Natural Aperture Photography
Getting Started With
Star Trail Photography
Table of Contents
Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 3
Safety tips............................................................................................................................ 3
Provisions........................................................................................................................ 3
Camera equipment .............................................................................................................. 4
Miscellaneous equipment.................................................................................................... 4
Location .............................................................................................................................. 5
Date ..................................................................................................................................... 6
Tools ................................................................................................................................... 6
Google Maps ................................................................................................................... 6
The Photographer's Ephemeris (TPE)............................................................................. 7
Weather.com ................................................................................................................... 8
Stellarium ........................................................................................................................ 9
Composition ........................................................................................................................ 9
Camera settings ................................................................................................................. 10
Tips ................................................................................................................................... 10
Interval timer settings ....................................................................................................... 11
Post process ....................................................................................................................... 12
Index ................................................................................................................................. 13
2 | Getting Started With Star Trail Photography
Introduction
This manual explains the art and science of capturing the movement of stars in the sky as
Earth rotates. Photographers call this “star trail photography." It is a technique that takes
patience and practice.
Safety tips
Even summer in the desert gets cold at night. Be aware that snow falls early and melts
late at high elevations. Weather patterns are unpredictable, so be prepared to stay a
night out. Check local traffic reports while planning your trip.
Provisions

Change of clothes

Warm blanket

Winter clothing and hand and foot warmers if it’s not summer

Snow tires or chains and snowshoes if it’s not summer

Food and water

Cell phone and car charger

Maps or GPS and extra batteries
Introduction | 3
Camera equipment
You need:

DSLR

Tripod

Your widest angle lens (10-20mm or 11-16mm recommended)

Interval timer cable release (Figure 1)
Figure 1 Interval timer cable release
Miscellaneous equipment
Also bring:

Extra batteries for all equipment

Small sand bag or equivalent

Compass

Headlamp (Figure 2)
Figure 2 Headlamp
4 | Getting Started With Star Trail Photography
Location

Avoid light pollution near large cities (Figure 3).
Figure 3 Light pollution from Portland, Oregon near Mount Hood

Avoid flat terrain that makes composition boring.

Avoid valleys with trees that block sky views.

Include mountains, lakes, and other interesting terrain (Figure 4).
Figure 4 Good overall composition
Location | 5
Date
Moonlight is important for illuminating the foreground subject. Using the moon's light
eliminates the need for high ISO. However, if the moon is too far overhead, it will dim
the stars. Use tools to aid you in finding the best locations and nights to shoot.
Tools
Google Maps
 Google Maps – http://www.maps.google.com
Google Maps is a useful tool. Use it for satellite view, terrain (topographical) view, road
maps, and even photos.
Get GPS coordinates of a location:
1. Open your browser.
2. Go to http://www.maps.google.com.
3. Click the gear icon in the upper right corner.
4. Click Maps Labs.
5. Scroll down to LatLng Tooltip.
6. Click Enable > Save changes.
7. With your cursor on the map, press the Shift Key.
The coordinates pop up in a tooltip beside the cursor.
8. Record coordinates for future reference.
6 | Getting Started With Star Trail Photography
The Photographer's Ephemeris (TPE)
 The Photographer’s Ephemeris – http://photoephemeris.com/ (Figure 5).
Figure 5 The Photographer's Ephemeris
Use TPE to calculate:

Angle of the sun and moon

Location of the sun and moon

Sunrise, sunset, moonrise and moonset times

Moon phases

When the sun and moon rise and set behind something tall
Instructions for using TPE are beyond the scope of this manual. Get help for using it at
http://photoephemeris.com/support.
Tools | 7
Weather.com
 The Weather Channel – http://www.weather.com
Check the weather before you go. Know what to expect regarding temperature and cloud
cover. You can't take photos of stars in overcast conditions!
Check cloud cover:
1. Open your browser.
2. Go to http://www.weather.com.
3. Type your location in the search window.
4. Click Find Weather.
5. Click the blue Map tab.
6. Scroll down and click Clouds.
The cloud cover map opens (Figure 6).
Figure 6 Cloud cover map
8 | Getting Started With Star Trail Photography
Stellarium
 Stellarium – http://www.stellarium.org/
Stellarium is planetarium software. It isn’t a necessary tool, but it is fun and educational.
If you need help with Stellarium, the website has a user's guide.
Composition
Orientation is your choice, but portrait generally yields better results. It depends on how
wide your foreground element is. Try both to see which you prefer.
For good star trail compositions:
1. Use The Photographer’s Ephemeris to plan.
2. Shoot with the moon at least half full.
3. Shoot with the moon at your back, not overhead.
4. Use an interesting foreground subject.
5. Shoot on the south side of your subject.
6. Use a compass to find the North Star.
7. Point your camera north.
8. Put plenty of sky in your composition.
Composition | 9
Camera settings
Put your camera on your tripod, compose, and use these settings:

Noise Reduction OFF (Figure 7)
Figure 7 Noise reduction set to OFF

Mode dial on B (bulb)

White balance on Daylight

ISO 100

Aperture on f/4

Focus on manual and focus to infinity
Tips
Use your headlamp to have your hands free. If you have one with red LEDs, use them so
the light doesn’t constrict your pupils and you can compose your shot in the dark.
Settings vary based on natural light available, so take test shots and make adjustments. To
avoid noise and hot pixels in your images, do not use an ISO greater than 200.
If your photo is overexposed, close the aperture. If it’s underexposed, use a longer shutter
speed. If you need a shutter speed longer than 30 seconds, use your interval timer.
If you:

Have your aperture wide open

Are at ISO 200, and

Have to have your shutter open for longer than 2 minutes
It's too dark for star trail photography. You may get star trails, but foreground
subjects are too dark. Go back when the moon is brighter.
10 | Getting Started With Star Trail Photography
Interval timer settings
To learn how to change the settings for your particular interval timer, refer to its
instruction manual. Generally, there are four settings:

Delay time for the shutter to open

Number of seconds the shutter will be open

Time between exposures

Number of exposures
1. Plug the interval timer into your camera and set it to:

Delay: At least 2 seconds to avoid camera shake

Bulb: The shutter speed you choose

Interval: 2 seconds*

Number: The number of exposures you choose. A minimum of 20
minutes produces trails. A minimum of 30 minutes will produce curves.
* This ensures the camera just enough time to record the image to memory
card. Setting it any longer will create gaps in the trails.
2. Push Start.
If it’s windy, hang a heavy item from the center column of your tripod. If you are
concerned with your camera being stolen or a victim of wind, do not leave it unattended.
Interval timer settings | 11
Post process
The final step is combining or "stacking" exposures. If you do not own an Extended
version of Adobe Photoshop, there are a few alternative programs. They are available at
little to no cost, and you can use them to achieve the same look. They are:

DeepSkyStacker

RegiStax

Iris

StarTrails
Do an online search. Choose one, download, install, and refer to the appropriate
documentation for help.
In Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended:
1. Click File > Scripts > Statistics.
2. Choose Stack Mode and set to Maximum.
3. Set Use: to Files.
4. Click Browse... and select the images to stack.
5. Click OK.
6. Leave Attempt to Automatically Align Source Images unchecked.
7. Click OK.
8. Right click on the image layer and click Flatten Image.
9. Make other adjustments you need, then save.
12 | Getting Started With Star Trail Photography
Index
Composition
Tips ................................................... 9
Date
Tips ................................................... 6
Tools ................................................. 7
Equipment
Camera .............................................. 4
Flash light..................... See Headlamp
Headlamp .......................................... 4
Miscellaneous ................................... 4
Safety ................................................ 3
Headlamp
Figure 2 ............................................. 4
Location
Tips ................................................... 5
Tools ................................................. 6
Night photography
Camera settings ............................... 10
Interval timer settings ..................... 11
Safety ................................................ 3
Tips ................................................. 10
Post process
Other programs ............................... 12
Photoshop........................................ 12
Safety
Provisions.......................................... 3
Tips ................................................... 3
Settings
Camera ............................................ 10
Interval timer ................................... 11
Tips ................................................. 10
Tips
Camera settings ............................... 10
Composition ...................................... 9
Post process ..................................... 12
Safety ................................................ 3
Shooting at night ............................. 10
Tools
Date ................................................... 7
Headlamp .......................................... 4
Interval timer ................................... 11
Location ............................................ 6
Planetarium ....................................... 9
Post processing................................ 12
Weather ............................................. 8
Weather
Cloud cover map ............................... 8
Safety ................................................ 3
Index | 13