Six Quick Tips to Enter the Astrofest Astrophotography Competition

All West Australians are invited to enter images into the Astrofest Astrophotography Competition
and Exhibition.

This year’s Astrofest will be held on 9th November and the Astrophotography Competition will open for entries in coming months. Beginners are welcome and there’s a category to suit everyone.

Astrotourism WA sponsors the Astrofest Nightscape Award. Dark sky nights between now and then are gold! It’s time to get out under the stars with your cameras, grab inspiration from the landscape and the Milky Way above.

Here are six quick tips to help you take images and get you ready to enter the competition!

a vintage camera, unsuited for astrophotography
Image credit: Randy Graf

1. Choose Your Camera

You don’t need a DSLR camera to enter the competition. Smart phone technology used at night is
out of this world and the competition includes special awards for this growing and popular form of
photography at night.

a blue tent on the beach under the Milky Way
Image credit: Pars Sahin

2. Find Your Landscape and Direction

The Astrofest Astrotourism WA Nightscape Award focuses on nightscape astrophotography. If you’d
like to enter this category, find your favourite landscape this winter and capture it below the arch of
the Milky Way Galaxy. A stunning foreground could be a silhouetted against or faintly illuminated in
front of the night sky. The Milky Way will appear in the south east to south west, so that’s the
direction to point your camera.

crescent moon and silhouette of mountain-under-sky at dusk
Image credit: Martin David

3. Using the Moonlight

A crescent moon can be a good friend out in the nightscape field. Hanging low on the western
horizon before it sets, allows a beautiful light to help illuminate the landscape below. Make sure you
choose a night with a small crescent moon so that it doesn’t brighten the landscape too much.

A close-up photo of a DSLR camera's settings
Image credit: Tim Schmidbauer

4. Settings, Settings, Settings…

If your camera of choice is a DSLR try these settings as a starting point:
  • 20 to 25 second exposure;
  • ISO 3200;
  • and the lowest F number (e.g. F2.8 or F4.5) that your lens will allow. If the image is overexposed and too bright, lower the ISO or try a 15 second exposure instead. Once you’re happy with the image, take 10 more. You’ll be able to stack these during processing which will draw out more detail.
    • processing

    5. It’s a Process!

    Processing images is often the hardest part of astrophotography! It takes time and patience. It’s a
    skill that takes time to learn. Try your hand at processing or find a fellow astrophotographer with the
    skills to help you get the most out of your images.

    Astrofest 2023, image credit: Astronomy WA
    Image credit: Astronomy WA

    6. What Happened Last Year?

    There were hundreds of great entries in last year’s competition from practiced and novice
    astrophotographers. You can do it too! One of the best ways to learn more is to see what happened
    last year’s Astrofest Astrophotography Exhibition and Competition.

    learn more about nightscape astrophotography

    We’ve got a few hints and tips to get the most out of your camera.

    Click here for more
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