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how to take photos of the stars


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I am going to Namibia in May and I want to take pictures of the stars at night. What is the best way to do that and what corrections do I have to make afterwards with Affinity Photo?

Also I want to take photo every ... sec or min to make a movie of the 'travelling' stars. All help is welcome.

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If you search this forum for "astrophotography" you'll find lots of useful posts. Similarly, if you search google for "star trails" and "DSLR" you'll find useful information about taking the pictures.  You haven't told us what sort of camera you'll be using but it's likely that you'll need an intervalometer to take a sequence of pictures.  One piece of advice I haven't seen  anywhere is to be aware of "zoom creep" - the lens' zoom changes over time as the camera is pointed upwards.  Wrapping an elastic band behind the zoom control should prevent that.  Start practicing now - astrophotography is great fun but it's also a minefield!

AP, AD & APub user, running Win10

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  • 1 month later...

Hi iMac1943

 

Im using Canon and Ive found that AF doesn't work. It struggles to find focus on infinity/faint stars and then won't take an image. Ive heard of IanSGs rubber band suggestion also. The trick (I've read and used) is to use manual focus. Turn on live view and focus the stars to pin pricks if they're bright enough for the screen to pick up. Otherwise use the viewfinder. Deep breaths and patience helps as does a remote shutter release cable/intravalometer.

 

My two cents worth...

D

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7 hours ago, iMac1943 said:

Only 3 weeks away from our trip to Namibia and then I can try it. I still hope ...

Even if you can't get the truly dark skies you want, start practicing using your camera in the dark before you go - it's amazing how difficult even the simplest things can be when you can't see properly!

AP, AD & APub user, running Win10

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When I do photography I use an App called PhotoPills Its Android and iOS so should be OK for most people. Buying an iOS licence will also get you the iPad version too

iMac 27" 2019 Somona 14.3.1, iMac 27" Affinity Designer, Photo & Publisher V1 & V2, Adobe, Inkscape, Vectorstyler, Blender, C4D, Sketchup + more... XP-Pen Artist-22E, - iPad Pro 12.9  
B| (Please refrain from licking the screen while using this forum)

Affinity Help - Affinity Desktop Tutorials - Feedback - FAQ - most asked questions

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