To see meteors streak through the night sky is to testify to a humble but fleeting natural phenomenon. And without photos to document the fleeting wonder of burning rocks screaming through the ether, what will you have to remember your experience of this sporadic event? Will anyone believe you if you tell them you saw it Lyrid Meteors at all? Space photos or it did not happen.
But photographing the stars involves more than pointing your phone at the sky. This is what you need to know about the photographer of meteor showers, stars, comets and other celestial wonders that force us to stay awake and stay outside if we were otherwise in bed.
You need a tripod
If you want to capture something as fleeting as a star, you can not trust the stability of your hands. Meteors sail at dazzling speeds, which means you need a tripod to take viable photos of them.
‘You will need [a tripod] shoot at slow shutter speeds, ”says Aysia Marotta, a photographer in Brooklyn, New York. Take it somewhere secluded, far away from light pollution that could harm your shots, she says.
Wear a wide-angle lens
When shooting with a camera, as opposed to a smartphone, Marotta describes the basic necessities of capturing as much of the air as possible:
‘You will want to work with a wide-angle lens, so anywhere between 8 and 16 mm will capture as much of the air as possible. F stop is also important. Try to bring a lens with an aperture of f / 2.8, that way you will not be compensated for stamping your ISO. ‘
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If you are not proficient in the language of photography, you can refer to Marotta’s photos, which demonstrate the beautiful photos that can emerge from the basics:
Use infinite focus
Another indicator that Marotta recommends is to set your focus to infinity, which will increase the focus of your camera to the largest possible setting. The air is large and empty, which means you want to capture as much of it as possible.
Money Maker Photography explains how infinite focus works:
Infinity focus is similar to an extraordinarily wide depth of field. If your lens is in infinite focus, everything in your frame will be in focus, no matter how far it is from your lens. However, there are some caveats to this.
Know your area
Another useful reference point is to understand how meteor showers and related phenomena work. Chris Westphal, an amateur photographer in Florida, who trades his own amazing night sky photography, advises you to take care under a dark sky with good transparency, which means there are no clouds, fog, smog and haze. ‘
Westphal notes that meteors usually ‘come from a radiation near the constellation of the name of the meteor shower, so it’s good to shoot around those areas.’ The Lyrids get their name from the constellation Lyra, which is especially prominent in the northern sky during summer. In this situation, the ‘radiant’, to which Westphal refers, is the star Vega, which provides the relief needed to capture the Lyrids as they blow through the air. You can usually spot Vega fairly easily, as it is usually ‘directly overhead at mid-northern latitudes midsummer evenings’, according to Space.com.
What about smartphone photography?
If you do not have a camera, but you are still trying to take pictures of heavenly delights, do not be afraid: there are many ways to make the most of your smartphone, whether it is an iPhone or an Android .
Tom Peet, manager of Repair Outlet, a camera repair company in the UK, agrees with Marotta’s advice on the need for tripods and wide – angle lenses, but recommends some smartphone adjustments that can help you get excellent photos of meteors.
While your phone’s camera is a great technology, it’s probably not as good at night photography as your standard DSLR camera. To boost your phone a bit, he recommends downloading a long-exposure app and telling Lifehacker:
With long exposures, your camera can take several times over a period of time – essential to capture the volatile nature of meteors. Some free examples include Easy Long Exposure Camera (iPhone) and Long Exposure Camera 2 (Android). While paid apps of good quality include Slow Shutter Cam (iPhone) and Night Camera (Android).
Disabling your flash and HDR (High Dynamic Range) are also essential steps. While your flash ignores the target of shooting in the dark, your HDR poses other challenges.
Peet says:
HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. With this setting, the camera can take multiple shots in a row and combine them to capture more light than the lens is visible in one shot. It may be good to record the air, but it tends to slow down your camera, which may have missed meteors in the short time that it is visible in the air.
And no matter if you use a camera or a phone, make sure you take as many photos as possible. Also, never zoom in – you want to catch as much of the air as possible.