For eons, mankind has looked up into the night sky in wonderment. All the stars and celestial bodies which hover over our heads have always held a nearly indescribable allure. Since the advent of photography we have looked for ways to photograph all the beautiful happenings of our galactic home.
You might think that making photographs of stars or even our own galaxy requires special equipment or extensive knowledge of mind numbing photography concepts. Nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, it all comes down to a few simple techniques and basic camera gear. In this article we are going to look at a few key points that can help you start making great photographs of the night sky right now!
Use a Tripod
Having a stable shooting platform is always a good idea for any type of photograph. The introduction of sharpness-robbing camera shake is one of the largest hurdles to overcome for any photo maker and it is especially true in astrophotography.
Always use a tripod(like the one from this LifePixel article) so that you can eliminate as much motion as possible in your images of the night sky. Speaking of motion….
Make Use of the 600 Rule
We often forget that even though our cameras seem to be perfectly still they, and ourselves, are moving along through space at around 67,000 miles per hour(30 km per second!). That’s not exactly slow. What this means for our astrophotography is that we are constantly working in a moving environment. Depending on the type of night photograph we want to end up with there is a very simple way to make sure all those stars stay in place. It’s called the “600 Rule”.
Well, it’s more of a guideline for exposure rather than a rule. Since, the earth is moving so fast, longer exposure times results in “star trails” which is the streaking of starlight due to motion. This can be a good or a bad thing. Luckily, we can estimate the longest shutter time we can use based on our lens so that we don’t see star trails. Conversely, we then know what the approximate minimum exposure time needed so that we do see them. And it really is a easy…I promise. The 600 Rule states that the focal length of your lens, be it 14mm, 50mm, 85mm, ect., should be divided into 600. Here’s the equation:
600/focal length of lens = Maximum Shutter Time in Seconds
See! That wasn’t so bad. There are a few versions of this rule which use different numbers such as 400 or 500. They all yield similar results so use whichever one works best for you. I use 600 but this is simply a preference.
Include Interesting Elements
Make your astrophotography more than just pictures of stars by including elements into your foregrounds. People, buildings, trees, even light pollution(unwanted artificial light) can add wonderfully interesting elements to your astro photos.
Make use of your entire environment to bring a unique perspective. Sometimes it helps to see just how small we really are in a wide universe.
Use a Remote Shutter Release or Timer
We’ve already learned that camera motion is our enemy when shooting long exposures. Even a small amount of camera shake can ruin a perfectly composed nightscape. You might not realize it, but the impact vibration of pressing the shutter button can cause enough motion to appear in your photo. To combat this, consider using a remote shutter release. Most cameras today have wireless remote capabilities(even budget cameras) and the remotes like these are cheap.
No remote? Try putting setting your camera to a 2 second or even 10 second timer. This will make sure your camera is as still as possible.
Astrophotography is an almost magical goal for some photographers. When I first began making photographs one of my personal goals was to make a photo of the full moon. It doesn’t take much to be able to make wonderful images of the night sky. Follow the simple tips in this article and you will see…dare I say…ASTROnomical improvement in your photographs! Photography jokes are fun….
Kwa karne nyingi, wanadamu wameangalia anga la usiku kwa mshangao. Nyota na miili ya angani ambayo huangaza juu ya vichwa vyetu daima imekuwa na kivutio kisichoweza kuelezwa. Tangu kuanzishwa kwa picha, tumekuwa tukitafuta njia za kupiga picha matukio yote mazuri ya nyumba yetu ya galaksi. Unaweza kufikiri kwamba kupiga picha za nyota au hata galaksi yetu inahitaji vifaa maalum au maarifa ya kina ya dhana za upigaji picha za akili. Hakuna jambo lisilo la kweli zaidi. Kwa kweli, yote hutegemea mbinu chache rahisi na vifaa vya msingi vya kamera. Katika makala hii tutaangalia mambo machache muhimu ambayo yanaweza kukusaidia kuanza kupiga picha nzuri za anga la usiku sasa hivi! Tumia Tripod Kuwa na jukwaa thabiti la kupiga picha ni wazo nzuri kila wakati kwa aina yoyote ya picha. Kuingiza kamera ya kutikisa-kuiba ni moja ya vikwazo vikubwa zaidi vya kushinda kwa mtengenezaji wa picha yoyote na ni kweli hasa katika astrophotography. Tumia tripod kama ile iliyo kwenye picha ya juu ya picha ya usiku. Kuzungumza juu ya mwendo.... "Kutumia ""Sheria ya 600"" - Mara nyingi tunasahau kwamba hata kama kamera zetu zinaonekana kuwa bado kabisa, wao, na sisi wenyewe, ni kusonga pamoja katika nafasi kwa karibu 67,000 maili kwa saa (30 km kwa sekunde)." Hiyo si hasa polepole. Hii inamaanisha kwa astrophotography yetu ni kwamba sisi ni daima kufanya kazi katika mazingira ya kusonga. Kulingana na aina ya picha ya usiku tunataka kumaliza na kuna njia rahisi sana ya kuhakikisha nyota zote kukaa katika nafasi. "Hii inaitwa ""Sheria ya 600.""" Naam, ni zaidi ya miongozo kwa ajili ya mfiduo badala ya sheria. Kwa kuwa, dunia inazunguka haraka sana, nyakati za mfiduo ndefu zaidi husababisha "njia za nyota" ambazo ni mstari wa mwangaza wa nyota kwa sababu ya mwendo. Hilo laweza kuwa jambo zuri au baya. Kwa bahati nzuri, tunaweza kukadiria muda mrefu zaidi wa shutter tunaweza kutumia kulingana na lensi yetu ili tusione nyayo za nyota. Kwa upande mwingine, basi tunajua ni muda gani wa chini wa mfiduo unaohitajika ili tuweze kuwaona. Na ni kweli ni rahisi... Mimi ahadi. "Kila kitu kinaweza kuwa na urefu wa ""600"" kama vile lens ya 14mm, 50mm, 85mm, na zaidi, lakini kwa kawaida ni ""600.""" Hapa ni equation: 600/focal urefu wa lens = Maximum Shutter Time katika Sekunde Angalia! Hiyo haikuwa mbaya sana. Kuna aina kadhaa za kanuni hii ambazo hutumia nambari tofauti kama vile 400 au 500. Zote hutoa matokeo yanayofanana kwa hiyo tumia ile inayokufaa zaidi. Mimi hutumia 600 lakini hii ni upendeleo tu. Kuongeza mambo ya kuvutia Fanya picha yako ya nyota iwe zaidi ya picha za nyota kwa kuingiza mambo katika mandhari yako ya mbele. Watu, majengo, miti, hata uchafuzi wa mwanga (nuru bandia isiyotakiwa) inaweza kuongeza vipengele vya kuvutia sana kwa picha zako za astrology. Tumia mazingira yako yote kuleta mtazamo wa kipekee. Wakati mwingine ni muhimu kuona jinsi tulivyo wadogo katika ulimwengu mkubwa. Kutumia Remote Shutter Release au Timer Sisi tayari kujifunza kwamba kamera mwendo ni adui yetu wakati wa risasi muda mrefu. Hata kiasi kidogo cha kutetemeka kwa kamera chaweza kuharibu mandhari ya usiku iliyochorwa kikamilifu. Unaweza kuwa na wasiwasi, lakini vibration ya shutter inaweza kusababisha mwendo wa kutosha kuonekana kwenye picha yako. Ili kupambana na jambo hilo, fikiria kutumia kifaa cha kuufungua kwa mbali. Kamera nyingi leo zina uwezo wa kijijini bila waya (hata kamera za bajeti) na kijijini kama hizi ni nafuu. Hakuna kidhibiti cha mbali? Jaribu kuweka kamera yako kwa timer ya sekunde mbili au hata sekunde kumi. Hii itahakikisha kamera yako ni kama bado iwezekanavyo. Upigaji picha wa nyota ni mradi wenye kuvutia sana kwa wapiga-picha fulani. Nilipoanza kupiga picha, mojawapo ya malengo yangu ya kibinafsi ilikuwa kupiga picha ya mwezi mpevu. Haichukui muda mrefu kuweza kutengeneza picha nzuri sana za anga la usiku. Fuata vidokezo rahisi katika makala hii na utaona...naweza kusema...uboreshaji wa KIASTROONOMICAL katika picha zako! Utani wa kupiga picha ni wa kufurahisha....