Astronomy

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Get started on this wonderfully challenging marriage of artistic vision, nocturnal exploration,

and technical sophistication. text and images by Steve Cullen

MODERN DIGITAL CAMERAS
have truly brought nightscape photog-
raphy to the masses. What was once the
purview of photography’s extreme hobby-
ists is now within reach for anyone with
a relatively contemporary camera — and
the gumption to stay awake well into the
night snapping pictures. The main tenets
of landscape photography — subject mat-
ter, composition, and lighting — are also
keys to a good nightscape photo.
As with landscape photography, the sky
won’t necessarily be the hero of your

photographs, but it will always be a strong

supporting cast member. The quality of

the sky can make a difference between an

OK photo and one that you’ll proudly

share all over Facebook and Instagram.

Interestingly, the nemeses of deep-sky

astrophotography — clouds, transparency,

airglow, and even light pollution — can

make for a more compelling backdrop in

your nightscapes.

A framework

Before we get into specifics about how

to shoot nightscapes, I want to touch on

my framework for creating interesting

landscape photographs in general. Keep

in mind that photography is an art, so

you shouldn’t consider these hard and

fast rules. Apply them as you see fit. This

framework has become second nature in

my own work, and I pass them along in my

photography workshops. You can remem-

ber it by the acronym PATH: Perspective

matters; Accentuate a point of inter-

est; Take the viewer into the scene; and

Harmonize the composition.

“The Land That Time Forgot” shows

the starry Milky Way arced across a

barren horizon. (Nikon D810a, Zeiss

15mm Distagon lens; panorama of eight

images for foreground and eight for the

sky. Foreground: f/3.5, ISO 1600, 120

seconds; sky: f/2.8, ISO 6400, 15 seconds)