Cameras are windows to the extraterrestrial universe

July 10, 2:29 AMCleveland Photography ExaminerDennis Bodzash

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Cleveland Photography Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

   Photo by Dennis Bodzash. Dawn/twilight images like this crescent moon
   can be easily captured with even simple point and shoots.

Just take a moment and guess: from how far away can a camera, whether point and shoot or SLR, still take good pictures of the intended subject? 1,000 feet? Go farther. A mile? No problem. How about light years? Yes, cameras can literally see light years away. While most photographers tend to focus (bad humor, I know) on terrestrial objects, a small group of photographers reach for and capture the stars on their camera's sensor. These people are astrophotographers, and you can be one of them, too.

While shooting heavenly bodies can be an extremely time consuming business sometimes requiring hours, yes hours, for a single photograph, it can also be extremely easy. There are 4 features that any would be astrophotographer needs in a camera.

1. The first feature is the capability to do long exposures. Here, a time of at least a few seconds is required to capture enough light to make for a good photo in dusk, the time for planet hunting. Since the light is low, it is desirable to keep the ISO as low as possible to prevent noise. Unfortunately, the aperture of the lens can only open so far, leaving the only other area to make up for the low light being through the time of exposure. For low light photography, the camera's shutter must stay open for an extended period of time. While a time of at least 15 seconds is needed to capture stars at night, a few seconds can suffice for morning or evening planets.

2. The second area is the capability to use an external remote or self timer, which prevents any need to touch the camera. Like when shooting fireworks, touching the camera during a long exposure will cause blur from the camera vibrating. While the remote may be more convenient, either method works equally well in the final result.

3. Obviously, a tripod capable camera is also needed. Check the bottom of the camera for a threaded hole. The good news is that a quarter inch thread is the industry standard for all manufacturers.

4. Another vital operation can be achieved two ways. For SLRs and point and shoots with the option, manually focus on a distant object. If a far away tree is in focus, stars/planets will be too. For point and shoots, if the camera has an infinity setting, use it instead to prevent the hassle of manual focus. Now, it gets tricky with a camera lacking either of these options, as many entry level pocket cams do. Instead, autofocus on a distant object with the self timer equipped. This way, good focus on stars can be achieved without the more traditional methods.

While these 4 features are musts, the greater the capability for manual control, the better. The ability to set aperture, shutter speed, or both simultaneously will give the beginning astrophotographer even more freedom for capturing images. Obviously, the only way to see what works best is to go out and play with settings on the camera. Unlike other types of photography, post processing is the rule, rather than the exception with astrophotos most of the time. Some truly stunning details can be brought out of an image with a little digital manipulation, especially if the image was show in RAW format. 

For more info:
Why RAW format is best
More unconventional photography: fireworks