Shoot for the stars
Capture stunning starry night scenes with tips and techniques from renowned landscape pros David Clapp and Guy Edwardes
David Clapp
Visit www.patreon.com/davidclapp for video-based lessons, Zoom talks and more. David Clapp FRPS has been a full-time professional photographer for 15 years and leads global workshops. An RPS judge for Applied and Travel, he undertakes commissions worldwide, works for Canon UK and is represented by Getty Images.
It’s not too long now until the Milky Way season is upon us. The summer months see a flurry of nighttime activity as photographers scurry out into the night sky in search of otherworldly imagery. Although it may seem from the ouset that astrophotography is restricted to those with professional equipment, today’s technology is so good that literally everyone can enjoy it, even with the kit they already own.
Although astrophotography can be approached at any time of the year, the summer months are by far the most enjoyable. The reason for this, is not only because it is warmer, but the night sky unveils its most incredible feature – the galactic core, the very centre of our Milky Way galaxy. Between the months of May and late August, the core becomes visible above the horizon, which is at its most prominent in the south of England, which is where a lot of high-quality imagery is created.
It may not be apparent, but you could already own the equipment you need for astrophotography, especially if you are a portrait photographer. Lenses with a minimum aperture of f/2.8 (often referred to as fast glass) are extremely versatile in most photographic genres,
from press photography to portraiture and also astrophotography. The brighter the lens, the more light-gathering potential under the veil of darkness.
What about different camera types? Mirrorless or DSLR? Both can be used effectively for astrophotography, but DSLRs excel in the dark, because they are far easier to compose when the light levels are very low. Mirrorless cameras rely solely on the sensor to view the composition, meaning a blast from a powerful head torch is necessary to get composition right, but both cameras are easy to critically focus.
APS-C or full frame? The biggest issue is noise, which is relative to pixel size or photosites. The APS-C camera with a relative 24mm x 18mm sensor size often has smaller pixels than a full-frame equivalent of 36mm x24mm. The tighter packed the photosites, the more susceptible to overheating, which generates noise. Casting this aside, the 1.6x crop is very much welcomed by astrophotographers reaching out towards deep space objects in particular. Although the choices of APS-C f/2.8 lenses are more limited, use full-frame glass for a greater choice. A 16-35mm f/2.8 for example, works perfectly on APS-C and full frame.
So, what do you do when shooting under a dark sky and your camera is a little underpowered? The moon can also be a great asset. Shooting in moonlight can lift your images out of black and provide an all-important light source to add dimension across the landscape. Unlike the sun, its reflective surface changes in size, so the intensity ‘waxes and wanes’ as it reaches full moon/new moon respectively. In 2007 I took my first astro image with a Canon 5D and a 17-40mm f/4L lens, shooting the landscape as a full moon rose over Dartmoor. With a maximum ISO 400, the quality levels were significantly lower than anything achievable with today’s cameras, but the adventures were utterly amazing!
If the darks are simply too dark, then light painting is a great option to add some extra tones to otherwise featureless shapes. Leave the 18000 lumen torches at home – all you need is a cheap 250 lumen head torch and some well-thought-out creative decisions. Use the torch to lift dark spots or to illuminate the foreground. Move away from the camera before light painting – preferably move left or right – otherwise the picture will simply look flat and uninteresting.
When you’re shooting at night, make sure your first attempts are not dynamic landscapes or seascapes. Many photographers make the mistake of previsualising a complex foreground to background image, that requires f/16 to get everything in focus. Although this is achievable by focus stacking, it is way too complex for a first attempt. Keep the tripod high, one-third land and two-thirds sky, to make it all about the night sky but with a landscape element.
What, where and when
Find some popular locations near you that others photograph – there is
nothing wrong with this. Familiarity will give you a very good idea of how to approach subjects, the difficulties that lie ahead and more crucially how to stay safe. There are three immediate subject differences – landscape, seascape and night sky. The latter, although included in the other two, means just photographing the sky itself, without a terrestrial element.
Firstly, astro images can work at any time of year, but the best season is most definitely the summer months, when the Milky Way’s galactic core is above the horizon. It is best to be in the south of England to take advantage of this, but the density stars are much more apparent regardless. The Milky Way is visible in the SE to SW region. Just remember the further north you are in the summer, the lighter the skies will be and the less the Milky Way will be visible.
Starting with the land, think about simple landscape scenes – a single tree with stars above. These can be taken on farmland (with permission) or a national park. A favourite of mine is Dartmoor National Park that not only provides characterful trees in abundance, but also unusual granite outcrops which can make exciting compositions.
Architecture found on open ground, such as towers, chimneys and even old mine buildings, make great subjects. Putting a detailed night sky behind these buildings transforms them far beyond their usual historical character. The beauty of using a building is that it can be approached from multiple angles, not only throughout the night but also as the seasons change.
Shooting from a remote beach can provide tranquil astro scenes, but this can often be a little lacking. For something truly interesting it is best to choose a sea stack or a similar large feature and to stand back away from it, simply to minimise any issues with depth of field. Rocky outcrops and characterful cliffs such as the southeast-facing Durdle Door in Dorset are popular for a reason.
Finally, dark sky (low light pollution) areas can provide some fabulous places to shoot the night sky itself. If you are considering using an astro tracker, these places are great for capturing some truly world-class imagery with the right atmospheric conditions. Avoid thinking these dark sky places are remote wilderness, think coastline too. Your holidays this year could be to a remote island – think the Outer Hebrides or perhaps the mountains of Tenerife, renowned as a true astrophotography mecca.