Introduction to Landscape Astrophotography in So Ill: Part 1, Section 4 of 6
Planning
Basics of Milky Way Alignment
Let's get one thing straight. We are IN the Milky Way. Therefore, we can always see the Milky Way. When you hear folks talking about Milky Way "season," they are really referring to the time of year when the Milky Way galactic core is visible at night. Outside of core season, the core is up during the day and we can't see it. In our area, it is visible at night from February through October, although it's hardly visible at the tail ends of that range. The real focus of Milky Way photographers in the Northern Hemisphere is May-August when the core is visible for the longest at night.
The direction in which we can see the Milky Way changes throughout the year, with SE and S views dominating the early part of the season and S and SW views in the late season. Similarly, we can see it only during the pre-dawn hours early in the season and only just after dusk in the late season. "Peak season" in the summer offers views across the southern skies throughout most of the dark hours. Perfect for all-nighters!
Advanced topic: we can shoot other parts of the Milky Way even when the core isn't visible. The Cygnus Region of the Milky Way is especially striking, and is prevalent in the fall months, after the galactic core has "set." The endless Milky Way season! Watch this video to learn more about "off-season" Milky Way photography if interested.
The Moon
Light sources other than the light from the stars we are trying to photograph prevent us from seeing the stars or fainter details of the Milky Way. The strongest light that impedes our view is one that we just discussed, the sun. Even when it has set, the sun can interfere by way of that giant reflector that orbits our planet, the moon. Moonlight can wash out the night sky and our images.
The easiest way to reduce this is to shoot during new moon periods which occur monthly. You can also shoot during crescent moons, especially when the moon is not in the same spot as where you are aiming your shot. A moon that is just rising or setting can actually be a great light source to illuminate the foreground and create compelling shadows. Alternatively, you can shoot before the moon rises or after it sets and then you'll have dark skies again.
We set the date for this workshop to fall on a new moon, but if we have to shift it due to weather, we might end up shooting with a partial moon in a different part of the sky than the Milky Way, which will offer some challenges and benefits.
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| Example of a moonlit foreground and (non-MW) night sky (c) John O'Connell 2021 |
Weather
You'll want clear or partly cloudy skies. There's a temptation to think that all clouds are bad when shooting astrophotography and astrophotographers are always complaining about clouds. It seems that clouds always come out when you're trying to get images of stars and then vanish at sunrise or sunset when you want them!
But clouds aren't all bad at night. If you can time your shots when broken clouds are not blocking your celestial subject, they can add drama and color to the image. If you shoot through light, high-level clouds, you'll see the brightest stars "glow" through the clouds and will often show more color.
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| Clouds moving in, but not blocking Orion, (c) John O'Connell |
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Stars shot through thin clouds will "glow" and have more color, (c) John O'Connell This photo is a bit of a mess, but it does illustrate how the stars will shine through thin clouds and haze and how the haze diffuses the light and colors of the stars. I took this on a whim, because I thought it might look crazy, and I wasn't wrong! - (c) Grant Twiss 2020 |
Light pollution
Another light source that can interfere with night photography is light pollution. This is often light emanating from artificial sources. It can wash out the sky, making it harder to capture the stars. It can also make the sky appear too bright in images or impart colors on the sky. We are fortunate in Southern Illinois to have relatively dark skies where Milky Way photography is feasible. The eastern part of the Shawnee has some of the darkest skies in our region, but we have also successfully captured the Milky Way from less remote places like the outskirts of Carbondale and Harrisburg.
A dark sky map (we will reference some later) can help you find darker areas to shoot from. Consider not only the light pollution where you are shooting from but also in the direction you will be shooting. A city or town even 10s of miles away can have an impact if it is in line with your shot. Also, consider more precise sources of light pollution like streetlights at the end of the field that you will be shooting from as these can have really strong, hard-to-remedy impacts on your images.
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| In this image, you can see the light pollution from Birmingham, Alabama, over 20 miles away from where the shot was taken. It makes it very difficult to resolve any stars or Milky Way details anywhere within about 10-20 degrees of the horizon. (c) John O'Connell 2021 |
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| Light pollution from Bald Knob Cross used as part of the composition (c) John O'Connell 2020 |
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| Changing the temperature/tint of the image helped change the light pollution in this image to a more pleasing color almost like a sunset. (c) John O'Connell 2020 |
Useful Apps
Here we list some phone apps that may be useful to you. We don't know if all of these exist for your phone's OS (iOS vs Android), but there are usually similar alternatives if not. Also, keep in mind that you don't need any of these apps. You could just go out and look for the Milky Way and take photos.
Astrophotography-specific apps
Photopills - This app will show you almost everything you need to know to plan a Milky Way shot. Timing, location, moon, angles, etc. It has a map that will show you where the Milky Way core will be and an "Augmented Reality" viewer that uses your phone's camera and compass and overlays the Milky Way on the phone's camera view so you can align with foreground elements during the daytime. Photopills has many other useful features for planning sunset, moon, meteor, and other shots that involve alignment with major celestial bodies. The Photopills team is very enthusiastic and puts out a lot of videos, handbooks, and other trainings to help you improve your night photography. $10
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| Photopills AR mode |
PlanIt Pro - This is a more advanced version of Photopills. It does most things that Photopills does and more. Its Augmented Reality is not as good, but it does add a 3D model that allows you to plan and visualize the shot based on topography (not trees though), even if you aren't at a spot. That's super useful in the Shawnee Hills to make sure a bluff isn't in your way. It is not nearly as user-friendly as Photopills, which is already a bit complex for some people. $10
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| PlanIt Pro VR preview for Garden of the Gods |
Stellarium - Less a Milky Way planning tool (although you could still use it for that) and more a star planning tool. It will show you many constellations with specific times and angles. Want to plan for where Orion/Mars/etc. will be? This is the app you want. There are some other similar options out there like SkyWalk2 and others if you want to shop around. $3 Mobile, $10 Mobile Plus (shows even more stars and details).
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| Stellarium+ preview |
Dark Sky Map - Uses your phone's GPS to show your position on a light pollution map. This can be helpful to look around and find dark areas to shoot from/towards. Free
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| Dark Sky Map |
Nightshift - A great general astronomy app that includes some of the features of the above apps plus alerts about upcoming celestial events. A useful tool considering the price. Free.
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| Nightshift landing page |
Weather
Clear Outside - Hourly cloud and weather forecasts designed with astronomy in mind. I (John) have found this to be pretty darn good most of the time and there have been several nights that I would have not gone out based on the general weather reports had it not been for this app showing a 1-2 break in the clouds that proved to be correct. Of course, no weather app does a perfect job on forecasts, but it has been pretty good.
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| The ClearOutside forecast was not looking too good this night |
Mapping
Avenza, OnX, Gaia, etc - We won't launch into a discussion about which app is best for mapping, but we recommend that you have one of these if you're going to venture away from the parking lot for your astrophotography. They all offer options for offline (no cell service) maps which can be a big help. Free, $30/year, $20/year, respectively.
Google Maps - There's a great map hosted on "The Shawnee National Forest" Facebook group page with lots of landmarks, sights, accesses, trails, and other useful locations in the Shawnee. This map is also available on your computer which is much easier for planning in advance on a larger screen with a mouse, but the mobile is good for on-the-road planning.
Other useful apps
Screen flashlight (on Android) - Cool little app that will turn your phone's screen into a light panel of whatever color or brightness you want.
Red Filter apps ("Twilight" for Android) - This handy little app will put a red filter on your screen to help you retain your night vision.
Camera remote apps - Some cameras can be linked with your phone, allowing you to control your camera with your phone. This can be handy to reduce camera shake, let you instantly preview images on a better screen than your camera has, and even upload them right away (after converting to jpeg). Check your camera manual to see if you can do this and it may be wise to research if using this feature will substantially impact your camera's battery usage.
Shooting on your phone:
If you are shooting on iPhone, you might be able to use the native app, but you might need to use a third-party app to get RAW and control over settings. I have not tested the apps below, but they would be a good start to check out. Also, some of the newest, high-end iPhones also might have a useful night mode, but I don't believe they have a dedicated astro mode.
Intervalometer apps - If your phone doesn't have a timelapse mode, or doesn't have one that will work with manual settings, and you still want to take multiple exposures for stacking, an intervalometer app will be helpful. It will essentially push the shutter for you many times so that you don't have to keep tapping the screen, potentially moving the camera.
Online Resources
Here we list some websites and programs that you can use on your computer to help plan your shots. We won't detail redundant applications from the app section, but many exist in a web version too (e.g. DarkSiteFinder.com, NASA's Black Marble light pollution map, Clear Outside's website, Stellarium online, TPE online, etc). Once again, you can ignore this and just go shoot if that's how you prefer to operate.
Mapping
Google Earth Pro - Here I'm referring to the standalone program, not the browser-based or mobile versions. Obviously, this app can be very helpful for mapping out shots.
Advanced topic: One cool feature that many people do not know about is the Viewshed tool. It will show you how far you can see across the landscape from a given point. You'll see higher atop a hill than from a valley. PlanIt Pro does this maybe even better for some locations, but that's not free. Instructions here and video here
Learning and Inspiration
Facebook Groups - Lots to be learned from others who have experience by seeing their images and how they do it, asking questions, and by asking for feedback on your own images. A few groups with some amazing astrophotography and requirements that photographers share some technical details of their images are "Milky Way Chasers" and " Nightscaper". Others that may be less intimidating are "Yes, you can see the Milky Way" and "The art of night photography". Note: there are also some resources on other social media platforms including Reddit and others.
Websites - Too many to list but a few worth bookmarking are Lonely Speck, Petapixel, and DPReview forums. Advanced topic: If you want to get really technical, check out ClarkVision.
YouTube - Again, way too many to mention here but a few channels that come to mind would be Alyn Wallace, Nick Page, Photopills, Brent Hall (for you smartphone shooters), Lonely Speck, and Aaron King.
Other Planning Considerations
Safety
You may very well be the only people out in these locations at night, and there are additional hazards at night. It is harder to see where you are walking, it can be cold at night during parts of the year, you can't see any nefarious persons, etc. We don't bring this up to scare you, but rather to remind you to be smart and be safe. Have a safety plan that ensures that you will not put yourself in harm's way which in turn puts first responders in harm's way.
We won't say what you must do for safety. That's a personal choice and beyond the scope of this workshop. We do offer some suggestions, including:
- Filing a safety plan with someone who won't be out there so they know where you are, what you are wearing, when you should be back, where you parked, etc.
- Going out with a buddy
- Having alternative means of navigation/communication (dedicated GPS/map/compass/PLB device). You may not have mobile signal and/or your phone may die. Don't get lost with no way to call for help.
- Carrying personal protection
Site closures
Be aware that many state sites (IDNR, MDC) and some Shawnee NF sites close at night. We recommend contacting the site supervisor in advance to ask about night access. Many are fine with it and the rules are primarily for keeping out riff-raff.
Situational awareness and self-awareness
Consider how others will perceive you, a person standing in the dark without a headlamp on, maybe crawling around in the bushes, taking pictures. We rarely encounter people while out doing astrophotography in this area (unless at the Garden of the Gods, where Grant tells us he has seen someone else every time he has been there, even after midnight), but be conscious of other users and do your best to ensure that the police aren't called out to find the "creeper". If you see others coming, warn them of your presence and take other actions to keep yourself and others at ease.
Continue to Section 5 of 6
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