Outdoor Photography Magazine

Shoot for the stars

Featuring a year’s worth of weekly assignments, Josh Dury’s new book is designed to build your confidence as a night photographer. He shares some ideas for taking breathtaking shots of lunar landscapes and the Milky Way.
Durdle Door moonrise, Dorset © Josh Dury

The night sky is truly magical. From comets to meteor showers, auroras to eclipses, these celestial wonders remind us of the immensity of our universe. Night photography acts as a bridge between art, science and culture, with advances in technology helping us to be more attuned to the night sky than ever before. However, with light pollution and the ever-increasing number of artificial satellites, our view of the night sky is changing before our eyes. This is why I firmly believe we need to be passionate about our natural environment in order to protect it.

Night photography is very different from daytime photography. Perhaps the most obvious difference is that you are shrouded in darkness and – assuming you are photographing in a dark-sky area – the only light sources are the stars shining above you. Another key difference is exposure – in the dark, long shutter speeds, wide apertures and high ISOs are settings you become accustomed to.

In terms of accessories, there are three essentials: a red flashlight, a durable, lightweight tripod and a remote shutter release. Red flashlights emit a red light to help you see in the dark while preserving your night vision. A tripod and remote shutter release will keep your camera steady and minimise camera shake during long exposures.

Lunar landscapes

The surface of the moon is littered with lumps and bumps as the result of ancient lava flows and meteor bombardment. These are the dark patches we can see with the naked eye. By capturing a lunar alignment with a wider lens, you can include these details to create unique lunar landscapes.

As the dynamic range – the difference between the darkest and brightest parts

of an image – will be extreme, the challenge is to balance the exposure across the frame and capture as much detail as possible. To achieve this, shoot three exposures in quick succession, one metered for the highlights, one for the midtones and one for the shadows, and blend them together at the editing stage.

Use apps such as the Photographer’s Ephemeris and PhotoPills to plan the moon’s rising or setting point. On location, consider the size of the moon in relation to the landscape, as this will dictate the scale of your image. Starting at 35mm, increase your focal length depending on the foreground subject matter. Select a wide aperture, set ISO to between 320 and 500, and keep exposures short – 1/2sec to 1sec is ideal.

Use the camera’s histogram to make sure you are capturing as much detail as possible.

Milky Way

During the warm summer months, when you look up on a clear evening, you might see a faint glow stretching across the night sky. This is the Milky Way, our home galaxy. It is possible to capture spectacular images of the Milky Way with conventional DSLRs and mirrorless cameras – you just need a fast wideangle lens, a sturdy tripod and minimal light pollution.

The centre of the Milky Way is known as the galactic core and features interesting structural details such as dust lanes (darker, denser material blocking light from the heart of our home galaxy) and bright-emission nebulae (clouds of dust and glowing hydrogen gas). Your mission here is to fill the frame with these structural details. This assignment can be attempted at any time of year, most notably during Milky Way season, which occurs from late spring to early autumn.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the galactic core passes closer to the horizon, whereas from the equator and in the Southern Hemisphere, it appears higher in the sky. This means that longer exposures of up to 10sec are required to reveal the core’s subtle details and so a star tracker is recommended for this assignment.

The Milky Way above a poppy field © Josh Dury

Milky Way photography tips

In the Northern Hemisphere, the galactic core is visible from March to October, while in the Southern Hemisphere, it is visible from February to October. The core becomes visible for longer as the months go by, peaking in June and July. Visibility decreases later in the year.

Astronomy and photography apps such as Stellarium and PhotoPills generate renditions of the night sky to help you plan your compositions.

See more tips from Josh Dury in OP 319, or pick up a copy of his book, 52 Assignments: Night Photography via giftstome.co.uk. Use the code R5911 to receive the book for £10.35 (+P&P) instead of RRP £12.99. Offer ends 19 September 2025.

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