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How to double process a Milky Way image

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From the middle of August, it is dark enough for night photography here in the southern parts of Norway. The milky way season lasts to approximately December this far north. I try to head out as often as I can when there is no moon and the forecast predicts a clear sky.

It is always a delight to see the milky way in-camera, but bringing it out in post can often be challenging. One of the key challenges is that the night sky requires quite a different approach than the ground.

When it is very dark I prefer to shoot a few extra very long exposures for the ground to make sure I have enough shadow detail to work with.

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You can now download a free 2020 astrophotography calendar

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Telescope manufacturer Celestron has produced a calendar you can download for free. It covers the most important celestial events in 2020. The calendar even comes with a Deep Sky Checklist.

A growing number of photographers are discovering the joys of night photography, thanks to Instagram and the much-improved camera sensors. To stand under a clear starry sky is utterly magical. I so vividly well remember the first time I captured the milky way. To see it in-camera made a massive impression on me. I was hooked.

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This calendar shows the best days of the year to shoot the Milky Way in 2020

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Milky Way photography is one of the most fascinating types of photography, but to shoot the most appealing part of our galaxy, the Milky Way center, you need to plan your shot since it’s not always visible.

The galactic center is only visible during a specific season (March to September in the Northern Hemisphere and February to October in the Southern Hemisphere), and also, just for a few hours during the night.

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Learn how to photograph the Milky Way in less than five minutes

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Astrophotography is one of the most fascinating genres in photography. It allows us to see the world around us in a way that’s difficult or often impossible to see with the naked eye. For many of us, the issue is simply too much light pollution, but even when we do make the effort to go somewhere dark, we can still struggle, especially if we want to photograph the Milky Way.

In this video, Diana and Ian from Lonely Speck explain the basics of photographing the Milky Way from the gear and planning to the actual process of shooting it.

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Photographing sunsets and the Milky Way in in magical Tuscany

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Arlington, Texas, was long in the lead when it came to being this summer’s family vacation destination. However, sometime in May we arrived at that we wanted to revisit Italy. Last time we didn’t make it to Tuscany, so there was no doubt that this would be the area to stay and explore. Some friends had recommended agroturismos, that is, wine farms. Initially I had my strong doubts about staying at a farm of some sort, but when it struck me that it was milky way season in Italy in July my misgivings somehow vanished.

After all it was a family vacation where photography would be second priority, so I wasn’t thoroughly convinced that I would get my shots. And besides I had no idea whether light pollution would put an effective stop to my milky way hopes.

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How many photos should you stack when shooting the night sky?

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Star stacking is a commonly used technique among astrophotographers. It helps you to reduce noise and end up with better images of the night sky. But how many photos should you stack to get the best results? The answer isn’t as simple as “take X photos and stack them.”  But, Michael Ver Sprill aka Milky Way Mike shares some tips to help you determine the ideal number of photos to stack.

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How to shoot and stitch panorama when photographing the Milky Way

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The Milky Way looks impressive in photos, and it’s a favorite subject of many astrophotographers. You can give it a new dimension in your images by capturing it in a panorama. In this video, photographer Mike Smith shares a step-by-step guide for creating a Milky Way panorama, from setting up your camera to stitching the images together.

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These Milky Way and star trail photos were taken handheld with a smartphone

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Huawei P30 Pro seems like an impressive phone when it comes to its camera specs. Singapore-based photographer Justin Ng put it to a test and took some awesome photos with Huawei’s latest flagship phone. He shot handheld in the middle of the night and managed to capture the Milky Way and star trails using nothing but his smartphone camera.

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How I shot a Milky Way moonrise from an airplane seat

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A couple of weeks ago I was blessed with a sight that truly left me in a state of awe. Shortly after leveling off onboard United 534 from Honolulu to Los Angeles, I tried my luck with some astrophotography over the crisp Pacific Ocean skies.

Having had some experience with these types of images in the past, I frantically began setting up. I mounted onto my window a LensSkirt lens hood (basically a black cover that blocks out reflections) and began taking a series of images. Unfortunately for me, the Boeing 777 was going through a light area of turbulence, and my images were blurry and revealing some cabin reflections. I packed up my stuff and opted to get some rest, but without success…

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