Night Sky Photography Tips
TPWD photographers offer the following tips for taking photographs of the sky at night:
- Don’t forget your headlamp or penlight.
- Mount camera on tripod to keep shot steady.
- Use self-timer delay (2 seconds) or cable release to ensure stability.
- Set camera settings to manual.
- Set film speed to high ISO (800-3200).
- Set shutter speed (a few to 30 seconds or longer if you want to show star trails).
- Open aperture all the way (smallest f number, f1.8).
- Use manual focus, focus to infinity.
- Keep away from moon or man-made lighting.
- Use handheld lights to "paint" the foreground.
- Shoot in RAW if possible.
For more information and ideas, check out these articles: