Star Trail Photography Guide.

One of the best parts of being a photographer is stretching the limits of creativity and creating images that transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. Chances are, you’ve seen photographs of “star trails” floating around the internet. Ever wonder how photographers achieve that magical effect? Read on.

By learning to use your camera’s settings to the fullest, you can adjust your shutter speed, aperture, and ISO to capture beautiful star trails and this guide will show you exactly how to shoot perfect star trails. Let’s start with required equipment.

Equipment

For starters, you’ll need the right equipment for the job. There’s more to it than just the camera and lens, although those are two good places to start.

The right camera

You’ll need a camera that allows you to utilise Manual mode to adjust your shutter speed, aperture and ISO independently of one another.

The right lens

While there’s not necessarily a “right or wrong” focal length for star trail photography, many photographers recommend using a wide angle lens to capture as much of the sky as possible. Try a lens between 8-24mm depending on your camera and preferences.

Tripod

This should go without saying, since your camera’s shutter will be open for a minimum of 30 minutes. It’s essential to invest in a sturdy, high-quality tripod for star trail photography. A flimsy tripod will vibrate and create noticeable camera shake – not the look you’re going for.

Remote shutter release/cable release

Unless you want to physically hold your camera’s shutter button down for over 30 minutes – not recommended! – you’ll need a remote shutter release (also known as a cable release).

Use a intervalometer (Best method).

If you choose this method, you’ll quickly see why an intervalometer can come in handy, as you can set your camera to shoot continuously until you’re finished. Some cameras also come with an internal timer option; consult your camera’s manual to learn more.

Planning.

Time & location

A successful photograph of a star trail isn’t as simple as just having the right equipment. You’ll also need to be in the right place at the right time. Luckily, there are several online resources available for just this purpose. I will give you the links below. All of these programs will help with astrophotography, not just star trails.

Locating Polaris the north star. 

To get the circular motion you will need to locate Polaris. There are a few apps for your phone to help with this. Photopills is far the best, this is an all in one app, not free £10 but well worth the investment. PhotoPills helps you plan your photos ahead of time so you’re always at the right place at the right time to capture the best photo possible. The 3D Augmented Reality views are great tools to help you plan the paths of Sun, Moon and Milky Way when scouting a potential photo, film or time-lapse location.  Photopills

Get away from light pollution

Look for a location as far from artificial light as possible.
This website is a great resource for finding dark areas near your location so you can capture the stars in all their brilliance. Light pollution map

Moon phase

Shooting during a new moon (when the moon is completely invisible or just barely visible) will allow the stars to be the brightest source of light in your shot. Think of the moon as ambient light, similar to the lights from the city that you’re trying to avoid.

You can use this moon phase calculator to plan for the right time.  Moonphases

Clear skies

One you’ve identified the right location and moon phase for your shot, you’ll want to make sure you’re shooting in clear skies. Too much cloud cover will hide the stars and you’ll end up with cloud trails instead of star trails!
Check out this clear sky chart to make sure you’re in for a clear night. Ideally, aim for a night with 0 – 50% cloud cover. The lower the better. Clear outside

Camera settings for star trails

The right camera won’t do you any good if you don’t know how to adjust it properly. Take the time to set up your camera properly and you’ll be on your way to taking beautiful pictures of star trails.

There will be slight variations depending on conditions and camera models a good place to start.
Set your camera to manual mode.
ISO 600-800
F/2.8
Shutter speed 30 sec

Aperture

A wide aperture is ideal for shooting star trails as you want to allow as much light as possible into your sensor. Between f/2.8 – or less is recommended.

ISO

The ISO you choose will depend on the amount of ambient light around you. about ISO 600.-800 is a good starting point.

Some cameras handle high ISO better than others. The higher the ISO, the more noise will be present in your image. That’s why it’s important to start with a low ISO and slowly adjust to a higher ISO if needed – you want to choose the lowest ISO possible while still maintaining proper exposure.

Focusing your lens

It’s essential to nail your focus when you’re photographing star trails. You don’t want to get your image into post-production after several hours of shooting just to find out that the stars or foreground are soft and out-of-focus.

Most lenses have a symbol marked “∞” which is about where you’ll want to set your focus. This is referred to as photographers by “focusing to infinity.” Set your camera to manual focus and get close to the ∞ mark, adjusting slightly until the stars are as sharp as possible.

How to photograph star trails

Now that we’ve gotten the planning out of the way, it’s time to dive into the real “how-to” of how to photograph star trails.

Multiple stacked exposures

Many photographers prefer the “stacking” method as it allows you to work with a lower ISO and therefore reduce the amount of noise in your image. In this method, you take multiple exposures over a pre-selected period of time. This is the preferred method for most photographers. You will want to take around 100 images depending on your composition. Take a few test shots first to make sure on correct focus and exposure.

Photo editing software

Post-processing

Now that you’ve got anywhere between 50 and several hundred images each capturing small star trails over an elapsed period of time, The only thing that changes is the position of the stars relative to the Earth.
Depending on the length of each exposure and how much time you invested into your project, you’ll need to stack them together to create one cohesive image.

There are myriad ways to do this effectively. Some photographers prefer to do it manually by importing their images into Adobe Bridge and then stacking them in Photoshop. This is the most time-consuming method, but it allows the most control over your final result.

However, there’s a much simpler and less time-consuming method, StarStaX is a free and easy-to-use software that makes stacking your photos a breeze. Oh, and… it’s free. Starstax

Once you’ve used StarStaX to stack your photos, you can import the file into Photoshop or your preferred post-processing software to tweak and make final adjustments, like brightening or adding contrast.

As with all things photography, trial and error is the only way to nail the perfect star trail photos. Experimenting with your camera’s settings and exposure times will allow you to capture star trails you’ll be proud to add to your portfolio.

Good luck. Have fun.
Diverse Capture Photography

I would certainly recommend watching Richard Tatti's You Tube channel. Richard's work is inspiring and explains everything in great detail! Nightscape images.