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Five more ways to
improve your shots
Check weather
and moon cycle
Astrophotography relies upon dark,
clear skies, so check as many
weather forecasts as you can and
use an app to ensure the moon
won’t be up, as it’s guaranteed to
spoil the show. Don’t be deterred if
there’s a little cloud, as great night
sky images can be taken through
a brief break in the clouds.Useful apps
There are plenty of apps that allow
you to work out the position of the
Milky Way such as PhotoPills, The
Photographer’s Ephemeris and
Planit Pro. My Aurora Forecast is
a great free app for predicting the
Northern Lights and Lumos is
another useful app for following
the phases of the moon, as well
as moonrise and set times.Get to know
your camera
Familiarise yourself with your
camera’s layout so that you can
nd and operate all the buttons
you need easily in the dark without
having to switch on a head torch,
as this will spoil your night vision
and possibly annoy your fellow
photographers as they try to
capture their shot!Prevent fogging
When working at night, it is
important to keep an eye on the
front element of your lens, as it can
easily mist or freeze over as the
temperature drops, ruining your
images. The solution is to use
a CooWoo Lens Heater (£19.99;
charged via a USB cable, it wraps
around your lens to keep it warm)
or to tape some hand warmers
around your lens.Light up the
foreground
Sometimes a little arti cial
illumination can help to reveal
detail in foreground elements, but
keep it subtle or the effect will
quickly become unnatural and
unpleasant looking. I use a small
LED light panel that allows me to
ne-tune the strength and colour
temperature of the light.Gear and
techniqueThe basic
requirements for
good astro-landscape
photography are a
camera capable of
delivering good results
at high ISO and a
high-quality wideangle
lens with a maximum
aperture of at least
f/2.8. A sturdy tripod
is also a must. With a
set-up like this, in optimal
dark sky conditions, you’ll
typically be shooting at
around ISO 6400 at
f/2.8 to achieve an
exposure time of 15
seconds – any longer and
the stars will begin to
distort. Image noise will
be an issue when using
such a high ISO, but it
can be reduced by either
stacking exposures or by
using noise reduction
software such as Topaz
DeNoise AI, which is my
preferred method.Shoot the Northern Lights
The aurora borealis can often be seen
from northern parts of the UK (and further
south occasionally). Register for live updates on
aurora forecasting apps to be noti ed when
conditions are promising. Search in advance
and in daylight for foreground interest, as it can
be hard to nd in the dark. Subjects that make
interesting silhouettes, like lone trees and rock
formations, work best. If the aurora is strong
enough to re ect, then lakes and puddles can
also work well. Equipment requirements and
camera settings will be similar to those for
normal astro-landscapes, but when the aurora
is strong and active you’ll want to use a shorter
exposure time to freeze its movement.