How to photograph the night sky

Manuel Dietrich is a landscape photographer and filmmaker with a special interest in astrophotography, which he says grew naturally out of his landscape photography. "When you're already chasing sunrises and sunsets in remote places, it's only a small step to stay out longer and shoot the night sky." Here he offers some tips and advice for anyone getting started with astrophotography.

Even if you're used to shooting landscapes, Manuel notes, astrophotography takes a lot more time to plan and execute. "You need a clear sky, dark enough conditions, no moonlight, and a fitting foreground. You sometimes also need a lot more patience. However, for me personally this makes it also more rewarding in the end when you manage to capture the phenomena or composition you had in mind."

The best locations for astrophotography are remote mountains or coasts, and so-called dark sky reserves are ideal. "Get away from cities or any other light pollution as far as possible," Manuel advises. "The best times are during a New Moon or when the Moon sets early in the evening. True darkness starts when the sun is about 18 degrees below the horizon.

"Milky Way season in the northern hemisphere is between April and August," Manuel adds. "That's when you'll be able to capture the galactic centre above the horizon."

Manuel uses mainly a Canon EOS R3, with an EOS R5 (now succeeded by the EOS R5 Mark II) as a backup camera. You don't need a pro-level camera but for best results, he notes, "full frame cameras perform much better in low-light situations compared to crop sensor cameras – their larger sensor size results in less noise and better detail." An EOS R8 or EOS R6 Mark II would be an excellent option. Whatever camera you choose, always shoot in RAW for maximum dynamic range and image detail.

A sturdy tripod is essential to keep the camera steady over the long exposures you'll need for astrophotography. Manuel always used to use a remote shutter release, but says wireless control with the Canon Camera Connect app is now so reliable that he uses that instead, or his camera's built-in self-timer, to avoid any risk of jarring the camera and blurring the image.

"My favourite lens (for both landscape and astrophotography) is the RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM because it’s super-versatile, tack-sharp and has a consistent aperture of f/2.8. I prefer wide angle lenses to capture as much of the night sky as possible. If you want to invest in a lens specifically for astrophotography and take it to the next level, I can also recommend the RF 20mm F1.4L VCM, a super-fast prime lens."

If you're looking to upgrade from the kit lens that came with your camera, the Canon RF 16-28mm F2.8 IS STM lens is an accessible option ideal for getting started in astrophotography. Its constant f/2.8 maximum aperture throughout the zoom range makes it excellent for shooting in low light, and its ultra-wide field of view is also great for architecture, sweeping landscapes and handheld vlogging. An even more economical ultra-wide-angle option is the RF 15-30mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM – it doesn't have the same weather-resistant build or the same maximum aperture, but it's even wider, even smaller and more than 50g lighter, making it a good option when you want a really pocket-sized lens to carry to remote locations.

"For everything apart from the Moon, I use the widest aperture (lowest f-number) possible. This allows more light to reach the camera sensor, which will give you much cleaner images and reduce the exposure time you need."

Manuel warns that you should always disable any Image Stabilisation – it's counterproductive for long exposures – and switch to manual focus. "I always manually focus on infinity but double-check the sharpness by zooming in on the brightest star on the camera's LCD screen."

You will need long exposures to capture faint stars, but not too long or you end up with star trails. Manuel recommends using the "500 rule": simply divide 500 by your lens’s focal length. This will give you the maximum shutter speed without capturing noticeable star trails. If you're using a 20mm lens, for example, keep the shutter speed to 25 sec (500/20) or less. With a 15mm lens, you can go to about 30 sec (500/15).

Using high ISO settings used to be risky because of increased image noise, but Manuel notes that modern cameras deliver much better high ISO performance, and post-processing either in-camera or in software also offers improved noise reduction features. "You don’t have to be afraid of high ISOs anymore. Nowadays I tend to increase my ISO to 3200 or even 6400 to capture the faintest lights in the night sky."

• Milky Way and meteor showers: widest aperture (lowest f-number), shutter speed 15-30 sec (depending on the lens), ISO 3200-6400.

• Moon (with a tripod): f/8-f/11, shutter speed 1/125 sec - 1/250 sec, ISO 100-400.

• Moon (handheld): widest aperture, shutter speed 1/250 sec - 1/500 sec, ISO 100-400.

• Northern Lights: widest aperture, shutter speed 2 sec - 20 sec (depending on the intensity of the Aurora), ISO 1600-6400.

To make the best of his night sky photos, Manuel edits the RAW files in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop¹ . He sometimes uses image stacking techniques to reduce noise even further or composite photos in order to perfectly blend foregrounds and the sky. "Often the foreground is way darker than the night sky, so you need much slower shutter speeds to capture foreground detail. By compositing you can achieve the cleanest photo possible.

"I usually enhance colours slightly, adjust the white balance (often making the image cooler), lift the shadows, brighten or darken specific areas of the image with the help of masks, and apply noise reduction carefully, so I don't lose the details. I like to give photos my own personal look."

A big part of photography is sharing the end result. For prints, try a high-quality paper with an intermediate finish such as Canon's Pro Luster Photo Paper, a bright white paper with a smooth lustre surface that will bring out the detail and tonal range of your night sky photos. It offers outstanding colour reproduction and excellent fade resistance, especially when paired with a pro photo printer such as the Canon PIXMA PRO-200S, which has an eight-colour dye-based ink system for a broader colour range and greater colour fidelity. The printer can produce vibrant borderless photo prints up to A3+ size, and also has a panorama print option.

Manuel is a huge advocate of sharing on social media – and not just sharing your finished images but also details of your process, the equipment you used, and the story behind the shot. The biggest benefit of this, he says, is connecting you with a wider community of fellow astrophotographers, and sharing your passion can also inspire others.

• Patience is key. Sometimes the conditions aren’t as you hoped for, but that’s part of the adventure.

• Always try to plan in advance in order to choose the ideal location, the right timing and the best direction to point the camera. There are apps available that can help you a lot with this.

• Learn to read the night sky. The more you know, the better you'll understand what you're looking at.

• Ideally scout your preferred spot in daylight to stay safe and to plan your composition. Getting to and from remote places in the dark is a lot more challenging.

• Learn to use the manual settings of your camera, and use the "500-rule" to avoid star trails.

• October – Orionids meteor shower

This is one of the most spectacular celestial phenomena, because it can be seen with the naked eye and, at its peak in late October, presents as many as 20 meteors per hour on average. Manuel notes that they always come from the same direction, which makes planning and image composition simpler.

• October (northern hemisphere) / November (southern hemisphere) – supermoon

A supermoon is a New Moon or Full Moon that coincides with the Moon being closest to Earth in its orbit, which results in it appearing larger in the sky. There are usually three or four supermoon events each year.

• November – Pleiades star cluster

The Pleiades (Seven Sisters) are one of the nearest star clusters and are most visible without a telescope from November to April.

• December – Geminids meteor shower

The Geminids, with their uniquely bright colours, are most visible in the northern hemisphere but are usually the strongest meteor phenomenon of the year even in the southern hemisphere. "With the Geminids," Manuel warns, "the weather is often an issue – if it's cloudy, if the Moon is too bright, and so on." Prior planning is vital.

• January – Jupiter in opposition

When a planet is in opposition (closest to the Earth), it appears at its largest and brightest. For Jupiter, this happens roughly every 13 months.