Top tips by Louth photographer for taking stunning night sky photos

Trevor Brown, who has owned of Colorgrafix on Eastgate for more than 30 years, said: “Winter offers endless opportunities to capture the night sky in all its glory but without the right techniques, some stargazers are missing out on the perfect interstellar snap.

“Before taking out your mobile phone or digital camera to take a picture, there are a range of factors to contend with to make sure your photo is just as out of this world as the stars you’re snapping!”

Here are Trevor’s top tips for capturing the perfect photo of the winter night’s sky:

1. Battling low lighting – “The night sky has its drawbacks - the main one being that it’s dark, which makes photography tricky when not using a digital camera. A lack of lighting makes it hard even for the most up-to-date smartphones to capture high-quality imagery.

"Take yourself away from the busy streets and head somewhere with minimal artificial lighting, such as a green space, which will show you what the night sky really has to offer.”

2. Say no to zoom – “When we take a picture of something small with a smartphone, our instinct is to zoom in to make it look bigger and more visible. However, small objects like stars can become heavily pixelated when zoom is used. Once you view the picture on a screen larger than your phone, you’ll be disappointed with a grainy image.”

3. Apps to help you – “For those that don’t know, the shutter speed is the length of time that the digital sensor inside the camera is exposed to light when taking a photograph – it’s the key ingredient to achieving balanced brightness levels.

"Unfortunately, you can’t control this function on the majority of smartphones but that’s where camera apps can help. There is a range of apps to simulate the shutter effect for both iOS and Android, taking multiple photos in a short span to recreate long exposure.”

4. Ready, steady, go! – “Contending with low light is a lot easier with a steady hand. Using a tripod ensures you have a stable surface which reduces shake.”

“Once you’ve got the perfect photo, don’t hide it away in your camera gallery only to be forgotten. As a PHOTO by Fujifilm retailer, we offer the latest and greatest in photo printing technology that can bring your night sky photos to life.”

Colorgrafix offers a range of photo printing services in-store and online, using the latest technology by Fujifilm.

For more information about Colorgrafix, call 01507 600541.