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getting
started in
Beginning with the basics helps
build a strong foundation for
t
your imaging endeavours
text and photography by tony puerzer
here’s a Joke that says get
your kids interested in astrophotography
because, if you do, they
won’t have any money left to
spend on drugs or alcohol.
While astrophotography can be an expensive
hobby, it doesn’t have to be. the
key is to avoid the trap of thinking that
you need to connect a camera to a telescope
right away to take astrophotos.
you don’t. in fact, your chances of get -
ting a great photo and avoiding a lot of
frustration are greatly improved if you
don’t go anywhere near a high-power telescope
with your camera—at least at first.
so what’s the best way to get started in
astrophotography?
DOWN TO BASICS
if you think of astrophotography as a
nocturnal version of traditional landscape
photography, you’ll be on the right path.
Plus, the many skills you’ll learn by do -
ing basic tripod-and-camera shooting
will come in handy should you decide to
try taking photos through a telescope
later on.
What do you need to get started? at an
absolute minimum, you’ll need a digital
slr camera (or similar interchangeablelens
camera) with a lens, a sturdy tripod
and a remote shutter release or self-timer.
Most Dslrs come with a “kit” lens that
38 SKYNEWS • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016
has a zoom range typically around 18mm
to 55mm. if you’ve acquired a second lens
for your camera, chances are it’s a telephoto
of 75mm to 300mm focal length. since
these are the most common lenses for consumer
cameras, we’ll deal with them first.
the brightest nighttime target is the
Moon, but even with a telephoto lens, it
will be disappointingly small—especially
if you shoot it against a dark night sky.
for tripod-based shots, the trick is to photograph
the Moon just after sunset or just
before sunrise, when the sky still has some
colour and the lunar disc is near the horizon.
this allows you to fill the bottom of your
frame with an interesting landscape while
capturing the beautiful indigo-blue of twilight
above it. instead of an uninspir ing
photo of a tiny disc floating in a black void,
you’re giving the Moon a compelling con
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