Astrophotography at its finest is jaw-dropping. Check out for yourself the incredible images from 2023’s Astrofest Astrophotography Competition and Exhibition. The good news is astrophotography is easy and affordable to start.
Even better, we answer your questions like “How do I get started with astrophotography” and “Do I need a DSLR camera for astrophotograpy?” Read on and learn more!
Start astrophotography the smart(phone) way
WA astrophotographer Will Vrbasso won Best Astro Photo at Astofest 2023 with his picture of April’s Solar Eclipse in Exmouth. Will told the ABC that you should “Start off with a camera and your lens that you may have, and just go out and take long exposures of the skies and experience it.“.
You don’t necessarily need a camera; you can start with a smartphone. It’s amazing what’s possible when you investigate your smartphone’s settings. Many smartphones offer options for astrophotography or nighttime photography. Experiment with settings like ‘night mode’, ‘star trails mode’, ‘moon mode’ or ‘space zoom’, depending on your phone.
As with a dedicated camera, you ideally need a tripod to keep things steady and on the level. There is also a whole universe of accessories out there, including zoom lenses or smartphone gimbals.
Can I use a smartphone with a telescope?
The easy way to photograph the Moon is holding your smartphone camera up to the eyepiece and focusing the image. However, the easy way isn’t always the best way if you want good-quality photos or photos of other objects.
If you don’t have a telescope, you can snap photos using your smartphone with binoculars or a spotting scope. With a telescope, you want an adapter that fits your smartphone to the telescope’s eyepiece, or a bracket/clamp that holds it in place.
Many astronomy apps we recommend are essential for astrophotography. Check out apps like SkySafari, Stellarium, or an all-in-one app like PhotoPills. People also recommend smartphone photography apps, such as Camera FV-5 or Camera+ 2, for Android and Apple, respectively.
If you can, set the camera’s exposure between one and 10 seconds and set the ISO to as high as possible. Most importantly, remember, the longer your exposure, the more light you let in, and this is why you need a tripod if you want a clear photo.
Do I need a DSLR camera for astrophotography?
You can buy various apps and accessories to get the best astrophotography shots with your smartphone. On the other hand, you might consider investing in a DSLR camera.
Our tips for DSLR astrophotography are very similar to our guide for photographing the aurora. You don’t need to spend a fortune on an expensive new camera, although you do need a tripod and a wide-angle lens.
As with photographing the Aurora Australis, you similarly need a long exposure time. Exposure of at least 20 seconds is best for photographing the Milky Way or other bright naked-eye objects. But long exposure is a delicate balance. If your exposure is too long, you’ll end up with photographs of streaked star trails instead of stars.
With ISO (light) sensitivity, higher numbers mean more light-sensitivity. Experts recommend using an ISO between 400 and 3200 for most astrophotography (3200 is the most sensitive), though 1600 is a good place to begin.
Experiment with settings to find what works best for you and your camera for different locations and times.
Processing: the least kept secret of astrophotography
Out-of-this-world astrophotography isn’t an accident. The final photos you see aren’t what a photographer sees through their viewfinder, they need enhancing; they need enhancing or processing.
Astrophotography image processing deserves a blog post all to itself. Fortunately, BBC Sky at Night magazine has a helpful beginner’s guide on the subject.
Whether you use a smartphone or a DSLR, for truly stunning photos, you want to use software like GIMP, Adobe Lightroom, or Adobe Photoshop.
Capturing your image is only the first part of your astrophotography journey. Using image processing, you can stretch the image’s light curve or blend focus-stacked photos to show the world the best side of your stellar astrophotography.
In astrophotography, location (and timing) is everything
Good astrophotography needs a good location. More specifically, you need a dark location.
Ask Virat Shah and Trevor Dobson, Astrofest 2023 winner and runner-up for Best Astrotourism WA Nightscape. Virat and Trevor captured iconic images in Cervantes, in the Shire of Dandaragan. Their incredible landscapes under the Milky Way highlight regional WA’s world-class dark sky destinations. Check out a website like lightpollutionmap.info to understand how much light pollution is in your area.
If you’re in a city or town with streetlights burning all night long, find an Astrotourism Town where the astronomy is out of this world — you’ll be amazed how much of the night sky you can see.
Unless you’re photographing the Moon we recommend choosing the night of a New Moon, so there isn’t a big, bright spotlight in the sky, washing out your photos.
It’s no secret we’re passionate about protecting dark night skies so you can experience the stars, and these towns share our passion. They’re the perfect places for you to get the astrophotography shots of your dreams.
FIND YOUR ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY DESTINATION
Find your next stargazing destination with help from Astrotourism WA’s list of top towns.
Jay Chesters
Author
