Photographing the Milky Way: A Guide with Tips for Settings

I've always been impressed by the night sky filled with stars. Since I spent a night in a salt pan in Botswana beneath an incredible starry sky, I've wanted to learn how astrophotography works.

The more I engaged with night photography, the clearer it became to me that just "taking pictures of the stars" is rather boring. I wanted to photograph the Milky Way.

So here comes my guide to photographing stars - step by step. I'll include tips for the best apps for astrophotography, settings for your camera, lenses, and editing your star photos.

Have fun reading and trying it out!

For more tips on landscape photography, check this out:

Here, I share how to photograph the moon or in this article, how to best photograph the Northern Lights.

In short, there are several things to consider when wanting to photograph stars and the Milky Way.

These were the key points summarized. In the following text, I will elaborate on these points to help you capture a perfect night photo of the Milky Way.

The most important thing is preparation. If it's cloudy or there is a full moon, having the best equipment with the right settings won't help you. So here are my tips that even photography beginners can comprehend. Anyone can photograph the Milky Way. Even I managed to do it.

At first, it may seem difficult or complicated. However, the more you go out at night, the easier it will become, I promise!

The most important point for me in astrophotography is to find a location as dark as possible with no or very low light pollution.

Personally, I find the DarkSiteFinder more useful. For example, in Germany, it only shows me the Westhavelland as a true "Dark Sky" location.

While traveling, I often come across designated "Dark Sky Parks." An International Dark Sky Park (IDSP) is characterized by intentionally reduced light pollution and viewing "nighttime darkness as an important educational, cultural, scenic, and natural resource." In Germany, there are two such parks in Eifel and Winklmoosalm.

Around Brandenburg and Westhavelland, you'll also find ideal conditions.

In the Atacama, we were too exhausted at night, while in the Karoo and Uluru, we froze our backs off while photographing at night. In Jasper, we had a cloudy night sky during two visits, and once even a full moon. In Hawaii, we had no luck as well.

Once you've found a dark location, the weather also matters. Everyone uses different apps to check the weather report. If it's cloudy, you can simply go to bed. If there's a full moon, it will be too bright. If it's summer, you have to stay up really late until it gets properly dark.

My tips for weather apps:

The best time to photograph the Milky Way is during the days around the new moon.

The app Sun Surveyor helps me determine when the moon rises and sets. Additionally, it shows me when the center of the Milky Way is visible.

The app also provides further useful information for photography.

You can also see when the next new moon or full moon is. Day by day, you can view the current state of the moon, along with its rise and set times.

You can get the same information from the Photo Pills app. It's just a matter of personal preference as to which app you find easier to use.

For those of us in the northern hemisphere, the months from February to September are particularly good for photographing the Milky Way, as the most recognizable part of the Milky Way is not visible all year round!

In the southern hemisphere, you have advantages. The central part of the Milky Way is directly above you there. This was ideally suitable during my travels in South Africa and Botswana.

In general, it holds true: the colder a region is, the clearer the nights are. Thus, you can capture fantastic images of the night sky and the Milky Way in Switzerland, Austria, or southern Germany, especially in winter (November to February).

As with the previous point, this depends on which app you find easier to use. Before using Photo Pills and Sun Surveyor, I had already installed the app Sky Guide. This helped me identify constellations using augmented reality in the night sky.

However, I now mostly use this app to determine precisely where the Milky Way rises! This way, you can pre-select a good location to photograph from.

An equivalent alternative to the Sky Guide app is Stellarium.

Don't underestimate that it can get really cold at night in warmer regions! For example, in South Africa, we were in Sutherland during the winter. At -4°C, it was incredibly cold to photograph the Milky Way outdoors for an extended period.

And just recently in Tenerife (June), it got very cold at night on the Teide Volcano. I always pack a hat, a softshell layer, or my thin down jacket. Depending on the season, I also bring gloves.

And don't forget to pack a snack or a hot kettle of tea or coffee!

Now, let's talk about the equipment you need.

In general, I believe that almost any newer camera can photograph the Milky Way. Since there is very little light at night, your camera should have good noise performance.

Of course, a full-frame camera is better than a crop sensor camera. The sensor is larger and thus makes it easier to achieve a good image. However, it is by no means a must.

Currently, I own the Sony Alpha 7 IV (mirrorless full-frame camera) and as a backup the Sony Alpha C II. I've photographed the night sky with both cameras already.

A major advantage of Sony cameras is that you can push the ISO value relatively high without too much noise.

For me, a fast lens is almost more important than the camera itself. Prime lenses up to f 2.8 are ideal, and even better are those with f 1.4. You can use a fast zoom lens equally well.

My top lenses for photographing the Milky Way in order of preference:

To make a shake-free long exposure of the night sky, you need a cable or remote shutter release. Alternatively - and much more conveniently for me - you can set the self-timer on the camera to a 2 or 10 second delay. With my Sony camera, I can even connect my phone, allowing me to trigger the shutter remotely. Typically, I use the 2-second self-timer.

To photograph the night sky, Northern Lights, or the Milky Way, you need to expose for longer than you can hold still. Therefore, you definitely need a sturdy tripod. The tripod should stand firmly and not wobble even in the wind. I even use a hook to hang my backpack as a weight when it's windy.

A travel tripod made of carbon might be light but tends to be flimsy. After using the Gitzo Traveler Tripod in the past (here's the ball head for the tripod), I've recently been using the Peak Design Travel Tripod. It's the most compact and cleverly designed tripod I've ever owned.

Here, you can find my extensive review on travel tripods

I must add here that professionals use a special panoramic head when taking multiple images to later stitch them together.

These are usually expensive, require patience during setup, and aren't suitable for me just yet. However, you gain the advantage that there is no offset when stitching multiple photos with an object in the foreground.

The process of stitching images is called "stacking." I sometimes do it with single photos (Photoshop or Lightroom: select multiple images > right-click > merge photos > panorama). However, I haven't ventured into using a panoramic head.

Always pack a spare battery and additional memory cards. Better safe than sorry. If it's cold outside, it's best to keep both close to your body, for example, in a fanny pack under your jacket.

When I go out at night to photograph stars, I always pack my headlamp. It helps to find the way or change lenses. Otherwise, this can be quite challenging in the dark. While you can use your phone's flashlight, it won't leave you with both hands free.

My headlamp from Petzl

First, I switch the mode to manual. I also deactivate autofocus to focus manually.

For the aperture, the right setting is easy: the widest aperture available on your lens! A wide-open lens lets in more light to the sensor, allowing for shorter exposure times. Some claim that the image is no longer sharp in this mode and adjust the aperture 1-2 stops up. I rely on good lenses. If the lens has a focal length of f1.4, I use it.

When it comes to the ISO value, no blanket statement can be made. This varies from camera to camera. My Sony Alpha 7R 3 performs excellently in darkness. My last photos of the Milky Way were consistently at ISO values between 800 - 1000. Many even use ISO 3200 as a rule of thumb. Experimentation is key here.

The longer you expose, the more information you'll gather on the image. However, if you expose for too long, the stars will move, leading to blurriness. This can, of course, also be a desired effect, particularly when photographing star trails.

As a basic rule: the longer, the better. There's a good rule of thumb for full-frame cameras stating: 500 / focal length. For crop sensor cameras, it's 300 / focal length.

For my 14 mm lens, this translates to 35 seconds (at ISO 100).

I've found that I achieve the best results at ISO 800 - 1200 and expose between 13 - 15 seconds, always opening the aperture as wide as it goes.

In general, I always take several test shots with different settings. I adjust ISO values and exposure times, deciding what works best in that particular place and under those conditions.

Focusing has caused me the most trouble at the beginning. However, it's actually quite simple. You definitely need to focus manually, as it is virtually impossible to use autofocus in such dark locations.

Tip: Just setting it to "infinity" doesn't help, as markings on lenses are nearly always inaccurate.

"How do I focus on the Milky Way?" you may ask.

Here's my step-by-step guide:

This sounds much harder than it is. With a little practice, it gets easier every time. I often felt uncertain at the beginning about whether it was actually sharp.

One day, I was advised to set the color temperature to 3200 K. This will give the image a blue tint.

However, since I always shoot in RAW format, I can adjust the color temperature and thus the white balance later in Lightroom. Some people prefer cooler colors while others favor warmer tones in astrophotography. It's a matter of taste!

You've surely heard the saying "foreground makes the picture healthy." This holds true in astrophotography as well, where the composition of the image and styling are important tools.

Unfortunately, it's not always possible to have a cool foreground. To be honest, I'm notoriously lazy and prefer taking just one image that captures the entire Milky Way instead of stitching together 20 images to create one shot.

When photographing the Milky Way, the night sky is, naturally, the primary focus. This should take up at least 2/3 of your image. However, it's also always exciting to consider what's in the foreground. Try to include a tree, rock, mountains, your car, or even people in the picture. Perhaps there's a building nearby as well?

If you want to position yourself in the image, you'll need to practice holding your breath and not moving. Otherwise, the image will be out of focus. Alternatively, you could take two shots:

One shot of the night sky and with a long exposure.

The second shot would be to properly expose the foreground. You will then need to stitch these two images together in Photoshop.

In this scenario, the clouds suddenly parted up on the Teide in Tenerife. The light was thus strong and reflected, creating an interesting atmosphere:

When comparing your "out of camera" images with those of other photographers, you might wonder: How do they do it? Because as your images appear, they seem almost dull. But honestly, it's not a secret!

Almost everyone edits their photos in image editing software like Adobe Lightroom or Adobe Photoshop. I primarily use Lightroom and sometimes Photoshop for detailing.

To help you achieve that sooner, I'll explain a few simple tricks for the post-processing of Milky Way photos!

Thanks to my Sony camera, I can always slightly underexpose during night photography. In Lightroom, I can then brighten the dark areas back up. That's why my photos typically appear a bit darker when I first import them onto my computer.

A good star image truly shines with post-processing!

Note:

Image editing is definitely a matter of taste and always subjective. Some prefer a warm edit, while others lean towards cooler and bluer tones. Ultimately, it comes down to your preference. Don't be discouraged. We (Dom, Philip, and I) would apply different edits to every picture in landscape photography or night photography.

Experiment with different techniques and check out further Milky Way photography tutorials on YouTube. You'll quickly realize that everyone has different approaches. Stick to yourself and your style.

For Mac, there's the software Starry Landscape Stacker (cost around €20 in the App Store). This saves you the tedious work with masks in Photoshop. However, you must first export the individual images as TIFF from Lightroom or Photoshop.

For Windows, there's the free software Sequator. I can't comment on it as I only own an Apple laptop.

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial and feel inspired to try astrophotography! I had quite a few terrible images at the beginning. They were even out of focus. Be patient; it's worth it!

I look forward to your comment at the end of the article!

P.S.: My own journey led me to create time-lapse recordings of the Milky Way and the night sky. I'll keep you updated!

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