5 Tips to Better Prepare Yourself for Night Photography

The Milky Way season or is it better to say, the Milky Way core season, has started again. In Estonia, the Milky Way core is not much visible form behind the horizon, but still it is nice to see some of it after a long time. There is still a chance to take photos of the dark starry sky in March and April. After that, it starts to get brighter and night photography enthusiasts will have the next chance of the starry sky in August.

But for that, I thought I would share some tips with you that maybe isn't talked about very much. These tips have been very useful to me over the years. I'm not going to tell you about camera settings. They are also very important, and night photography is a very specific and challenging photography genre in the end. I thought I would talk about what you can do before you go shoot the night sky. Preparation is the key and hopefully these tips are useful. 1. Explore the landscape during daytime

I'll give you a good example. Last year when I was capturing the wonderful night sky of La Palma I had just started taking timelapses at night in a place I had planned to take during the day. Suddenly another night photographer I had talked to and got to know appeared. With a white flashlight shining on his head (not very ethical when taking photos at night, when other photographers are also working around) he came up to me. He showed me a photo from his phone and asked if I knew where those tree roots and bushes were? The photographer wanted to capture the Milky Way with these foregrounds of course. Unfortunately, I didn't know and my first thought was that this preparation work could be done during the day.

If I had to give just one piece of advice, it would be this. Go and explore the landscape during the day. Just take your time. This is especially important if you are going to a certain location for the first time. I even go to check out locations during the day for night photography that I have probably been to dozens of times already. The landscape changes, nature changes, and at night everything is different…everything!

I have been in situations where everything looks beautiful on the map and on the photos online, but when I venture out at night, I realize that the desired location, for example, cannot be reached by the route I thought it would. Too wet, difficult terrain, or something else. I have to start looking for another route and then I venture out there in the pitch dark. I don’t even know where exactly I need to go and what I’m looking for. Foregrounds, compositions, etc. All of this work can be done during the day. In daylight, you can easily find all the interesting motifs and elements that you can photograph at night, for example with the Milky Way. Once the preliminary work is done, in the dark you know very well what awaits you and where exactly you need to go. It also saves you time.

2. Use the Photopills app

In my opinion, it is the best app for landscape and night photographers. During the day, when you have found some cool foregrounds, you want to know if you can photograph the object with the Milky Way. Photopills provides a real-time opportunity where you can see how and when the Milky Way or some other night sky element aligns with your composition. You can also use this app for sunsets and sunrises, the moon and even meteor showers. You can save all your plans and thoughts for the future in the app along with sample photos and come back to them at any time you want. This way, you won't lose any photo ideas that might only happen a couple of times a year. The app is not free and currently costs €12.99 (in Estonia) and is a one-time payment. The value that the photographer gets from this app is just unreal.

3. Mark the exact locations found in the map application (Google Maps e.g.)

I recommend marking any small bushes or interesting rocks somewhere by the sea on the map and also adding a description in the map application. I myself write down various finds on Google Maps. Then I know where an element is located and can quickly and easily find my foregrounds at night. I have again been in situations where during the day I tell myself that I know and how difficult it can be to find a rock somewhere by the sea. Suddenly at night all the rocks or bushes seem to look the same and I am wandering around aimlessly again. When photographing the Milky Way, you have more time. You can take photos 5 or 10 minutes later and you still get the shot. However, if beautiful northern lights shapes suddenly appear in the sky and you are looking for your rock or bush then your planned shot is gone.

4. Put a Fluorescent tape on your tripod.

Many times next to the camera my mind started to wander around and while the camera is taking a long exposure photo, I move and accidentally kick the tripod. This happens because I can't see where my tripod is. Another issue is that if you put your camera somewhere to make a timelapse and you move around elsewhere at night, you will later find your camera. It has happened to me a few times that I hear the camera clicking in the distance, but I just can't find the tripod. You can get the tape pretty much from every construction shop or online.

5. Memorize the Buttons on your camera.

At night, it's annoying to look for where that button was, that changed the screen brightness, and where I could now change the white balance, etc. You always have to turn on the headlamp to find the buttons. Make the buttons clear, what does what, and for night photography, also set the custom buttons to the most important settings separately. I practiced at first by turning off the lights in my room at home and trying to take pictures in a pitch-black room. I practiced until I remembered the locations of the buttons by snap. :D

I show in the photo below how I have set the most important buttons on my camera.

The knowledge outlined above has been very useful to me over the years. I hope you learned something new from this and I believe that if you start using this knowledge as well, you will definitely be able to go on your night photography trips with more confidence in the future. Now, go shooting, because the stars and the Milky Way are waiting! ;) Watch My La Palma Vlog in my Youtube channel