sensors tend to perform better in low light, which is essential for capturing detailed night skies.

Manual controls: Cameras that allow full manual control of settings such as shutter speed, aperture and ISO are essential.

ISO performance: Higher ISO capabilities with less noise are preferable for night sky photography, allowing you to capture more detail without compromising image quality.

These cameras are a great start for beginner stargazers, balancing cost, ease of use and the advanced features needed to capture stunning night sky images.

Photographing the Stars at Night: Location Planning

To get great star photos, you need to plan ahead and choose the right location. Look for places away from city lights. Less light pollution means clearer images of the stars. Websites like Dark Site Finder and apps like Light Pollution Map can help you find dark skies near you.

Weather is also important. You need clear skies to see the stars. Use apps like Clear Outside or websites like Weather.com to check the weather before you go out. It’s also good to know when the moon will be bright. The moon can block out faint stars. Apps like PhotoPills can tell you the phase of the moon and even show you where the Milky Way is.

When choosing a location, look for cool things in the foreground. Things like water, rocks or trees can make your photo look even better. It’s a good idea to visit the location during the day so you can plan your shots and make sure it’s safe at night.

Check out these amazing star photos!

Check out these cool images from places like Tenerife, the USA and Africa. Each has a unique story to tell. You can see the Milky Way over the Teide volcano or stars shining brightly over Africa.

These photos are more than just beautiful. They show what you can do with a little patience and practice with your camera. Changing settings like exposure and ISO can make the stars in your photos look amazing.

Let these photos inspire you. They’re not just for looking at – they’re a guide to creating your own star photos. Give it a go – you might be surprised!

Photo made in Teide, Tenerife

Photo made In Virginia, USA

Photo made in Algeria, Africa

Star Photography - Guide How to Take Pictures Of Stars