Night Landscape Photography and Space photography?

M

Matthew

New member
If I want to shoot at night, as opposed to day like most landscape photographers, what special equipment would be I need?

I am talking about high detail pictures of landscape but shot at night instead; with the viewer (person look at the photo) being able to see everything easily.

For Landscape at night, any special equipment?

For Space (focusing on the moon, stars, etc) what would I need? Just a Fish eye lens with a camera that is great at high ISO?

Would flash take any part in either of these types of photography?

For the Night Landscape, what ISO would be recommended or should it be low ISO but have the shutter open for a long time?

Are there any famous professional photographers that do this kind of photography?
 
Hello there, I've done both types of photography as an amateur years ago, really, there isn't any special equipment you'd need for the night landscape shots, just a long exposure set at a slower focal speed. Any ISO is ok, but I'd recommend 200 with a 30 sec to 45 sec exposure and set the f stop to between 8-11. Play around with the exposures because you'll have different lighting in different areas. Also, try some filters on the lens to see what works best for what you're trying to accomplish.

As far as space shots, you'll need some kind of mount that will adjust your camera to the rotation of the earth. You can find plans for it online to make it yourself, or you can buy one with a motor on it. Essentially, you'd aim the tripod (front of the mount) to the north, and adjust the lever on the mount, usually about a quarter turn every minute. Of course the one's with the motor are automatic and much more stable. All this does is helps keep the lens focused on what you're trying to photograph, ie, moon, stars. This will allow you to capture a crisp and focused shot as apposed to star trails.
I recommend getting an older (1970's era) camera for these types of shots, because you'll have to expose the film for longer periods of time, usually a couple minutes to a couple of hours, and sometimes, depending on what you want, an overnight exposure. Most cameras still have the 'B' or "BULB' setting on them, but today's cameras will drain your battery in minutes. The older cameras don't use batteries to open the shutter window to expose the film, it's all mechanical. I used a Minolta SRT101 for many years, with a shutter release cable, to keep the camera steady. Because they are mechanical, you need to have a really strong tripod to keep the camera from shaking too much during your shot. You can find many of the older cam's on ebay for very cheap. If you need any more info, please feel free to email me.

Class Dismissed! lol have a good one and keep shooting! I'd love to see some of your work.
Robert
 
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