Description:

Taking pictures of the night sky represents a challenging task, both from a creative and technical perspective. While specific equipment and knowledge is required, the creative potential is nearly unlimited, far beyond the normal terrestrial amateur photography. Aim of this particular workshop is to deliver the theoretical framework of basic astrophotography, starting from the different shot types (planetary, wide-field, deep sky and star trails) and including some fundamental knowledge on the astro-gear that is required for capturing photons directly from Cosmos. The workshop will include a typical astrophotography session, demonstrating star-trails capturing in practical conditions, under the obvious assumption of non-cloudy, clear sky.

Keywords:

astrophotography, star trails, night sky photography, milky way

Objectives (hour):

1. Introduction to photography: an explanation of the parameters for everyday shooting
2. Astrophotography explained: requirements, limitations and solutions
3. Preparing the basic astrophotography setup (hardware and software)
4. Getting night sky shots in practice

Prerequisites/advisable prior knowledge:

Basic knowledge on the fundamentals of typical photography is advisable (although these will be explained aiming to effectively describe astrophotography technical aspects).

Evaluation feedback:

Based on the final night-sky shooting quality.

Recommended reading list:

Michael C. Shaw, The Complete Guide to Landscape Astrophotography: Understanding, Planning, Creating, and Processing Nightscape Images, Taylor & Francis Ltd, London, United Kingdom, 2017
Ian Morison, The Art of Astrophotography, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 2017