My Kit
Astrophotographer Drew Buckley reveals the six bits of kit he relies on for shooting the sky at night…
Drew Buckley on the tools of his particular trade: astrophotography
Seeing the magical band of stars and nebula that make up the Milky Way is an all-too-common sight
Like any outdoor photographer I check the weather forecast at least twice a day. I mainly shoot landscapes and wildlife, but there’s only one option if a clear night is forecast: astrophotography!
I’m blessed with dark skies here in Pembrokeshire, Wales, and seeing the magical band of stars and nebula that make up the Milky Way is an all-too-common sight. The first time you capture it in detail is something you will always remember. For me it was back in 2010 when I first turned professional. I was experimenting with long exposures on a EOS 5D Mk II and EF 17-40mm f/4l lens. I could see the Milky Way with the naked eye but was interested in seeing what the camera could bring out. Cranking up the ISO and setting the shutter to 30 secs I took the shot and was amazed at what the camera revealed. Photographing the night sky was relatively unknown back then, so the images I took that night went on to hit pretty much every newspaper and media outlet going – including being featured in Photoplus!
Being something of a night owl fits in nicely with this genre of photography, and many years later I’m still trying to perfect my techniques. These days I use a 5D Mk III for most of my night images, sometimes opting for the 1D X. However, I find the 5D Mk III strikes the perfect balance between high-iso performance and resolution, though I’m sure I’ll succumb to the ever-so-tempting 5D Mk IV very soon…