Astrophotography tips for your next visit

By Nicholas Ypelaar
Image credit: Nicholas Ypelaar

If you’re looking for an unforgettable astrophotography experience, Grasslands National Park’s remoteness offers one of the darkest and most expansive views of the night sky in Canada. Whether you're looking to capture the brilliance of the Milky Way or the peaceful beauty of the stars above a timeless landscape, the park provides a unique canvas for night sky photography. With some practice and preparation, anyone can be an astrophotographer. Here are some tips to help you improve your astrophotography skills for next visit to Grasslands National Park.

1. Plan your shoot for optimal dark skies

The easiest time to photograph the stars is during a new moon when the sky is the darkest. When planning your trip, check the phases of the moon online or with a moon phase app. Be aware of the weather forecast to try to avoid cloud cover that may limit the view, and check for other conditions that may affect the clarity of the sky such as smoke.

2. Scout your location in the daylight

Arriving during the day is especially important if you are not familiar with the park. Plan to get here early to explore the park and find a location that is easy to get to at night and offers interesting elements for the foreground of your images. Anywhere in the park will offer amazing views of the skies, but a few locations that we recommend for easy access or short walks from the campground include the Belza day use area in the West block, and Rock Creek Trail in the East Block.

Make sure to stop in at the visitor centre to get park information, guides and maps for a safe and enjoyable visit.

3. Use a wide-angle lens and wide aperture setting

A wide-angle lens (35mm focal length or shorter) is ideal for astrophotography because it lets you capture a larger field of view which is important for capturing the sky. A lens that is capable of larger apertures is also useful as it will ensure that enough light from those twinkling little stars will show up in your images. Apertures of f/2.8 or wider (lower number) will produce the best photos.

Don’t let the equipment deter you though, using what you have is the most important tool available to you. Learn more about the settings of your specific camera or smartphone and what it is capable of. There are many tutorials out there that will help you maximize the equipment that you already have.

4. Set your camera for long exposures

When shooting the stars and other astronomical objects, you will need a longer exposure time to allow enough light to pass through to your camera’s sensor. The longer the exposure, the more likely you are to capture star trails. You can also increase your ISO which will make your camera’s sensor more sensitive to light. Increasing ISO can also increase the “noise” (grainy appearance) in your images, so you will have to experiment to find a good balance.

5. Focus to infinity

If you go to all the effort to plan an astrophotography outing, you won’t want to get home to find your images aren’t in focus. Using autofocus in low light can be challenging, so it is best to focus your lens manually. One way to do this is to focus to infinity. Some camera lenses have an infinity focus setting or marking, but the easiest way to focus to infinity is to switch your camera to “live view”, zoom in on the monitor until you find a bright star and adjust the focus ring on your lens until the star (which will appear as a white dot) is at its smallest.

6. Use a tripod

When using long exposures required for astrophotography, your camera is more sensitive to movement. Using a tripod to stabilize your camera is important to avoid unintentional movement or “camera shake” that will cause your images to be blurry and out of focus. Look for a sturdy tripod that has adjustable legs, which will make setting up on uneven ground easier. If you don’t have a tripod, you can also set your camera on a stable object (your backpack, a rock etc.). Make sure to use the timer setting on your camera or a remote to help minimize movement from pushing the shutter release button by hand.

7. Get creative

If you’re looking to add some additional interest to your night photography, get creative with adding light sources. A flashlight or headlight work great for adding light to create depth and emphasize elements in your images. Think of a glowing tent below a vibrantly star filled sky.

8. Post-processing

Astrophotography often requires some minor editing or post-processing to bring out the best in your images. Using photo editing software to sharpen your images, add contrast, reduce noise, and ensure that the white balance or color tone of your image is correct will help you enhance your images.
Now that you’ve read this far, it’s time for the best part - get out there and give astrophotography a try! Here are a few scenarios with settings to help get you started.

Milky Way – Taking photos of the Milky Way is easier than you might think. That tripod will be essential to hold your camera or smartphone in place while you take long exposure photos. For best results, watch for the Milky Way rising from the southern horizon and ensure you have a plan for where to take your photos from. Having your aperture wide open is important and playing around with your ISO and exposure settings will help you to capture some of the colours of the galaxy that the naked eye cannot pick up. The below photo was produced with an aperture of f/1.8, exposure of 13 seconds, and an ISO setting of 4000.

Aurora Borealis – Capturing photos of the Aurora Borealis is like taking photos of the Milky Way. One major difference though is the brightness of the Northern Lights means that you can lower your ISO settings and still capture the amazing colours that aren’t as vivid to the human eye. This image was taken with an aperture of f/2.8, exposure of 4 seconds, and an ISO setting of 4000

Star Trails – Star trails require significantly more patience than the Milky Way and the Northern Lights but the reward in your images is worth it. For single exposure star trail images, you want to setup using your tripod, with a wide aperture and focus to infinity, but you want to make sure your ISO settings are as low as possible. Set your exposure to “Bulb” or “Time” and leave your camera for as long as you want. The longer you leave your shutter open for, the longer the star “trails” will be in your photo. This image was taken with an aperture of f/1.8, 15-minute exposure time, and an ISO setting of 100.

Time lapses – Many digital cameras and smartphones have built in settings for timelapse videos. Take some single images to see what settings work best for you and then set your interval time to be longer than your exposure time. You can also try creating a timelapse video by stitching together hundreds of photos. The park’s northern horizon can sometimes yield extraordinary views of the Aurora Borealis.

Astrophotography at Grasslands National Park offers endless possibilities for creating breathtaking images of the night sky. Learning more about your specific camera equipment, planning ahead, and trying new techniques will help you capture your own stunning images.

If you want to learn more about astronomy, make sure to check out Beyond the Big Dipper. This unique event will provide you with expert guidance and insights into the night sky, including how to capture its beauty on camera. So, book your camping spot, pack your gear, and prepare to discover the magic of the dark sky like never before at Grasslands National Park!

In case you missed it, be sure to check out Part 1 of this blog post: Astronomy tips for your next visit to Grasslands National Park.