It doesn’t matter what type of house you live in, arming a room with a canvas wrap print is fashionable regardless of the setting. Most of the time, these canvases are formed of family members. However, for those photography enthusiasts, it can be tempting to fill them with something slightly more adventurous, such as a skyline or for the purposes of today’s article, the stars.
Taking a photograph of a sky full of stars can be the pinnacle of a photographer’s career. Get it right, and it will dominate your room. Get it wrong, and it can look like a blurred mess.
Bearing this in mind, we will today look at some of the best ways you can approach this form of photography and ultimately, give a real lift to your room.
The conditions matter
First and foremost, don’t expect to dabble in photography of this ilk with poor conditions. If the night is anything but clear, you are going to have a hard time creating any sort of decent photo.
It might be frustrating, but this form of photography really does involve you biding your time. The best environments are clear and if possible, without a moon. Sure, some of you might want to specifically feature the moon, but in general this is something that casts unwanted light into your photo and makes things all the more difficult.
Your physical location also matters. Cities are notoriously difficult to photograph, even though you are pointing your camera above them. This is because they have huge amounts of light pollution, from street lights and other sources, which again means that it’s very difficult to get that naturally lit photograph of the stars that everyone craves.
Be sensible with settings
This is one of those shots where your settings matter more than ever before. You need to ensure that your white balance is right on the mark, with an approximate level being between 2800 and 4000. Of course, this is quite a wide variation, so you should be looking to perform test actions to see just what effects the white balance has.
As well as this, look for a wide aperture (a minimum of 20 seconds). Again, there is a trial and error approach to use here; make sure that you keep testing to find out how the sky reacts the best with your camera.
The equipment factor
When it comes to advanced photography, and shooting the stars is included in such a description, your choice of equipment really matters.
Firstly, as it is at night, the temperature is likely to be lower. For this reason, make sure that your batteries are charged, while you should also bring a spare set for good measure.
Next, a tripod is essential. You’ll be experimenting with various shutter speeds and bearing this in mind, you need a steady hand. A tripod facilitates this and ensures that your camera is on a base as still as can be.
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