When it comes to taking quality pictures of the night sky, even the latest, flagship smartphones don’t cut it.

There are a lot of reasons for this, but if you’re seeking a clear picture of the constellations, having access to a good DSLR camera is necessity.

Having the equipment is just the start, however, and you’ll quickly discover that it can be quite difficult to get that perfect night shot, especially when taking light pollution, settings, and the scene into consideration.

Have a look at these helpful tips and tricks to get a better idea of how to take improved pictures of the night sky.

Always Light Up The Foreground

When using a wide-angle lens, it’s possible to bring the foreground into the images that you capture. The foreground can be used to enhance the quality of the image, or it can be used to bring out more details in the sky.

The foreground refers to any objects that are in front of the sky that you’re trying to capture. It may be some trees, a rock, or a small building. Whatever the case, the key to getting vibrancy out of the stars and constellations is by learning to work with good foreground lighting.

Painting With Light

This is a technique that’s used when the foreground is close enough to the camera.

For most photographers, using either a speedlight or a flashlight will provide enough light to bring the foreground in sharper focus and snap a much better picture of the sky that’s behind.

Speedlights

Speedlights are specialised photography light’s that are linked directly with the camera and will go off momentary as the shutter is initiated. They’re extremely bright, and the flash doesn’t last more than a few milliseconds, but when timed just right it can provide lots of extra light to a scene, and they’re especially important at night.

Getting a hold of a quality speedlight is highly recommended if you’re looking to illuminate as much of the foreground as you possibly can.

Constant Light

If you’ve found that a speedlight doesn’t quite offer you the kind of lighting that you’re after, the next best step is to make use of a constant source of light.

When the shutter has been opened, the constant light source can be used to brighten up the foreground. Make sure to move around to avoid hot spots.

Moonless Nights

Try and aim for moonless nights for your shots whenever possible.

The moon shines an incredible amount of light into the night sky, often enough to completely drown out the visibility of the stars.

Use RAW

Always try and shoot any images using the NEF or RAW format.

This helps tremendously once the images are in the postproduction stage and need some heavy editing.

High Dynamic Range

Also known as HDR, High Dynamic Range consists of taking multiple shots over a short period of time, and then merging the images into a single one, offering superior definition when done correctly.