{"id":52660,"date":"2023-12-07T08:37:55","date_gmt":"2023-12-07T08:37:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/9bb76784-a7a9-40ef-a4d5-a7b2c2b629dc"},"modified":"2023-12-07T09:32:34","modified_gmt":"2023-12-07T09:32:34","slug":"how-to-photograph-the-orion-constellation","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/how-to-photograph-the-orion-constellation\/","title":{"rendered":"How to photograph the Orion constellation<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"
Capture the stars of Orion with our top photography tips. <\/p>
By Iain Todd\n <\/p>
Published: Thursday, 07 December 2023 at 08:37 AM<\/p>
\n\n
There\u2019s something evocative about glimpsing the bright stars of the Orion constellation<\/a> over a wintery landscape, but have you ever tried to photograph it?<\/p>
Once autumn comes to a close and the nights get longer and colder, Orion is there there, rising higher in the sky.<\/p>
The Orion constellation is a great target to photograph, and you can even do so with a smartphone.<\/p>
The below image was captured with the NightCap app, but you can experiment with other apps and play with your phone camera’s settings to get a good capture.<\/p>
For more on this, read our guide on how to photograph the night sky with a smartphone<\/a>. And you can find more astro imaging advice in our guide on how to photograph a constellation<\/a>.<\/p>
The constellation Orion captured with NightCap by Iain Todd, Bristol, UK, 5 February 2022. Equipment: iPhone 8, tripod. Stars mode, 10.07 second exposure, 1\/3s shutter speed.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Equipment for photographing Orion<\/strong><\/h2>DSLR or bridge camera<\/b><\/li>
Sturdy photographic tripod<\/b><\/li>
A wide kit lens (of the kind that comes with most DSLRs)<\/b><\/li>
Portable tracking mount<\/a> to capture longer exposures (optional)<\/b><\/li><\/ul>
For help with settings and technical specifications, read our guide on how to use a DSLR camera<\/a>.<\/p>
Photograph the Orion constellation, step-by-step<\/strong><\/h2>Make a conceptual plan<\/strong><\/b><\/h3> $\"Consider$
Consider composition when photographing the Orion constellation<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Thinking about the emotions you want to convey or elicit with your shot can help you to plan a powerful picture, and it\u2019ll inform every stage of the photographic process.<\/p>
This is covered in great detail by Mara Johnson-Groh in her guide to creating artistic astrophotos<\/a>.<\/p>
For example, if you wanted to evoke the harsh iciness of winter observing you might shoot Orion over an isolated, leafless tree in a barren landscape, and process in such as way as to create a hard contrast between land and sky.<\/p>
Select your focal length or a prime lens<\/strong><\/b><\/h3> $\"Select$ <\/figure>
Once you\u2019ve thought about what atmosphere you want to capture with your image, you can select the focal length you\u2019ll be shooting at.<\/p>
A typical kit lens set to around 24mm, or an equivalent prime lens, provides a wide field of view for Orion on a camera\u2019s sensor, allowing you to fit in the brighter central stars and the Hunter\u2019s fainter outlying \u2018arms\u2019.<\/p>
Focus the view<\/strong><\/b><\/h3> $\"Focus$ <\/figure>
Next focus the view. Some cameras have a live preview function that can be zoomed onto a suitable star, giving you instant feedback as you make slight focusing adjustments.<\/p>
With Orion there\u2019s no shortage of bright stars that can be used for this.<\/p>
Repeat the process a few times \u2013 checking the star is a small as possible \u2013 so you\u2019re certain the image is as sharp as it can be.<\/p>
Compose with the landscape and sky conditions<\/strong><\/b><\/h3> $\"Compose$ <\/figure>
To compose your nightscape<\/a> you can take short, very-high ISO test exposures to show you the balance and positioning of foreground and sky, and any structures or landscape features in frame.<\/p>
Try to use the foreground \u2013 trees, buildings, etc \u2013 to lead the viewer\u2019s eye toward Orion.<\/p>
Clouds can be used as a framing device too, and thin cloud can even \u2018bloat\u2019 and enhance the colours of bright stars.<\/p>
Set exposure length, aperture and ISO<\/strong><\/b><\/h3> $\"Set$ <\/figure>
When shooting, keep the lens aperture wide open (lowest f-stop), though some lenses will perform better when reduced a few stops.<\/p>
Experiment with the ISO<\/a> and exposure length until you\u2019re happy with the look.<\/p>
You may need to use an exposure that very slightly trails the stars in order to define the foreground.<\/p>
Process your image<\/strong><\/b><\/h3> $\"Process$ <\/figure>
When processing nightscapes, reducing the noise in the image and bringing out foreground detail are the main challenges.<\/p>
As long as you shoot in RAW<\/a> format, modern image-processing software is well-equipped to handle these tasks.<\/p>
In Photoshop or GIMP you can correct the colour balance, and use the \u2018 Curves<\/a>\u2019 tool to bring out star fields and improve overall contrast and definition.<\/p>
For more advice, read our guide to astrophotography image processing<\/a>.<\/p>
Have you captured a photograph of the Orion constellation? Don’t forget to send us your images<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n
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