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The northern lights are spectacular this year, but the strongest are still to come

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The northern lights have hit headlines lately as solar flares have sent charged plasma hurtling through space at break-neck speeds. We’ve had reports of aurora being visible at seriously low latitudes, including Luxembourg. There’s a reason for this, and any nighttime photographers need to know what’s going on.

I’ve written a book about the northern lights. It’s a huge passion of mine and I’ve made it my mission to educate myself on nature’s greatest light show as much as I possibly can. I was lucky enough to have spent the past winter travelling throughout the Arctic in my van. I witnessed the aurora on an almost nightly basis and enhanced my knowledge through research and observation. While I love to dive into the science and the technicalities, I’ll spare you those details in favour of the more exciting stuff.

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Watch this stop motion film made out of over 600 light-painted still images

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There’s light painting, and then there’s this light-painted stop motion film produced by Photographer Darren Pearson. The film is a light-painted Western called ‘Fiat Lux’ and was filmed in classic Western locations such as disused gold mines and abandoned homesteads around Darren’s native California.

Even more incredible is that Darren light painted each frame freehand, combining a total of over 600 images. The amount of work involved was immense and the result is both eerie and beautiful. He explained to DIYP how he created it.[Read More…]

Photographer captures once-in-a-lifetime shot of Comet Neowise, the aurora borealis, and Milky Way

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The Canadian Rockies have always offered breathtaking sights, but take this dramatic mountain setting and pair it with a rare comet that won’t be visible for another 6,800 years and you’ve got the recipe for an awe-inspiring photo opportunity – one that photographers only dream of.

For an Australian mechanical engineer turned award-winning travel and landscape photographer, this dream became a reality in July 2020.

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I lit a whole castle with a small wearable LED light

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Yes, you read the title correctly. Well, almost. If I’m being completely honest actually I used four small wearable LED lights, and admittedly it was a fairly small castle. But you’d be surprised how little light you need with modern mirrorless cameras, a long exposure and a fairly high ISO. These little LED lights really can pack a punch in certain situations (mainly in complete darkness!).

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How to shoot incredible night-scape photos with basic gear

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To take amazing photographs of the night sky you need massively expensive specialist equipment that costs thousands of dollars, am I right? No, I am totally wrong, and this video from Trevor Jones at AstroBackyard shows you exactly what gear you need to get started taking spectacular night sky images.

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Astrophotographer of the Year shares magnificent 2021 shortlists

If you love astrophotography, here’s a real treat. Royal Observatory Greenwich has just announced the magnificent shortlisted images of its 2021 Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest. The photos were taken all over the globe, and even beyond: there’s even a photo of the sunset on Mars. So without further ado, let’s dive in and enjoy this gorgeous selection of images.

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Most people want better night time capabilities in their next phone camera, survey shows

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Phone cameras are getting more complex and more advanced with practically every new phone. But are the manufacturers focusing on the features people actually want? BlinkAI conducted a survey to find out what users want in their next phone and its camera, and it appears that better nighttime capabilities are high among the priority list.

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Milky Way Core Season is coming, and here’s a quick guide for photographing it

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So first a little bit about myself. I mean who would take advice from some random stranger on the internets. I am Dan Stein, I have been taking pics of the stars for over 8 years meow, and I love talking about astrophotography and helping others when it comes to their own star shots. I took my first nightscape back in college, and now I travel and take pics away from light pollution in my free time. This is my first time posting a guide here, so I hope you all enjoy!

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How to add flash to your shot to create portraits at night

The night time can produce some wonderful colours, especially when shooting against a city skyline, or even within the city at ground level. The colours from the sky and clouds along with lights on buildings, in windows, signs and displays can make for some very compelling and colourful imagery. But what if you want to shoot portraits against that background?

In this video, photographer David Bergman talks about how we can add flash to our night time shots and mix them in with the ambient exposure to produce some great night portraits.

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12 outstanding astrophotographers worth following

We are proud to present twelve gifted astrophotographers—each with their stunning photos. Night photography isn’t the easiest genre to master – there are so many things to consider. On top of your usual composition and exposure, you have to deal with noise, shadow detail, preserving highlights, and special gear considerations for night lovers. However, this collection of photographers have mastered the craft.

Being out alone in the dark isn’t for the faint-hearted, but astrophotographers have learned to handle any fear of the dark when conditions are favorable. Some night images take a lot of planning: full moon and milky way images with specific foreground, for example. Interestingly, there are actually very few photographers who specialize solely in astrophotography. The majority are versatile and shoot various types of landscape images.

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