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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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How to shoot stellar Milky Way photos with a crop sensor camera and a kit lens

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If you’re shooting the night sky with a consumer DSLR and a kit lens, you may wonder if you can make them impressive enough. Well, of course, you can. In this video, Michael Ver Sprill aka Milky Way Mike will share with you some tips and tricks for making sharp and stunning images of the Milky Way even with a crop sensor camera and a kit lens.

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How to stack Milky Way shots and composite them with your own custom foreground

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Sometimes, the scene before you that you want to shoot just doesn’t line up with the sky that you want. Maybe it’s cloudy every night or perhaps the Milky Way just rises and falls on the wrong part of the sky. But what you can you do about it? Well, after watching this video from astrophotographer Milky Way Mike, you’ll be able to shoot and composite your scene exactly the way you want it.

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This incredible timelapse shows Aurora Australis and Milky Way over the South Pole

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The Aurora Australis and the Milky Way are each incredible to observe and shoot on their own. But when they are both in the same frame, it’s an awe-inspiring sight. They can be seen together in the night sky in the South Pole, and Martin Heck recently released this incredible timelapse showing this inspiring sight.

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A comprehensive guide to photographing the Milky Way

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Introduction

This guide will be a walkthrough on the basics of Milky Way photography. It is best for beginners, but even intermediate and expert photographers might find something new! Plus, I always find it never hurts to refresh yourself on the basics.

Before we get to the good stuff, I’d like to start by saying that I hope you find this guide to be a bit different from the rest. I have found that most guides go on way too long and provide more detail than you could possibly need. This doesn’t sound like a bad thing, but it creates a problem. With that much information available, it tends to be overwhelming and hard to retain what you learn. By the time you’ve read through the countless pages, you’ve forgotten where you started!

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Five quick tips for making stellar Milky Way photos

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Like any other genre, astrophotography has its many challenges. And if you plan to shoot Milky Way and get the best of your shots, you should invest some time in planning, preparing and learning. In this video from B&H and SLR Lounge, photographer Matthew Saville shares five great tips that will help you take stunning Milky Way photos.

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