500px tutorial shows you how to get started with astrophotography

 

 

If you've ever wanted to go out ant start shooting the night sky, but feel like you don't know where to start, this tutorial could be exactly what you need. Presented on 500px by astrophotographer Dave Morrow, it delves into just about everything you'll need to get started shooting the Milky Way and stars.

It's a very straightforward, but still detailed, guide. It deals with the things that are really crucial: finding a clear stretch of sky away from light pollution; making sure the moon won't overwhelm the sky; using a solid tripod; and a camera that shoots RAW, with fast, sharp glass.

Morrow's guide also delves into how you choose the right shutter speed to prevent star trails (or that you should go slower than, if you want them), which is based on the "500 rule". You take 500, and you divide it by the 35mm equivalent of your lens's focal length to get the maximum shutter speed.

From there, it's a matter of playing with ISO, aperture, and shutter speed to get the image looking just how you wanted. And then editing it to really make it look like you'd always dreamed of.

If you're curious about the post-processing part of the equation, Morrow offers an online Master Class in editing these images, so you can see how he manages to bring out the remarkable and vivid colors from the originals.

(via DIYPhotography)

Image: anza borrego starscape by Anthony Citrano, used under a Creative Commons license