SHOOTING NIGHTSCAPES

THE UNIVERSE IS FILLED WITH INFINITE FACTS AND THERE IS ALWAYS SO MUCH TO LEARN. THE MORE WE DIVE INTO IT, THE MORE THERE IS TO EXPLORE. MOST PHOTOGRAPHERS ARE INTRODUCED TO PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHOOTING LANDSCAPES. BUT AS BEAUTIFUL AS LANDSCAPES ARE DURING THE DAY, THEY CAN BE MAJESTIC IN THE NIGHT AS WELL.STAR LIT LANDSCAPES HAVE THEIR OWN CHARM. EXPERIMENTING WITH DIFFERENT LOCATIONS AND COMPOSITION WILL GIVE YOU AMAZING RESULTS. IN THIS ARTICLE WE WILL LOOK AT HOW YOU CAN SHOOT NIGHTSCAPES AND GET THOSE AWE-STRUCK PICS IN THE NIGHT.

- KASTURI PAWAR

How to plan your shoot?

Look for the locations where light pollution is minimal since capturing landscapes under a clear sky is always advisable. There are two ways to capture nightscapes. Either you can study locations beforehand then shoot or keep experimenting in the same location for more creative frames.

Once you have decided your framing and composition, you can start shooting as it gets dark. Always try to capture appropriately exposed images. Any picture you take must not contain completely black points unless you are capturing silhouettes. Though in ‘Astro Photography’ we shoot in the dark, it also needs ambient light which helps to lit up the foreground.

Moon light will always help to lit up the foreground. You should always check the position of the moon and other details with help of apps like ‘Star Tracker’. Make sure that the moonlight doesn’t exceed 25%. To see the stars clearly we need less moonlight and to light the foreground anything between the range of 5-25% moonlight is sufficient. Before shooting at any location you should have a clearer idea in your mind of what exactly you are going to capture in the particular frame.

Capture the Milky Way with Landscapes

Once you have finalised your location and are ready to spend long time at one place, it’s always better to set your lens focus before it gets dark as it will be difficult to focus in the dark. It’s necessary to check weather conditions before you decide to do astro photography, as cloudy sky can cover all stars you are planning to capture.