Longer exposure times will create star streaks.
The night sky produces a glimmering light show on clear nights that captures the eye of both children and adults. Photographing the starscape sky is best done with a digital or film single lens reflex (SLR) camera. These professional-grade cameras permit the faint light emitted by stars to be captured easily, especially when the camera is used with a tripod.
Instructions
1. Visit a location away from the city lights, known as "light pollution," such as the valley and mountain areas of your county. If choosing to shoot in the city, position the camera in a high location, such as on an upper-level balcony.
2. Set the camera onto a steady tripod. Remove the tripod "head plate," and screw it into the bottom the camera. Snap the camera and plate back onto the tripod. Steady the tripod by placing your camera bag, or another weighty object, on one of the tripod's legs if it isn't sturdy.
3. Position the camera in a spot where the entire night sky is visible, and set the camera to manual operation. Adjust the focus ring on the lens to "Infinity" or "Landscape" to capture the farthest point possible.
4. Change the camera's shutter speed to 30 seconds, the aperture f-stop to f/2.0 or f/2.8, and the film ISO to 200 or 400 speed. Adjust these settings in the camera's menu, or dial and lens. Set the automatic timer to 10 seconds to shoot the night sky without causing the camera to shake.
5. Calibrate each shot when shooting the starscape sky to obtain the best results. Shoot photos one to two stops down at f/1.4 and f/1.8. Set the camera on "Bulb" settings for five minutes (or for even a few hours) to absorb more light, and capture the stars' movements as the earth rotates.
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