The Night Fantastic!

Venture into the night and discover pro tips and tricks to aid your dark sky photography from nightscape expert Ollie Taylor

Many of us are fascinated with the vast enormity of the unknown – space! Who hasn’t paused for an instant to gaze at the stars, totally lost in awe, transfixed by a moment in time that seemed as if it lasted forever…

But how do you capture these magical night-time vistas on your camera? Well, armed with your Nikon DSLR and tripod, and perhaps a Thermos full of something warm, and you’re halfway to becoming a star-shutterbug.

Advances in DSLR technology over the past decade have helped push the lowlight and night photography boundaries, opening the genre to the masses. With such a fascinating subject, and the possibility of creating such mind-blowing images, it’s no wonder nightscape photography has become one of the fastest growing genres of photography. And this feature aims to encourage you to venture out into the dead of night and grab a slice of cosmic action.

Planning is vital to the success of any nightscape shoot. The first consideration is the weather – there’s little point heading out if the sky is full of dense, impenetrable clouds. Naturally the most favourable weather to venture out in is a clear night under a star-studded sky! However, a light scattering of cloud can also work, and can actually add real impact to the image.

When to shoot