How to shoot the starry sky

Shooting the starry sky and other preliminary strategies mainly lie in four aspects: shooting time, shooting location, weather requirements and looking for the Milky Way. This is the premise of shooting the starry sky, and an imperfection will lead to unsatisfactory shooting effect.

1, shooting time

Summer and autumn are the best seasons to shoot the starry sky, and the shooting time is best from 9 pm to 3 am. Of course, shooting the stars should avoid the interference of moonlight. The week before and after the fifteenth lunar month is not suitable for shooting starry sky, so it is more suitable to shoot from the 25th lunar month to the fifth day of the next month. So, in two weeks, you can be ready to try to shoot starry sky works.

2. Shooting location

The best place to shoot the starry sky is in the wild or in the countryside far from the city. Those cities with serious light pollution will affect the shooting effect, especially the areas with serious smog are not suitable for shooting starry sky.

Warm reminder: Pay attention to safety when shooting in the wild.

3. Weather requirements

Shooting the starry night sky needs to be clear, and shooting can basically be abandoned in rainy, cloudy or foggy weather. The weather of shooting the starry sky is the most critical factor, so always pay attention to the weather forecast. If we meet fine weather, we shouldn't miss it. Take a camera and shoot.

Step 4 look for the milky way

The best subject for shooting the starry sky is the Milky Way. If you look carefully in the clear night sky, you will find a substance like a flocculent cloud across the night sky, and this is the location of the Milky Way.

If the naked eye can't judge the location of the Milky Way, you can use the star-finding software on your mobile phone to help you find the Milky Way through the dense clusters displayed on the screen of your mobile phone.

Parameter Settings for Shooting Starry Sky

The key of shooting parameters on the camera lies in the setting of focusing and exposure parameters, taking into account the setting of white balance and noise reduction.

1, focusing → manual focusing

It is difficult and key to focus on shooting the starry sky.

① It is suggested to switch the shooting mode to manual exposure mode, increase the aperture, slow down the shutter speed, and raise ISO to pre-focus;

② Start real-time display shooting, and press the zoom-in/zoom-out key, that is, the magnifying glass icon on the fuselage, to zoom in on the stars or galaxies in the picture;

③ Carefully adjust the focus ring manually until the stars or galaxy in the picture are clear.

This is a very crucial step, and everyone should pay special attention to it.

2. Exposure parameter setting → ISO control

First, we need to set the shooting mode to manual exposure mode, and the exposure time does not need to exceed 30 seconds. After all, it is not a star track, and the M file meets the shooting needs.

The maximum aperture of the lens is not necessarily the most suitable. We might as well reduce the maximum aperture by 1/3~ 1, such as F4.

Then set the shutter speed within 30 seconds to avoid the formation of star orbit. Suggested 15 seconds or 20 seconds.

Then the ISO is controlled according to the screen brightness, and the best adjustment is between 1600~6400, so that the screen exposure tends to be normal.

Note: the aperture needs to be enlarged and the shutter speed is relatively fixed, so ISO is generally controlled to adjust the brightness of the picture.

3. White balance → suggested automatic, waiting for post-processing.

White Balance Automatic white balance is recommended to obtain different picture atmosphere effects. If you want to adjust, it is recommended to adjust later.

4. Noise reduction setting → Turn off long exposure noise reduction.

The long exposure noise reduction function of many cameras is turned on by default, and the time required for noise reduction is equal to the exposure time. It is recommended to turn it off to improve shooting efficiency. Noise reduction can be fine-tuned later, and automatic noise reduction of the camera may make the photographer dissatisfied and is not recommended.

To sum up, the shooting settings are not complicated. It is recommended to shoot more and choose carefully after going home.

Post-processing of starry sky photos

Take a group of photos, and the original film needs to be optimized later. In the camera raw data:

① Highlights are increased by 30~50, and shadows are reduced by 30~50, highlighting the contrast effect between stars and the night sky;

② When the contrast increases by 20~40, the clarity increases by 40~50, and the saturation increases by 20 ~ 30;

③ Adjust the color temperature to create a warm and cold atmosphere of the picture. Generally, it is necessary to reduce the color temperature of the original film by 300~600, and the photo effect will be better.

The above three post-adjustment processes are the adjustment process when Bian Xiao personally shoots the starry sky, which can be used as a reference, not the only one.