How to Photograph Stars: 14 Tips for Stunning Star Photos

The Right Photography Gear for Shooting Stars

What camera can you use to photograph stars?

Basically, you can photograph stars with any camera, as long as it has manual settings.

Mirrorless cameras and DSLRs are particularly well suited, since you can swap out lenses and tailor them to the demands of night photography.

Mirrorless and DSLR cameras also generally have larger sensors than compact cameras. Larger sensors — like those in full-frame cameras — give you the best image quality for astrophotography for beginners and pros alike.

Which lens should you use for astrophotography?

When it comes to focal length for night photography, we actually have two recommendations. Wide-angle lenses are great for capturing the entire starry sky — a focal length range of 12 to 24 mm is ideal.

Telephoto lenses are lenses with a long focal length and are especially well suited for photographing details in the night sky. Use a telephoto lens with a focal length of 200 mm or more and you can capture the moon in stunning detail.

For star photography, fast lenses starting at f/4 make the most sense. They tend to be pricey, but our lens picks below strike a solid balance between speed and value for the money.

Use a tripod for stunning star photos

Photographing stars at night means working with long shutter speeds starting at two seconds — and that’s a recipe for camera shake and blurry shots if you’re handholding.

A tripod is absolutely essential for astrophotography. It keeps your shots sharp and gives you time to think carefully about your composition.

One thing to remember: turn off image stabilization when you’re on a tripod. Otherwise it tries to compensate for movement that isn’t there, which can actually introduce motion blur.

How to set up your camera for shooting stars

Manual mode for full control over your astrophotography

If you want to photograph stars, you need to set your camera mode to M — manual mode. Your camera’s automatic modes simply aren’t designed to handle a subject as extraordinary as a starry sky.

That means setting shutter speed, aperture, and ISO yourself. Don’t worry — the next few tips walk you through exactly how to configure your camera for beautiful photos of the night sky.

The right shutter speed for stars

Shutter speed depends on what you want to shoot. If you’re going for a static starry sky, the shutter speed needs to be short enough that the stars appear as points rather than streaks.

Depending on your camera and lens, somewhere between 2 and 30 seconds will keep stars looking like points. Go longer than that and the Earth’s rotation will turn those pinpoints into streaks.

Tip: As with all your camera settings, dial things in gradually. Keep reviewing your shots on the camera and adjust as you go.

Capture starlight with a wide aperture

Aperture controls how much light passes through your lens at once. When you’re shooting the night sky, light is scarce — so your aperture should be as wide as possible (the lowest f-number you’ve got).

Wide-angle lenses usually offer a fairly wide aperture starting at f/3.5, and every smaller number means even more light reaching your sensor.

With telephoto zoom lenses, it’s a different story. The maximum aperture is often f/5.6, so less light gets through. You’ll need to compensate with a longer shutter speed or a higher ISO.

The right ISO setting

ISO controls how sensitive your camera is to light. In night photography you’re working with very little light, so ISO needs to be set relatively high. Use ISO 1,600 as your starting point and adjust after a test shot.

Our tip: A high ISO setting means more noise in your image. Keep it as low as you can get away with. Set your shutter speed and aperture first, then figure out the minimum ISO that gives you the right exposure.

Manual focus for sharp star photos

Autofocus struggles in the dark — this is true across all camera models. At night, you’ll need to take over focusing yourself.

Switch to manual focus and use your camera’s live view to focus on the stars by hand.

Many cameras have a focus magnifier built in. When you’re manually focusing in live view, it zooms into the image so you can clearly see whether your shot is sharp. Check your camera’s menu to see if yours has this feature.

Bonus tip: Control your camera with your smartphone

Use your smartphone to control your camera remotely. Many cameras let you adjust settings and review images through a companion app.

This is especially handy when you’re working in the dark and can’t easily reach your camera — and it also helps you avoid camera shake from pressing the shutter button directly.

Photographing Stars: Our Practical Tips

How to photograph the moon?

To photograph the moon, you’ll need a telephoto lens with a focal length of at least 200 mm — only a long focal length gets you close enough.

The camera settings differ quite a bit from general star photography tips, because the moon is actually quite bright when it fills your frame.

Set your camera to manual mode and choose a short shutter speed — 1/125 of a second or faster works well.

Since the moon is so bright, a medium aperture like f/5.6 is perfectly fine. Set the ISO so the exposure looks right — you’ll probably only need somewhere between ISO 100 and ISO 800. Experiment a little and you’ll find your sweet spot.

Focus manually as usual, and always use a tripod to avoid camera shake.

How to photograph the Milky Way

The Milky Way is one of the most stunning subjects in astrophotography. When it comes to how to photograph stars like these, location is everything. Get out into the countryside to escape city light pollution.

With a short focal length up to 24 mm, you can capture a large sweep of the Milky Way. Try to include a bit of the horizon to give a sense of scale.

Position the Milky Way in the center of the frame and experiment with different perspectives and shutter speeds to find your best shot.

For your settings, follow the general advice above. Choose the widest aperture you have — ideally f/3.5 — to pull in as much light as possible.

ISO depends on your shutter speed. First, lock in the shutter speed at which stars still appear as points. With wide-angle lenses, that’s typically 20 to 30 seconds.

Then adjust ISO to nail the exposure — this will usually land around ISO 1,600.

Tip: In Germany, the Milky Way is most visible between spring and fall.

Creative night photography with star trails

Star trails happen when you expose the night sky over a long period of time. Because the Earth rotates, the stars trace long, sweeping streaks across your frame. A long exposure time is essential.

A medium aperture of f/5.6 to f/8 increases sharpness and is more than sufficient for such a long exposure. Keep ISO low — around ISO 400 — to minimize noise.

Exposure time is yours to play with. In the wide-angle range, you’ll start seeing distinct streaks at around 5 minutes. Every extra minute stretches the trails further. A tripod is, of course, non-negotiable.

Point your camera at the sky and build an interesting composition — placing a striking element like a tree or building in the foreground makes a huge difference.

Make your star photos shine with post-processing

Good post-processing can really take your star photos to the next level. To get the most out of your images, shoot in RAW format.

Just a few targeted adjustments are enough to make a real difference. Start with exposure to correct the overall brightness.

Next, work on contrast — either with the contrast slider, or use shadows and highlights separately for more precise control.

Most editing programs include a slider called ‘Texture’ or ‘Clarity’. Use this to bring out the sparkle of the stars even more.

Overall, keep a light touch. Don’t overdo the edits — the night sky looks best when it still feels natural.

The Best Locations for Astrophotography

Astrophotography in Germany

If you want to photograph stars in Germany, look for spots well away from major cities. If the nearest field doesn’t cut it, these regions offer some exceptionally dark nights:

• Black Forest: The Black Forest isn’t just great for outdoor adventures — there are plenty of remote spots that are perfect for photographing stars at night.
• Eifel: In western Germany, you can visit a designated dark sky park. The Eifel has one, making conditions there seriously ideal for astrophotography.
• Müritz: The Mecklenburg Lake District is one of the darkest places in Germany, with the added bonus of beautiful reflections on the water.

Tip: There are some really useful apps for astrophotography. They let you identify constellations and see when and where they’ll be visible. On iPhone, check out Sky Guide. Android users have a great equivalent in Star Tracker.

Astrophotography around the world

Germany is just the beginning — the world has countless incredible spots for night photography. Here are our three favorite destinations:

• Atacama Desert, Chile: The Atacama Desert in northern Chile is considered one of the darkest and driest places on Earth — meaning clear skies for stargazing almost year-round.
• Canary Islands: The Canary Islands are a wonderful vacation destination that also happens to be brilliant for astrophotography. On La Palma, for example, several observatories offer a chance to learn more about stars and night photography.
• New Zealand: New Zealand is home to some of the darkest nights on the planet. The South Island in particular has numerous locations that are absolutely perfect for astrophotography.