Ahmadzargon. Night photography become a popular genre after modern astronomy science grown. Beautiful star formation in the sky is a wonderful sky object to be printed. Star ambiance color, star glowing, and unique color make this object different. Capturing Start formation (read: Galaxy) need a special treatment and has a different treatment with landscape photography.
How to capture a Galaxy?
In this article, I try to share simple explanation how to capture this object. This a simple explanation for anyone who is in beginner begin to do this. Before you go out there and hold your camera, i suggest to read this one out and make some preparation.
Requirement of Galaxy Photo Capturing.
1. Manual Mode
Manual Mode camera is used to provide an independent setting. Galaxy capturing need a long time exposure but not too long. Long Exposure will record start motion and it is other theme. Manual mode give us free setting for all of exposure.
2. Tripod
Capturing object in long time (about 8 second or 16 second) need tripod to prevent your picture out of focus. Tripod help us to keep it freeze. Light tripod is enough for this genre.
3. Wide lens
Sky background is a wide view and as usual, wide view capture with wide lens. Star formation in small area is just shown uninteresting group of dot. It is beauty in a big group. Remember one galaxy consist of millions star. Good lens focal lens is 24 mm or wider for Full-frame camera or 11-18 mm for crop-factor frame camera. I do not suggest to use fish eye lens. Eye lens produce distortion formation on your photo.
4. Shutter Release (Optional)
You may use this or not if your camera able to set in 8 second or 16 second but is is a good idea to prevent your camera from small vibration when you touch your camera dial.
5. Compass and Sky Map
We are not going to anywhere, but we are going to take sometime in certain location in the sky. Galaxy position in the sky change together the time, change in month (Sun Base Time) and change in Every second by the rotation of the earth. I suggest to use Google sky application or similar application and you have to remember and make sure you model. Do not let it go before you capture it.
6. Clear Sky
Galaxy photography is a very sensitive genre which response a low light intensity on the far star. Air pollution particle around us is a good reflector to reflect ambiance light. So we need a clear sky with less pollutant. It means mountain, in the middle of forest is the best place to capturing the star formation.
Tips
ISO : 800 or 1600
Shutter Time : maximum 8 second
Aperture: Minimum 2,8 or wider