Created November 2, 2010
Last Updated April 19, 2019
Note: Items in RED are suggestions that apply in particular to star trail captures and may be changed based on circumstances at the scene and goals.
Site Selection
- Sunrise, Sunset, Moonrise, Moonset and moon phase all known.
- Safe area, travel paths known
Equipment
- Camera, tripod, release plate, camera batteries, memory card, lens, intervalometer + batteries, lens hood, rain protection, headlamp, flashlight/torch, and items for light painting.
On Site
- Tripod set up – no leaning (center column should be vertical) – leg locks tightened.
- Camera aimed, leveled.
- Camera locked onto tripod. Head tightened.
- Tripod weighted/secure and everything is wobble free. Keep the tripod low and out of the wind for best stability. Do not extend the center column.
- Neck strap removed or secured to prevent wind throw. Intervalometer and any other cord, or wiring also secure. Velcro on the intervalometer and the tripod leg is a handy trick.
- Save GPS coordinates and/or mark site with glow stick / other?
Camera Settings
- Manual Mode, Bulb exposure
- ISO 200 (varies but from 100 to 800, and up to 6400 if capturing meteors or the Milky Way)
- Single Exposure
- LCD brightness down
- Image review time off
- Record in RAW
- White Balance = daylight (Auto not recommended)
- Aperture f/4 (f/1.4 to f/7.1)
- Auto focus OFF
- Image stabilizer (vibration reduction) OFF
- Long Exposure Noise Reduction OFF
- Mirror Lockup OFF
- Auto Exposure Bracketing OFF
- Focus Assist OFF (this often fires an infra-red beam/red beam and will annoy other photographers). On many cameras this feature is on the flash unit/speedlite. On Nikons, this resource may help.
Timer Setup & Test
- No delay, length of exposure = 1:59 minutes (adjust based on conditions. A 2 minute total interval is a good starting point), interval = 1 second, Num exposures >= 120
- Timer cabled to camera
- Test sequence (lens cap on) – Verify that second shot starts before canceling.
Focus & Final Framing
- Check image composition, field of view.
- Set camera to Aperture priority mode (not needed if it is already dark)
- Take several bracketed shots in daylight or twilight: if it is already dark take a high ISO “range finding” shot. E.g. 2000 ISO for 30 seconds.
- Pixel peep and adjust focus until sharp.
Battery and Card Shuffle
- Remove memory card and insert second card. Format new card in camera.
- Take second set of bracketed shots.
- Return camera to Manual/Bulb mode.
- Turn off camera and remove battery.
- Reinsert battery (or insert fresh battery).
- Verify that all settings are correct (See Camera Settings, above)
Final Steps
- Check for wobble. Start by lightly jostling the camera, tripod, center column and even walking around in the area to make sure no movement occurs.
- Set DELAY on interval timer appropriately (at least 5 seconds). Goal is to start and/or end in twilight.
- Secure cables for timer, external batteries (and neck strap). Do not block battery or memory card access.
- Switch to aperture priority mode (so that your manual settings do not change), take a single image and re-verify focus. If already dark, take a high-ISO range finding shot for this task.
- Switch back to Manual/Bulb.
- Verify all camera settings as described in Camera Settings
- Start Timer and verify that the timer is running.
- If practical wait for first two shots to complete.
- NOTE: You can leave the lens cap on for the first few exposure to collect DARK frames.
My thanks to Mike W. for comments and improvements to this checklist.
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Two important things to note:
1. Your intervalometer may require an interval that is equal to the exposure length PLUS one second.
2. If you haven’t turned off auto-focus your camera may refuse to take a shot or it may behave erratically.
Here are some “dead ends” that people face.
Q: Does it matter if I have “continuous exposure mode turned on if I am in Bulb mode?”
A: For most cameras, no. The exposure lasts as long as the shutter is held down your camera should not try to be smarter than you and assume that if you hold down the shutter for some period of time that you want more than one exposure.
Q: Does the speed of my memory card matter?
A: For most night exposures, it shouldn’t! After all there is usually plenty of time between one shot and the next for the camera to completely write the data to the card – except if the card is faulty! If your camera cant write out an entire frame in less than about 5 seconds (less time than most night exposures) something is wrong.