Questions And Answers

Questions and Answers

The very basics of getting started in nightscapes

People have asked me a number of questions about equipment, issues, and technique in Nightscape or Landscape Astrophotography. Since many of these questions are recurring, I am going to post the questions and answers here. I’ll answer your questions to the best of my ability!

Q: What do I need to do to get a night sky photo with my Canon 20D?

A: Here's a start to night sky photos with your 20D.

1)  Put the ISO on "H" which is 3200. The image will have noise but you need the high ISO.. That is the highest ISO for your camera.

2)  Use the fastest wide angle lens you have. F2.8 is good but if the fastest wide angle lens you have is f3.5 or f4.0 then use that. Open the aperture as wide as you can. You want a lens that is 24 mm or wider optimally. A 20 mm lens or wider is even better.

3)  Put your camera on manual or "M" mode.

4)  Focus on infinity

5)  Use an exposure time of 15-30 sec. 

6)  Use a tripod

7)  Use RAW files, and not jpegs (or save both). RAW files are better for processing later.

8)  Here is a starting guide to processing the images:

lightcrafter.smugmug.com/About-Nightscapes

Scroll down until you see "Workflow" and follow that lead.

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More Posts from Wayne-pinkston and Others

9 years ago
Joshua Tree At Night By Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Joshua Tree National Park At Night, With The Milky

Joshua Tree at Night by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Joshua Tree National Park at night, with the Milky Way above. Canon 1Dx, Nikon 14-24mm lens, f 2.8, 20 sec, 14 mm, ISO 6400. This is an attempt to capture the feel of Joshua Tree National Park at night, with the scattered rock formations and the scattered but exotic looking trees. There are 2 very small dim lights hidden in the rocks, and another on a small tripod about 40 meters off to my right at about 45 degrees. My intent is to light the scene enough to see well without making it "in your face" bright. The lighting does make the colors more interesting than the same non-lighted scene. The yellow-orange color is light pollution probably from the town of 29 Palms. This is a single exposure. Hope you enjoy! All comments are welcomed. Please join me at: Website Facebook Blog Twitter


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7 years ago

White Pocket Panorama by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website, Instagram, Facebook Panorama at White Pocket, Arizona. 10 images, 14 mm, f 2.0, 25 sec., ISO 12,800. I think this might be my first pano of the MW Arch in August. Typically I find the MW is too high to get onto a single row Pano by that time of year. Somehow I was able to fit the whole sweep of the MW onto a vertical 14 mm Pano. You can tell it is getting late in the MW season because the core has set relatively quickly during the night. There is still plenty on MW to see though! Note the Andromada Galaxy near the top of the frame, above the Milky Way, to the right. For more images like this please take a look at Wayne Pinkston Photography . Thanks for all the kind support! Hope you enjoy! A big thank you to the wonderful Flickr family. It's a pleasure to post here.


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5 years ago

Bell Tower by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website, Instagram, Facebook This one’s a bit abstract. We are looking up at the night sky and Milky Way in a bell tower of an old abandoned Cathedral in Madagascar. There is Low Level Lighting (LLL). The light inside the tower was a Goal Zero Micro Lantern, an omnidirectional light. The light outside was a Cineroid LED light panel set on 4000K and turned to low. ___________________________________________ There is a very large window in the front of the bell tower in the shape of a cross. Most of the glass has been broken out. ___________________________________________ There are 19 images stacked in Starry Landscape Stacker. 14-24 mm lens, 14 mm, 15 sec., f/2.8, ISO 12,800. Thanks for looking, Wayne


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10 years ago
Sunset Arch Panorama, Escalante By Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: This Is A Panorama Of Sunset Arch In The

Sunset Arch Panorama, Escalante by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: This is a panorama of Sunset Arch in the Escalante National Monument, Utah. This was taken in a workshop with Royce Bair (his workshops and ebook are highly recommended). This is a combination of 12 vertical images, taken with a Canon 6D Camera, and a Nikon 14-24 mm lens at 14 mm, f 2.8, 20 sec., and ISO 8000. The arch is about a 20-30 minute hike from the parking lot, and is less visited than many of the well known arches in Utah. It's petty much in the middle of nowhere, off the beaten path. Our group settled in for the night and we were blessed with great weather. Escalante is one of the least light polluted areas I have seen in the USA. This makes for excellent detail in the sky. The faint light pollution on the horizon is from Paige, Arizona or Lake Powell, many miles distant. Doesn't the Arch look like a sleeping dragon? Thanks for looking. Hope you enjoy! 


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5 years ago

Carpe Diem by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website, Instagram, Facebook Carpe Diem: Sometimes it’s best to just stop and enjoy the moment. In our pursuit of beautiful photos we often get distracted with the chase itself, and them after we are there we get caught up in the technicalities of capturing the photograph. You you ever just stop and enjoy the scene or night sky? Some of my most enjoyable moments at night are when a few clouds roll in and I just lay down and watch the sky waiting for them to pass. The quiet solitude and beautiful sky are like a magic tonic erasing the cares of the day. Carpe Diem! ___________________________________________ Best wishes to all in this holiday season, and good shooting in the upcoming year! Wayne


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9 years ago

Hoodoos in the Badlands of New Mexico by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Bisti Badlands, New Mexico Thanks for taking the time to look. Hope you enjoy! Big thanks to the wonderful Flickr family out there. Please join me at: Website Facebook Instagram Blog


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8 years ago

Grandstand at the La Playa Racetrack by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website Instagram Facebook This is "The Grandstand" in the Racetrack Playa in Death Valley. The Playa is a dry lake bed in Death Valley National Park. It lies in a relatively remote area, about a 4 hour drive from Furnace Creek, mostly down a rutted and sometimes rocky dirt road. This is not a road to hurry alone. There are many tales of flat or ruptured tires, and this is not a place to get stuck. The dry lake bed is sonic and unusual. It is best known for the "Sailing Stones" or "Walking Rocks". The Grandstand lies in the NW area of the Playa, and the Sailing Stones are better see more to the South. The Grandstand is a large rock formation arising from the dry lake bed. The photographer in the right foreground of the photo is Eric Gail. He masterminded the trip to the playa. Thank you Eric! You can see his excellent gallery here: www.flickr.com/photos/dot21studios Hey Eric, I'm going to need another model release! Maybe you can send me the name of your agent! Thanks for taking the time to look. Hope you enjoy! Big thanks to the wonderful Flickr family for all the support and encouragement! Cheers, Wayne


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10 years ago
Morning Twilight At The Trona Pinnacles By Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: This One Is A Bit Different. I

Morning Twilight at the Trona Pinnacles by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: This one is a bit different. I overstayed my welcome, trying to get as many photos around the Pinnacles as possible before the sun rose, but despite my best efforts, the sun rose anyway. I was still shooting when the morning twilight started. As I took this photo the sun's glow was starting to be seen on the horizon, and with light pollution created a yellow glow. There were clouds near the horizon which were illuminated also. The sky was becoming noticeably lighter, but you could still see the Milky Way surprisingly well. There are 2 static lights helping to light the spires, one downhill to my right, and one downhill from my feet. There is also a fair amount of ambient light present from the twilight hour. It was a kind of "golden hour" before sunrise. Canon 1Dx Camera, Nikon 14-24 mm lens at 20 mm, f 2.8, 30 sec, and ISO 6400. Hope you enjoy!


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9 years ago
Joshua Tree Arch By Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Does Anyone Know The Name Of This "Arch"? This Was Taken

Joshua Tree Arch by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Does anyone know the name of this "Arch"? This was taken near Hidden Valley in Joshua Tree National Park, Utah. I thought I had scouted the area pretty well in the day, but I never saw this in daylight. Towards the end of the night I was stumbling around in the dark (literally) and stumbled on this structure that looked like an arch, or either 2 large rocks with another one stuck between them. It was around 20-30 feet (6-10 meters) high. Anyway, the sun was about to rise so I set up the photos as fast as I could and was able to get this composition before it got overly light. There was not much time for adjusting lights. There is one constant light behind the "arch" and another on a small tripod about 45 degrees to my right. One problem with Joshua Tree is that there are enough trees and rocks to get in the way and cast shadows, so you have to find a window between the trees for any lighting. Another problem is the light pollution. There is considerable light pollution, but in general you can work around it in processing. This is a single exposure. Hope you enjoy! All comments are welcomed. Please join me at: Website Facebook Blog Twitter


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    cautionfriday liked this · 9 years ago
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Astrophotography by Wayne Pinkston

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