Read the previous post. Astrophotography is amazing. The photos of the stars catch the attention of people around the world. There is something really special about it and just recently I’ve experienced how wonderful it is. I’m not a photography expert, therefore, all I’m writing in this post is for non-professionals. If you have always wanted to photograph the night sky this post is for you! A month ago I had no idea how to do it and today, here I am, showing you the pictures brought from Sardinia. Thus, here are a couple of tips and tricks on how to photograph night sky.  There is more! In this post, I am going to share practical info and tips on how to photograph a night sky. The picture you see above  has been featured by Lonely Planet, and here is why this picture has been selected: Why we like it: How could you not? The brilliant night sky, the glowing embers of light at the bottom of the frame, the romantic silhouette of the couple (who, expertly aren’t dead centre, but slightly positioned to the right of the frame). A winning combination, especially considering how hard it can be to shoot a crisp image with such low light. The time You need a lot of time. Seriously, it took me and two of my friends at least three nights before we were happy about the results. Thus, the patience is everything. The pictures you see are the final result of hours spent at the beach of Capo Pecora and in front of the computer. There is the good news too: when you finally catch the idea it goes smoothly. It is crucial to check information about the visibility of the Milky Way. The beginners should focus on Milky Way as this seems to be the easiest object to be photographed. In Europe, August in a very good month to begin with. Last but not least: observe the moon and pick up the darkest day of the month. Full moon makes the night sky photo incredibly difficult. The Place It is important to go to a very dark place, far from the human activity areas. The darkest, the better. Obviously, professionals photograph the night sky in the cities but this is much more complicated so start from the easiest part. It will bring you a satisfaction and will encourage you to continue rather than discourage you from the very beginning. Sardinia was just perfect. There are many sites with no artificial light that spoils the effect so it was very easy to experiment with night sky photography a couple of nights in a row. Also, the weather was great so there were no clouds and the visibility was fantastic. New moon with no clouds is perfect. The Gear All pictures you see were taken with Canon EOS 60D with ordinary lens 18 – 35 mm and a simple tripod. As you can see, the part of the sky photographed is limited. If you wish to photograph large part of the sky you should have a wide field lens, like a fisheye lens. Also, the bigger the aperture (smaller the number) the better (2.8 is OK but 1.6 is even better). The Composition You might think the composition does not matter in the case of night photography. On the contrary: it matters a lot. We took dozens of pictures of stars with no earth in it and the effect was horrible. It’s much better to have a tree or a mountain in the view. The pictures with people are brilliant. The only thing is they should stay still for at least 25 seconds. The Camera Settings There is a simple rule that all professional and non- professional photographers are familiar with. So called the 600 Rule. You need to do some math here: divide 600 by your lens’ number (i.e. 24 mm), and the result is the exposure time, in this case  it’s 25 seconds. If you keep the rule and these settings it guarantees that the photo will not be blurred, even though the Earth is moving. In 25 seconds the Earth will move about 0.1 degrees but the setting will keep the stars sharp. ISO should be high. Check with your camera and chose the highest one that will still keep the picture sharp. In the case of the pictures you see here, ISO was 3600 but each number above 3200 should do the trick. At the beginning, I’ve noticed that our pictures were blurred and we couldn’t figure out what was wrong with them for a couple of days. Eventually, we set the macro not to the fullest (infinity) but slightly lower than the infinity and it improved the quality of the picture significantly. The Postproduction This is probably the most important element of the whole process. Here is a short clip with basics of postproduction tips for the night sky. Ans last but not least, I’m going back to Italy soon. I’ll be participating in a series of events organized by Alessandra from Settimana del Buonvivere. I can’t wait to taste the delicious food of Romagna, visit the historical sites and enjoy some of the most interesting trekking paths in the area. Stay tuned! More is coming!    

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I think this gallery is very interesting. Perhaps it is due to the very untypical beach I shared at the end: the black one! Before I went to New Zealand I thought that black beaches are mainly in Iceland which is one of the reasons I have always wanted to go there. But here we are: what a surprise! In Kaikoura – a small town near Christchurch that is well known for whales, seals and dolphins’ watching – the black beach was found! The weather was bad: it was cold and it was raining so I dressed a waterproof jacket and went to the beach that was next to a holiday park I was staying at called Peketa Beach. In rainy and stormy weather this beach made a huge impression on me: the black sand and white waves were so counterintuitive! I had the feeling that clouds were very low and the whole beach seamed cosy. I’m not sure if every black beach does that or maybe it seams to be small in a bad weather only. One is certain: I will let you know if I visit any other black beach again. Watch previous gallery.  

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Not many guidebooks encourage you to visit Burano- a small island near Venice. Usually, Venice with its fascinating story and remarkable monuments is in the spotlight of attention. In spite of this hegemony I would like to recommend a visit in a truly fascinating place called Burano. I am pretty sure that if you go there you will not regret it. Such a colorful spot is hardly find in Europe and it reminds South America rather than an island near large European city. You might have heard name Murano with its famous glass factory BUT this is not the same as Burano starting with B. While glass making is fascinating I am sure that going further to the east is more adventurous so my advice is this: don’t conclude your trip on Murano. Take the water bus and go to Burano instead of getting back to Venice. The trip to Burano takes at least 45 minutes one way but it is worthy. You can take the ferry/water bus (in Italian vaporetto)  directly from the train central station or after a walk from a station called Fondamente Nuove. If you visit Italy in winter season, like during the famous Venice Carnival, you need to pay attention to the news on the level of water as some of the transportation means might be temporary unavailable. Venice and its Lagoon was declared one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. So, after a 7 km drive and spectacular views of the Venetian Lagoon and Marco Polo airport you finally arrive to Burano, famous of lance making and color houses. Why I love Burano so much? Because it is still inhabited by the local families and it is an example of these rare places where you got the impression that time stands still. There are no cars and no fancy shops, no traffic jams and no large city noises. Leaving crowded Venice behind brings you relief and gives you an opportunity to get back to the basic things. The island shows you how little is needed to survive and to enjoy life at the same time. For the locals living so close to Venice is somehow a curse: their island is not close enough to be ‘sold in a package’ to the tourists. At the same time, however, the locals are attached to their history and their own local tradition of fishery and lance making and they are proud of it. The trip to this little island brings joy, optimism and a bunch of happy thoughts. This is also a dream spot for photographers. If you go to Burano in nice weather you will take hundred photos before you even notice. Every street is so picturesque! With water around, bridges and boats this is a perfect place to learn photography or to enrich your photo album. So, walk around with your camera, take pictures of everything you see, enjoy the views and eat awesome sea food for lunch. It will all make you day really special so when you get back to the crowded Venice your mind will be still walking around the colorful houses on Burano. Have you ever thought about visiting Italy? Here is an alternative way on how to visit Italy and get really close to the Italian way of life. I created a project ‘I love Ferrara‘ so you could join me and experience how beautiful and tasty Ferrara is. If you wish to immerse in Italy book your holiday now!  

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