Mastering The Lights Of The Night Sky - Lecture For Beginner and Intermediate Photographers

[@1972Russianwolf]

good overall, but you should have mentioned that the crop factor needs to be taken into account when using the rule of 600/500/400 (I thought you were going to hit it when you mentioned full frame camera). A 50mm lens on a full frame becomes the equivalent field of view of a 75mm on a Nikon Crop, 80mm on a Canon crop or 100mm on a MFT. So 10 seconds on a Canon 5D becomes 5 seconds on a Panasonic G7.

[@Milkywaymike]

Michael T Shue Studios definitely a great point!!! Thanks for sharing!

[@old4004]

You mentioned Photopills, Mike. When you record your camera model, it automatically adjusts for crop factor.

[@Q_QQ_Q]

Can we do it with point and shoot nikon coolpix l830 ? Is it possible ? 😎😎

[@scarpography]

I just got into photography and my brain already hurts reading this

[@M-Mir]

Could someone explain to me why a crop will enhance startrailing? It's the same lens and the same picture at the end of the cam why should sensorsize make a difference? There are two things that matter: pixelsize and focal length. Change my mind.

[@TomGrubbe]

I've seen people charge money for e-books that contain less content than this video. Outstanding work, thank you for putting this together!

[@Milkywaymike]

Tom Grubbe appreciate the feedback and supporting my channel!

[@ahnafpiash]

Yeah exactly... this video was sooo helpful 🤍🤍🤍

[@thevijayraj34]

Yes. You're absolutely right

[@markjenkinson3004]

I have been teaching photography at a major university for over 30 years and been a professional photographer for almost 50 years working for virtually every major magazine in the world, but I have never done any star photography. I happen to be teaching in Abu Dhabi this semester so I decided to give it a try. This tutorial is amazing!!!!! In my teaching career I have never given a lecture this complete, solid, or informative.

[@Milkywaymike]

Thank you very much for those kind words! I made this a few years ago so I definitely think I make improvements if I had to do it all over again, but I’m happy it has helped peak photographers interest to capture the stars. Hopefully you get a shot of the Milky Way this year! Cheers 🍻

[@markgilder9990]

Brilliant, Thank you. I’m visiting my son at Lake Tahoe in 2024. I hope he will take me to the mountains.😊🇬🇧

[@RanjitSingh-ez8gu]

Bro this is such a crazy amount of quality information!

[@Milkywaymike]

Thanks man... I actually have some updates too so I may release a new version with some additional info in the near future! Thanks for watching!

[@RanjitSingh-ez8gu]

@@Milkywaymike Great! Also thanks for the advice when i mailed you personally! I hope to make great pictures like you in a few years.

[@mikehenry4743]

Not only do you post great tutorials, I also compliment you on the way you take the time to respond to questions.

[@Milkywaymike]

Thanks man!! Appreciate the kind words! Have a good one.

[@StarBattle08]

"Let the love for your stars overcome your fear for the night" wise words

[@fafavoltzgaming8351]

Thumbed up just for that intro. More people need to just slow down and take it all in.

[@karim1485]

KZbin should add a heart button next to the like button to rate outstanding videos like this one. Liking this video felt soo insulting... thank you Mike, I learned so much!

[@Milkywaymike]

You are too kind! Thank you so much for watching and enjoying the content!

[@larrynorth1176]

I am 76 always looking for ways to improve my photography you were very informative I can tell you worked very hard on it ! You have awesome skills keep up the good work once again thank you!!!

[@Milkywaymike]

Thank you very much for watching! I appreciate the feedback!

[@AndriaMrs]

Stayed in Cyprus for a few months and in a place called Lania. Beautiful beautiful place and OMG the night sky and the Milky Way was incredible. The Milky Way went right over the house and it was though you could not see sky, only stars. Amazing absolutely amazing. I did not have a good camera then sadly for me.

[@Tigeress8482]

I don't think I've ever seen a better video on KZbin. This was an incredible piece of work. Thanks for helping me get started on making my astrophotography dreams come true!

[@Milkywaymike]

Thank you so much for the kind words Angelina!

[@paulhancock7860]

You've inspired me to pull out my astrotrac which I've hardly used and start taking images with it again! Excellent presentation and great content on your channel!!

[@ArcMediaFilms]

Amazing tutorial thank you so much for all the information.👍

[@TotalBarber]

Dude this was the best and most informational video about astrophotography I have watched on KZbin and I have probably watched every single astrophotography video!!

[@Milkywaymike]

Thank you so much! Hope it helps you out this next milky way season!

[@TotalBarber]

@@Milkywaymike I have been shooting photography for about a year now and I'm really interested in astrophotography so yes it has helped alot! Thank you!

[@IanHelmcke]

A-FRICKING-MAZING!!!!! dude. Wow. I think this is the single best tutorial video I've ever seen on KZbin.

[@ramiroramirez9066]

Great video. Thank you for sharing!

[@LisianeWinkler]

One of the best video-tips I've seen so far. You managed to compress pretty much all the main struggles in one single video. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, appreciate it!

[@Milkywaymike]

Thank you so much for watching.. hope it helps!

[@dev.dfilmmaker2048]

thanks for sharing such good info in one video.

[@shanedurrance]

Who in the world clicked dislike! What a great video! I learned a lot from this. Thanks for posting

[@Milkywaymike]

Thanks for the kinds... maybe flat earthers.. I debate with them a lot LOL

[@darrylb4048]

There are some people that just cant be happy, for themselves or anybody else. I always put it this way: Those people would complain that they stubbed their toe on a walk even if the stone they hit was discovered to be solid gold!!

[@johndoherty6448]

Agreed... but doing the maths, it's 1.03% dislike. I only wish that that many people who know, me dislikes me !!

[@ramakanthdvv]

This is a very good video. Thanks for your efforts.

[@apachawee7463]

Got my Canon ESO T7i last month. I've been learning a lot from your video's. Excellent explanation. Thank you. 👍👍

[@Milkywaymike]

Awesome!!! I’m happy to help

[@5xXelementalXx5]

Love this! Thank-You!

[@jerryeisner1]

Wonderful Tutorial!!! What a gift you have given us!!!

[@Milkywaymike]

Thanks for watching and leaving some kind words! Cheers

[@nordic5490]

Always focus on site. Use live view @ max magnification. Start with a bright star, then fine tune with the smallest stars you can.

[@Milkywaymike]

It's definitely my favorite way! Thanks for sharing

[@Ed-bj5eq]

thanks Mike really helpful tips and great photos !

[@Milkywaymike]

Thank you very much!

[@sivasankarshakthivel5852]

That was one pack of information. Thanks a lot for sharing ...🙏

[@ejohnson4599]

great job going over a group of choices for night shooting

[@Twobarpsi]

Excellent presentation!!

[@bradleykeeferii6502]

Thank you for this very great video. You do are a very great job explaining things in plain language while explaining the “why’s and why nots.”

[@Milkywaymike]

Thanks for watching!

[@luukdeboer1974]

Now THAT was a great tutorial!!! This is a quality video that's in another leage! Thank you for putting so much effort and experience into this video

[@Milkywaymike]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@in2gadgets]

Fabulous video - thanks!

[@WilliamVirkin]

Thanks so much for this presentation I learn a lot.

[@rocketfast09]

Excellent review of shooting the Milky Way. Beginners wanting to start shooting the Milky Way should definitely watch this.

[@knightclan4]

Brilliant video mate

[@seansixsixsix]

I appreciate the first minute of life talking. Good work.

[@Milkywaymike]

Thank you so much!

[@rohitsunny3172]

We are all on a huge space ship that support s life... Wow what a line mate amazing 🔥 thank u

[@Milkywaymike]

Thanks!

[@WesWarner]

Thanks, Mike for an informative video. So much to take away from it.

[@day1tech]

Very nice video lots of information I especially like the part at the end where you shows your first picture in 2012 and how it progressed very inspiring

[@Milkywaymike]

Thanks you so much!

[@JR-sn8cf]

Dude, you are freakin awesome, i just sat here and listened and learned. Be blessed. From Johannesburg

[@Milkywaymike]

Glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks for watching

[@wytchywmn9]

Excellent tutorial. Heading to the Mojave National Preserve soon and bought a new DSLR just for this purpose. Good info. Thanks!

Lots of knowledge! Thank you! Who's the hell dislike this video?

[@topper45]

Great job, Mike, and thank you!

[@cristibaluta]

I take star photos for years but never bothered with multiple images, you convinced me, i'll do it next time, maybe even buy a tracker.

[@Milkywaymike]

Cristian Baluta at the very least, definitely stack your images in sequator or starry landscape Stacker. The results are astounding!!

[@Photoid01]

A very impressive video. Your explanations are well thought out. Your example photos are extremely helpful, especially when you show comparisons of mediocre photos vs. excellent photos; you can see what you need to strive for. Thank you so much for your substantial effort.

[@Milkywaymike]

Thank you for the kind words!! Glad to help!

[@malcolmpierce825]

Thank you Mike! I'm starting to learn!

[@oggysgamingoggy6171]

This video information is amazing ❤️

[@rockyrock104]

Great one!

[@thePHXstudio]

Spectacular. Great video, thank you for teaching!

[@stanson5850]

This is a super useful video. You cover multiple areas and really help to give the complete picture. After going through circles in my head about how to get landscapes at night, here are some things that tripped me up that I recently figured out. A CHEAP lens, like nikkor 1.8g (35 or 50mm) can go about 5-7 seconds untracked (nikkon is crop so 1.6xlens length / 500). This will produce ok landscapes but dark stars. To get better light, you need a tracker, so you can take long 30-60 sec exposures. However, this makes the foreground blurry. So you need to either 1) take two images and blend them in photoshop, one of the untracked ground, the second of the tracked sky. OR 2) buy a much wider lens, such as a 14-25mm 1.4/1.8 and pair it with a Full-frame camera. These lenses can stay open a lot longer (25-30 seconds) without needing tracking, so they have solid foregrounds and bright stars. But, these damn lens costs at least 600$ used, while I got my Nikkor 35mm 1.8g used for only 120$. And I use a DIY barn door tracker I put together for around 15$. It gives me solid 1 minute exposures. So I guess I'll stick to the 35mm 1.8g lens, my barn door tracker, and just deal with taking two shots and blending them. Until I can buy a considerably more expensive 14-25mm lens.

[@Milkywaymike]

I feel your pain about the expenses of photography lenses and other gear... When I got back into photography and wanted new lenses / gear I went on craigslist and found photography related jobs (birthday parties, baptisms, etc.) until I eventually started working with a videographer regularly just about every other weekend. We were doing weddings, bday parties and baptisms really cheap (cash only and I would make 250 - 500 per job). I did this for a 2 years while working full time during the week as well. All the money I made from my weekend jobs I invested into better camera gear and lenses while my photography skills got better from all the pictures I was taking. So look into ways to make money from your photography and reinvest that money into the gear you want. Also I financed a lot with Amazon and Best Buy which allowed me to make payments on equipment over time and as long as I payed it off in a year (whatever the financing agreement was) they wouldn't get any interest from me. Hopefully that helps!

[@stanson5850]

@@Milkywaymike What a motivating post to read. Good for you my friend, seriously, thats something to be proud of. You dont normally get that transparency and realness from people. Im kind of blown away with how valuable and relevant that info is for me to hear right now. Thanks for sharing your process and providing some motivation for the rest of us. Its very refreshing to hear 👍

[@Jason-qt8bm]

Thanks for putting together a detailed guide to astrophotography. The amount of information was presented in a easy to digest fashion, and I have just started to use these techniques. Appreciate the hard work and keep rockin

[@andysuzierawlins5462]

This is really helpful, mw photography in a nutshell, very clear and concise

[@Milkywaymike]

Thanks for watching!

[@michebre]

Mike thanks so much. This is a great tutorial. Very informative!

[@Milkywaymike]

Happy it helped!

[@Knivesrme]

Awesome video. I can’t wait to get started.

[@Highdepthfilms]

Great video, I’ve been getting into Astrophotography recently and have been mostly enjoying the solitude and quiet at night. Love the slow pace of this style of photography. Thank you for sharing such great videos.

[@Milkywaymike]

Glad to hear that and I appreciate you checking out my videos! Have a good one.

[@kineticbe]

Very useful. Thank you!

[@carmenspratt7290]

Just starting to come across your videos and enjoying them very much. You are so clear and concise. The post processing tips have been very helpful and I look forward to applying them in my workflow. Would love to shoot with you if you’re ever out on Long Island or hold workshops. Thank you so much for sharing your valuable knowledge!

[@Milkywaymike]

Carmen Spratt thanks for the kind words!! If I’m in that area I’ll let you know!

[@joshsandman9461]

I like how u disclose all your settings and edits

[@vasiliskarkalas]

What a great video I just witnessed! Thanks for that!

[@addie134]

Awesome!! I just took my first Milky Way photo. I wish I had seen this video before I did it.

[@Milkywaymike]

Awesome, thanks for watching... And don't worry it will come back out around the next new moon ;)

[@alexcarroll9774]

Thanks for this! 🙏

[@Milkywaymike]

You’re welcome!

[@Leedragon]

Your tutorials really are amazing and I’ve learned so much. I just got into photography and these have def helped.

[@Milkywaymike]

Leedragon awesome!! Thank you for watching

[@peggygilmour8905]

Great photos, I think I have seen some of yours posted online.

[@Milkywaymike]

Mostly likely! Thanks for watching

[@diyimprover6887]

Another gear option. If you haven't already invested in a system and you're really into shooting stars, look at the Pentax cameras. Their full-frame K1 has a built in Astro Tracer function. Crop sensor Pentax dslr's use a $150 WiFi hot shoe mounted accessory that does the exact same thing. These allow exposures of up to 5 minutes and makes irrelevant the 500/400/300 and NPF rules.

[@M-Mir]

Yeah but for 150 you could get a Minitrack lx2/3 for any camera, which will do the same thing

[@diyimprover6887]

@@M-Mir The Minitrack only works while pointed directly at Polaris while AstroTracer-equipped Pentax's can be directed at any point in the sky, so the Minitrack will not "do the same thing". I also don't think anyone is going to buy a Pentax just to shoot the sky if they are already invested in another system. I threw this out there for people who are considering getting into dslr and have not yet decided on a system. The K1-ii is one of the finest landscape cameras in its price range and also happens to be the only system with star tracking capabilities. The crop sensor Pentax's are also an excellent value and have native tracking functionality with an inexpensive accessory.

[@M-Mir]

@@diyimprover6887 And where is the problem with pointing the Minitrack at Polaris? Not everyone has 2k $ for a camera.

[@diyimprover6887]

@@M-Mir 1) No problem only shooting at Polaris if you're okay limiting yourself to one of the least interesting areas of the night sky and limiting your camera/lens to less than 4 1/2 pounds and struggling to put Polaris dead center to get the optimal effect. No problem at all. 2) You don't have to spend $1,700 for the K1. You can use the more economical but high-value crop sensor cameras Pentax makes. 3) Budgeting for any hobby is a personal calculation. What do you want to be able to do and how much money are you willing and able to expend. Pentax has a unique feature beneficial to someone who might want to try their hand at astrophotography. If they've already spent years and hundred$ or thousand$ investing in a Canon or Nikon system, it would make zero sense to scrap their existing system just to use the Pentax sensor shift capability. If they're just getting started in dslr and think they might like to do some astrophotography (and also be able to do high resolution pixel shifting for 140 megapixel imaging _and_ get some great landscape photography capability), then I'm just suggesting they take a close look at the Pentax system when they're deciding which system to buy into. 4) I don't quite get the point of your derisive tone when all I'm doing is sharing my opinion about one possible option for people to consider. There are lots of choices for systems and accessories. I'm just pointing out one very credible option. What's your problem with that?

[@M-Mir]

@@diyimprover6887 No problem, I am only offering an affordable alternative. Do you know that you can rotate your camera to any point in the sky and only your lx3 has to be polar aligned? There is a ballhead between your cam and the lx. I have no clue why you are so offended by my comment.

[@pepetrueno4]

Man, what a great video. Really pro! Thanks for sharing your overcome in mastering the night photography. Master!! Helped me a lot!

[@Milkywaymike]

Thanks for the kind words and feedback!

[@PureNordicVibe]

😃 😄 WOW Cool Video, Keep up the good work

[@robertmcdaniel7788]

Very well done, sir. Lots of great practical information. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[@paulogden7417]

Awesome, thanks for great information and a beautiful photo sequence!

[@Milkywaymike]

Thanks for watching!

[@bulldogstrut1]

Excellent video. One note of caution though. Before using any burning material such as the flaming steel wool shot near the end, you should check with the authorities about any burn restrictions to avoid receiving a substantial fine, and take measures to avoid torching your surroundings.

[@Milkywaymike]

Excellent point, thanks for sharing!

[@fucazzo8097]

Settle down Smokey the Bear.! 😂 “I must call the Authorities and ask if I may take a shit in the woods too.....” Christ everyone has to add something. Make your own video if you want! ***It is a great tutorial***

[@wmbrennan]

Fantastic! I am new to star photography and this really helps!

[@Milkywaymike]

Awesome!! Have fun shooting and thanks for watching!

[@blocksterz]

Best tutorial on KZbin.. end of discussion

[@Milkywaymike]

Very kind of you to say that! Thanks for the support.

[@nordic5490]

blocksterz , it was pretty accurate, except: always focus on site, and, the 300, 500, 600 rule depends on what part of the sky you are imaging. Eg, you may be able to have 3x the exposure time @ the celestial poles vs @ the celestial equator. And exposure time is also dictated by your tolerance to star trails, eg, your target audience. Take a shot & review. Deepskystacker is great free software I have used often for auto aligning, stacking darks and lights, and subtracting lights and level adjustments. Free.

[@urosciric8030]

Thank you so much for this presentation. Currently I'm doing even worse than your first photo even after watching dozens of tutorials ... but I will get there someday

[@tony_r_pierce]

This was great, thanks Michael!

[@Milkywaymike]

Thanks for watching!

[@marcthomas9831]

A fantastic and informative video. I wish I’d found this earlier!!! Thank you for putting this together.

[@rickymcc9072]

Thanks for insights and inspiration. I must start practising.

[@Milkywaymike]

Thanks for watching!

[@Keychainproduction]

Wow, I learned so much that I need to re watch this video haha, great great great video! subscribed instantly

[@Milkywaymike]

Awesome, thanks for watching!

[@antonellacisco6978]

Awesome. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@rishijoshi5808]

friggin amazing brother! Much love :)

[@user-ij5mv3kj9n]

Thanks, Mike.

[@cy1512]

Great video. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[@FeatherzMcGraw]

Great video Mike, I wish this was up a few months back when I started trying to capture some Astro photo's... I managed to impress myself but looking forward to seeing more of you're videos and thanks for mentioning Sequator as i've been after something to try stacking images for a while without a Mac :).

[@Milkywaymike]

Thanks a lot Lee!

[@marcusdekker]

wow your opening words realy hit home and your picture at 1:14 is just goreous. (ive been at sea, i know how to navigate by the stars but never seen the milky way like that in the flesh)

[@Milkywaymike]

Thanks for watching and leaving such kind words! Navigating by the stars must be a beautiful feeling and thankfully we have such amazing cameras now-a-days which allows up to pull out A LOT of detail of the Milky Way Core. Cheers!

[@hariishr]

Good one

[@Outdoor.pixels]

Great video! This video has helped me a lot and I can tell you put a lot of hard work into it thanks!

[@Milkywaymike]

Appreciate the feedback! Thanks for watching and happy shooting!

[@hennarik4844]

That was amazing. Photos with information, simple

[@Milkywaymike]

Thanks!!

[@mikenco]

You keep mentioning fear of the dark, like it's something we all have..I love the dark, but I'm glad you overcome your own fear! ;)

[@Milkywaymike]

mikenco More so the fear of nocturnal animals or poisonous reptiles. I’ve come across scorpions, snakes, a bear and a pack of coyotes by while myself at night.. I don’t think people should be afraid of the dark but they should respect it, as we are at a disadvantage from other animals that thrive at night.

[@mikenco]

TBH, I didn't take your local fauna into account. You make a very good point because in my part of the world the most ferocious attack I'm ever likely to encounter at night is stubbing a toe on a hedgehog (and I have done that!). I enjoyed your vid, thank you.

[@Sunil_Veeramuthu]

@@Milkywaymike Alright, where did you encounter these? Just so I can scratch them off from the list of places I would go to, to shoot at night lol. :D

[@NobleElite]

The only possible risk for me when I go out to do some astronomy and astrophotography are foxes and bats :P Funny thing is, I feel much safer going to my local priory, which is particularly dark, than a lit town high street :P That's definitely saying much for where I'm from (U.K). Bats and foxes are pretty harmless, and will go away if left alone :)

[@Krizefugl]

moved from a 7 to a 4 recently but so far ive only had clouds all night, every night, or didnt have my camera with me when at least some stars peeked through. tonight is yet another night filled with rainclouds but im patient :D

[@Milkywaymike]

Keep an eye on the weather apps! I usually go out very last minute because the weather in NJ can change quickly day to day. I wish I was out west... so many clear nights in the dry areas!

[@MegaDwilkinson]

Outstanding - many thanks for sharing your expertise an beautiful images

[@kenowens9021]

It's very easy to see the Milky Way out in the middle of the ocean. Just can photograph is from a moving and swaying ship.

[@vaunsphotography6820]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and knowledge. I'm just starting to get into astrophography.

[@dandruff9244]

cool gear Mike

[@jose280714]

You are inspiring going to Chirripó coming weekend, hopefully will get the Via Lactea...the highest peak in Costa Rica and also darkest.... new moon... and I think star rain... hopefully I nailed!!!!!!!! YES!

[@Milkywaymike]

Thats awesome, I'm jealous!! Hopefully you have clear skies!!

[@jose280714]

I'm jealous of your shots... lol...

[@spleone]

Great video. Keep them coming

[@TheVicktorian]

Thank you for this tutorial.It is amazing!

[@theamateurphotographer8307]

Great overall introduction for beginners. Keep up the good work.

[@13_cmi]

I’m gonna see how good my high school’s photography stuff is. The internet is too hard to follow and it’s so hard to learn deep sky and Milky Way photography by myself. I also have a busted up camera that has crazy wobble on the lens mount and that makes it even worse. It’s so annoying that I picked up the most difficult and expensive hobby possible. My bank account and brain love being deprived of the things they need.

[@arthur-eric.5396]

i love your picture by the way.

[@CrucesNomad1]

I believe if you start out with good habits you will be consistent. Was able to pick up a few good tips.

[@Milkywaymike]

Glad to help... This presentation was a few years old... I've made quite a few updates since then so maybe I'll post a newer version in the near future! Thanks for watching!

[@Aeisree]

Such a wonderful and informative video. Thank you!

[@sbrenden]

Thank you for this awesome upload! Great work, and very inspiering :) Recently bought a FF camera, and trying to understand night photo.. This video will come in handy :) Cheers