Astrophotography for Beginners
Expand your photographic horizons with telephoto astrophotography! Join Erik Kuna with another astrophotography course with a focus on photographing nebulas, star fields, the moon, and the planets from a beginner’s perspective. You probably have all the gear you’ll need (except for a star tracker), and Erik will take you through the fundamentals to get you out shooting. In this class you’ll learn the terms and considerations for deep sky astrophotography, the importance of starting simple, how to select a star tracker, planning for the weather and moon phases, focusing for sharpness, mastering exposure, dealing with light pollution, stacking final images, and so much more!
Release Date: 2021-06-24
Lessons
Introduction
The instructor introduces the class and discusses what will be covered in the lessons that follow.
Duration: 1 mins 44 seconds
Deep Sky Astrophotography
Before heading out into the field, Erik provides an overview of what is meant by deep sky photography, and a lay of the land for what will be covered in this class.
Duration: 24 mins 37 seconds
Location
Erik shares where he is shooting from for this class, and how that impacts the techniques required to get the shots.
Duration: 3 mins 10 seconds
Start Simple
Start simple and build up. You don’t need to have crazy expensive gear to do this.
Duration: 2 mins 15 seconds
Principles of the Night Sky
You need to know the basics of the night sky before you head out.
Duration: 12 mins 12 seconds
Selecting a Star Tracker
There are a variety of types of star trackers to consider, but best to start simple.
Duration: 11 mins 40 seconds
Weather and Moon Phases
The weather and phase of the moon can impact your astrophotography.
Duration: 14 mins 8 seconds
Mobile Apps
You may want additional tools on your mobile device to help you with your planning.
Duration: 4 mins 45 seconds
Focusing for Sharpness
There are a few things you can do to ensure a sharply focused photo.
Duration: 4 mins 5 seconds
Mastering Exposure
Next to focusing, you also want to master your ability to expose correctly.
Duration: 4 mins 45 seconds
Dealing with Light Pollution
Depending on where you live and where you shoot you’ll need techniques for dealing with light pollution.
Duration: 3 mins 5 seconds
Other Considerations
There are a number of things to consider with astrophotography to help in the field.
Duration: 2 mins 39 seconds
Editing a Single Tracked Image
The purpose of this technique is to increase the signal and decrease the noise.
Duration: 7 mins 16 seconds
Shooting the Moon: Planning
There are many different ways to shoot the moon.
Duration: 3 mins 47 seconds
Shooting the Moon: Gear
There are a few key pieces of gear for shooting the moon.
Duration: 6 mins 48 seconds
Shooting the Moon: Settings
Learn the settings to consider for a moon shot.
Duration: 6 mins 7 seconds
Shooting the Moon: Wide Shots
Including the moon in a wide field of view is challenging because it ends up looking like a point of light.
Duration: 2 mins 10 seconds
Shooting the Moon: Phases
Since the appearance of the moon is constantly changing you’ll want to be aware of the phase of the moon you want to shoot.
Duration: 2 mins 12 seconds
Shooting Planets
Beyond the moon, there are considerations to make if you wish to try and photograph planets.
Duration: 3 mins 24 seconds