How to photograph the Milky Way: Three-part video series about planning and shooting the night sky
posted Monday, July 9, 2018 at 5:00 AM EST
Over the last few months, photographer Brenda Petrella has been making videos about photographing the Milky Way. The third video was just uploaded, so I wanted to share the trio of videos with you all at once.
The first video is focused on how to plan a Milky Way photo. Petrella uses the PhotoPills app for planning her photography, particularly for night sky photography. The video below explains finding the Milky Way and how to utilize PhotoPills for planning your shot.
After you've planned your photo, it's time to prepare your gear for the shooting adventure. Petrella's second video discusses the must-have photography gear and useful accessories you'll want to pack. You can photograph the Milky Way with many different kinds of cameras and lenses, but the best results are easier to attain if you have a camera that does well at high ISOs, such as an APS-C or ideally a full-frame camera. The faster and wider your lens, the better. An f/2.8 or faster lens will do well. You can purchase a manual focus lens, such as one from Rokinon or Samyang, if you'd like to save money. You will be focusing manually at night, so autofocus isn't a must-have feature. You will also want a quality tripod to stabilize your camera.
The third and final Milky Way video is about the camera settings you will want to use for photographing still images of the Milky Way or trying your hand at a fun night sky timelapse video. In the video below, Petrella heads to a lake in northern Vermont to do some night sky shooting and show her tips and tricks in action.
To see more videos from Brenda Petrella, be sure to check out her YouTube channel. You can see more of her work at her website and by following her on Instagram.
(Via Brenda Petrella)