Shoot the Milky Way
Our own galaxy is visible more often than you might think, but capturing it correctly takes effort
Planning is absolutely critical; more study is required than people realise. You need to know the moon phases and your twilights, and it also pays dividends to know the orientation of the Milky Way at each given time of year, as this can have a detrimental effect on the overall composition of the final image.
Perform daytime reconnaissance of unfamiliar locations, paying careful attention to the tides when shooting on coastal locations. Use apps such as PhotoPills and Stellarium to help with planning out possible locations.
The key to any successful shot of the Milky Way is composition – it’s tempting when first starting out to just aim the camera up as much as possible, but personally I always look at the scene as a landscape photographer would before actually thinking about how to complement it with the night sky itself.
For me, the backdrop of the Milky Way is just an extension of landscape photography, so there needs to be something striking or that leads the eye within the foreground, while the night sky makes a pleasing accompaniment or adds an extra effect.
1
Starter settings
Use the camera in Manual mode and manual focus mode. Ensure your lens is set to infinity (but not over infinity), then use the widest aperture to gain maximum light. If possible, hone in on a bright star with Live View and magnify the scene on the screen, adjusting the focus until it appears pin-sharp. Focus first, as you may need to swing away from your desired composition. Starter settings for wide angle shots are 15-20 seconds at 5000-6400 ISO, and the widest aperture. The actual ISO used will depend on the camera model, and for this reason it’s good practice to bracket your ISO range. Take a number of shots from ISO 3200-6400 and experiment when editing to decide which is cleanest after adjustments.
2
Adjust, and use apps
You will need to practise with your ISOs, editing approaches and favourite different focal lengths to work out the exact shutter speeds you are happy with. Keep in mind that the ‘500 Rule’ (the longest shutter speed you can use is 500 divided by your lens’ focal length) does not work for all full-frame sensors, and it’s more like 1/200 for razor-sharp stars. This means you will need a very fast lens with good performance wide open, plus a camera body that’s capable of producing acceptable images at very high ISOs to come close to letting enough light in. The more you shoot, the easier it should become. Learn to make a trade-off and settle for something in between both rules.