SHELF III · CAMERA
“The sky looked astonishing and every photo I took came out black or orange.”
Night-Sky Photography with a Phone or Camera on a Tripod
Manual settings for stars on a fixed tripod: focus at infinity, exposure times that keep stars round, ISO and noise, phone night modes, and a first star-trail and Moon shot you will want to print.
What you will be able to do
- Set a phone or camera manually for the night sky
- Focus sharply on stars and choose an exposure that keeps them round
- Shoot and assemble a simple star-trail image
Night log: the units
- UNIT 01 How a camera sees at night
- UNIT 02 Focus, aperture and exposure
- UNIT 03 ISO, noise and white balance
- UNIT 04 Phones and night modes
- UNIT 05 The Moon and twilight scenes
- UNIT 06 Star trails, start to finish
What is included
- Settings walkthroughs for a phone, a compact and an interchangeable-lens camera
- Focusing on stars and checking it at the back of the camera
- Exposure rules of thumb for round stars, explained rather than memorised
- A star-trail sequence and a Moon shot taken and finished on screen
- 18 months of streaming access
Who it suits
Anyone with a phone or a camera and a tripod. No telescope needed.
Questions about this course
What do I need before I start?
Phone or camera + tripod. Nothing has to be bought in advance: the course opens with what to choose and why.
How long will it take me?
There are 35 lessons, 5 h 15 min of video in all. At about 2 hours a week that is roughly 3 weeks, but the pace is yours: clear nights decide more than the calendar.
How long can I watch it, and is there a tutor?
You can stream every lesson for 18 months from when access starts. The lessons are recorded: there is no live tutor and no marking, and the videos cannot be downloaded.
Pairs well with
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SHELF IV · ROUTE
The Imaging Route: Tripod to Deep Sky