Top techniques for astro shots

Three top tips for taking better photos of the night sky

6 Set up on a tripod

A tripod is a must when you shoot at night: it will allow you to accurately compose and lock off the framing for the long exposures needed to achieve a good result in lower light levels. Use the thickest leg sections first and hang your kit bag off it as ballast if you need more downforce.

7 Boost the ISO

Go into your camera’s Manual mode and open the aperture as wide as possible; here we were able to go as wide as f/2.8. We also extended the shutter speed to eight seconds and boosted the ISO to 6,400, which makes the sensor more sensitive to low light – ideal for a decent exposure.

8 Dim the lights

Bright lights can affect your night vision, so go into your camera menu and turn down the screen brightness. So you can see your camera controls clearly, we also suggest wearing a headtorch with a red filter – plus, it will also impinge less on your night vision.