Astrophotography

Getting Started With Astrophotography

The art and science of capturing astronomical objects in photos is an engaging and rewarding pursuit, but it is much more involved than simply sticking your camera phone to an eyepiece! To successfully take pictures of some of the most remarkable deep sky objects, you need three things: time, technique, and practice.

Most astronomical objects are very dim, so it takes time to capture enough photons on a sensor or on film for an image to appear and even longer to tease out some of the vibrant colors we associate with astrophotography. Depending on the object, this can take minutes or hours. While some people have telescopes at home, many of our members prefer to reserve time on observatory equipment.

From selecting equipment and setting up the photo session to deciding how you will combine multiple images together and perform other processing on the raw image, there is a lot of technique involved in astrophotography, and even an element of art. While a lot of this can be read about in books and online, it is even more effective to learn from other astrophotographers who are willing to share their experience and the tricks that they have learned over the years. The Westport Astronomical Society is filled with passionate and seasoned astrophotographers who are willing to share what they know. From time to time, we hold special astrophotography workshops and training session for our members to help teach new astrophotographers. In addition, the observatory has much of the equipment you need to get started with astrophotography available to its members.

It takes a lot of trial and error to learn what works and what doesn’t. The quality of the images you capture may feel underwhelming at first, but with time and practice, they will improve. We have seen amazing development in the astrophotography skills of our members as they refine and expand their knowledge, and even begin to share it with others.