MIDSUMMER NIGHTS

Photographing Night Skies
As you’ll see in this portfolio, there are several ways to photograph stars, planets and the Milky Way. Some of the images are a single exposure, others are a stitched panorama of multiple exposures, and still others are the result of using stacking software to compensate for noise and grain. Whatever your technique, night sky photography experts recommend you take into account the limitations of your equipment. For example, the shorter the focal length, the longer and brighter the shot, and using a faster lens and a lower ISO will result in less noise. Do your scouting in the daytime so you can pay attention to foregrounds and overall composition, and because the Milky Way and other features of the night sky are seasonal, software such as PhotoPills can be helpful in timing your shoot. Post-processing is crucial, too, and you should plan on spending a lot of time shooting and editing — in other words, pick a night when you don’t have any obligations the next day. With practice, you can create your own stunning nighttime images.

— Rick Burress and Mike Sanchez, photographers