Take a Picture of the Galaxy with Your Galaxy!

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Tips and tricks to turn your Milky Way photography into masterpieces.

Image captured with the Galaxy S20 Ultra

Summer is the most popular time to take pics of the stars. But if you usually end up with night-sky shots that are more blurry than breathtaking, you're not alone. Capturing the grandeur of the Milky Way can be tricky, but with the right equipment and our tips, you can learn how to take pictures of stars with stellar results every time.

Gyeongsangbuk-do, a province of South Korea

Before you go

First, take a moment to consider what you want to capture besides the Milky Way itself. What will your foreground be? Do you want to catch the Milky Way low in the sky, high in the sky or streaking diagonally across it? Getting the right shot of the Milky Way isn’t so much a matter of framing as it is hunting.

Captured between 10PM and 3AM in June

Go off the grid

To truly master night sky photography, you want to shoot away from light pollution found in cities and large towns. The more remote, the better.

Next, consider what kind of foreground you want—after all, if you’re shooting at ground level from planet Earth, there’ll probably be something else in the shot. For example, are there any striking pieces of architecture, eye-catching rock formations or towering trees nearby? Look for elements that will add interest when silhouetted against a starry sky.

Timing is everything

When you shoot is just as important as where you shoot. Time of night and time of year both factor heavily into how the Milky Way will appear in your shot. While our galaxy is literally always visible in the night sky (we’re sitting in the middle of it, after all), what we commonly refer to as “the Milky Way” is really its galactic core, which can only be seen from February to November. Since its orientation in the sky shifts throughout that time, too, capturing it exactly where you want it in the night sky takes some planning.

Luckily, there are apps that can help you determine the kind of shot you want and when and where to best capture it. PhotoPills has a handy feature called Night AR that maps the galactic core across your current sky based on when you plan to shoot. Even a simple compass app like the one on the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Watch Active2 can improve your starscape photography experience.

Shooting during a new moon can significantly reduce light pollution in your shot.

Another consideration to keep in mind? The moon. Unless you specifically want it in your shot, try to shoot on the night of a new moon. Since lunar glare can dampen the brilliance of a constellation, the less moonlight you have, the better.

Maximise your megapixels

Of course, all the planning in the world won’t help without the right equipment. Arm yourself with a smartphone designed to take the highest resolution pics possible. The Galaxy S20 Ultra fits a staggering amount of megapixels in your pocket.

When you’re there

Some night sky photography showing the Milky Way stretching horizontally across the night sky.

Set up your equipment

When shooting a starry night (or anything in low light), you’re going to need to take in a lot of light to capture your subject. The best way to do that is by giving your camera a bit more time to “see” its target (what the pros call “long exposure photography”).

While the camera takes in light, it’ll need to be as still as possible, and no matter how steady you think your hand is, it isn’t steady enough. Set up your device on a good tripod and use a remote shutter or a timed shutter, so the physical action of tapping the button doesn’t introduce movement to your shot.

(And of course, a good flashlight and backup phone battery are musts when shooting remotely at night.)

The Milky Way stretching diagonally across the frame against a dark blue early night sky with tree branches coming into the foreground around the sides of the shot, and a Pro Mode UI showing how to take pictures of stars.

Use Pro Mode

Most cameras aren’t automatically set up to take pictures of the Milky Way. You’ll also want to switch from automatic settings to manual, so you can adjust the ISO, shutter speed and other settings yourself for each shot.

Pro Mode is a huge help here, which makes it easy to customise your camera settings and experiment to your heart’s content.

A bright red wind power generator stretching up into the sky against some Milky Way with on-screen camera controls demonstrating how shutter speed works.

Tweak the shutter speed

The shutter speed determines how long your shutter is open. It’ll need to be open a little longer than normal—in other words, aim for a slow shutter speed—in order to receive enough light for the shot. Be careful not to leave it open too long, though, or you’ll capture the slight movement of the stars themselves, resulting in “star trails.” This shot was captured with a 30-second exposure.

Milky Way at night with on-screen camera controls demonstrating how white balancing works.

Adjust the white balance

Have you ever had a picture of something turn out kind of blue-ish, or overly orange? Your camera's white balance was likely off. White balance is when you adjust the color temperature of your camera so things that look white to your eye render white in the final product. For starscape photos like these, you'll be playing with a white balance between 3500 and 4500 and most likely settling around 4300, though the perfect setting for you will depend on your location, setting and conditions.

The same image of night sky photography shown with four different ISO settings, 400, 800, 1600 and 3200, to show how ISO can affect the same shot. The first three ISO settings are showing a cropped part of the image, while the ISO 3200 setting shows the full image with a crescent-shaped piece of sculpture art against the Milky Way.

Play around with the ISO

Your ISO setting measures the sensitivity of the image sensor to light. Adjust this until your screen’s viewfinder is exactly where you want it, though be mindful of the amount of graininess that comes with upping the brightness on your image.

*Images simulated for illustrative purposes.

Set up your equipment

When shooting a starry night (or anything in low light), you’re going to need to take in a lot of light to capture your subject. The best way to do that is by giving your camera a bit more time to “see” its target (what the pros call “long exposure photography”).

While the camera takes in light, it’ll need to be as still as possible, and no matter how steady you think your hand is, it isn’t steady enough. Set up your device on a good tripod and use a remote shutter or a timed shutter, so the physical action of tapping the button doesn’t introduce movement to your shot.

(And of course, a good flashlight and backup phone battery are musts when shooting remotely at night.)
Use Pro Mode

Most cameras aren’t automatically set up to take pictures of the Milky Way. You’ll also want to switch from automatic settings to manual, so you can adjust the ISO, shutter speed and other settings yourself for each shot.

Pro Mode is a huge help here, which makes it easy to customise your camera settings and experiment to your heart’s content.
Tweak the shutter speed

The shutter speed determines how long your shutter is open. It’ll need to be open a little longer than normal—in other words, aim for a slow shutter speed—in order to receive enough light for the shot. Be careful not to leave it open too long, though, or you’ll capture the slight movement of the stars themselves, resulting in “star trails.” This shot was captured with a 30-second exposure.
Adjust the white balance

Have you ever had a picture of something turn out kind of blue-ish, or overly orange? Your camera's white balance was likely off. White balance is when you adjust the color temperature of your camera so things that look white to your eye render white in the final product. For starscape photos like these, you'll be playing with a white balance between 3500 and 4500 and most likely settling around 4300, though the perfect setting for you will depend on your location, setting and conditions.
Play around with the ISO

Your ISO setting measures the sensitivity of the image sensor to light. Adjust this until your screen’s viewfinder is exactly where you want it, though be mindful of the amount of graininess that comes with upping the brightness on your image.

*Images simulated for illustrative purposes.

TIP

It’s easy to make sure all photos save as RAW while using Pro Mode on the Galaxy S20 Ultra. Go to Settings (that’s the gear icon) and toggle to "Save RAW copies."

Doing it for the ‘gram

Finally, the fun part: editing and posting. While you’re shooting, make sure to save your photos as RAW file types. You’ll be able to adjust JPGs or PNGs, but you won’t have anything close to the editing capabilities that a RAW file type provides.

Then post the result of your hard work and see what the world thinks! Feel free to tag us on social media, too—we’d love to see what you came up with.

*Photo shot on Galaxy S20 Ultra; minor details including white balance, contrast, brightness have been adjusted.

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