Situated north of Inverness, Scotland, Mark is exposed to aurora borealis, unpolluted views of the Milky Way and scenic vistas aplenty. There are few better locations on earth, but arresting results can still be achieved elsewhere, with enough dedication and some expert guidance. First comes the question of where and when.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlanning is really important with night sky photography, as it is with landscape more broadly,\u201d Mark begins. \u201cI don\u2019t truly think of myself as an astro photographer, though the night sky does play a major part in my images. I often photograph whatever phenomena happens to be present \u2013 whether it\u2019s the northern lights, a sparkling Milky Way or noctilucent clouds. People seeking to document one of those especially can plan accordingly, but the location itself is more important to me than the night sky above.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nPhoto 2022 \u00a9 Mark Janes | FUJIFILM GFX50R and FUJINON GF20-35mmF4 R WR<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Northern lights are a rare sight for the majority of Europe, while cascading horizon views of the Milky Way are almost solely reserved for those towards the south. But escape the city far enough and a bounty of celestial delights await wherever you are.<\/p>\n
\u201cGo anywhere you can to avoid light pollution,\u201d Mark advises. \u201cA relatively small town over the horizon will show up with the kind of long exposures you\u2019ll be making. Even if you can’t see the light pollution with the naked eye, it will show up in the image.\u201d<\/p>\n
Next, there\u2019s the matter of creative tools to consider. Differences between various systems may be slightly less apparent within other photographic pursuits, but detailed astro scenes push the most modern of sensors to their limits.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe challenge is creating an image with minimal noise in very low-light conditions. Sensitivity of ISO 1600 or above is needed, so a sensor that can create at those higher settings without producing too much digital noise is important. For me, the 50-megapixel FUJIFILM GFX50R<\/a> sensor is the sweet spot in that respect,\u201d Mark continues. \u201cYou\u2019ve got a huge amount of detail, the dynamic range means you can raise shadows without many artefacts, but given it\u2019s a relatively modest resolution for the huge sensor size, you\u2019ve got big pixels and quite low pixel density.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Photo 2022 \u00a9 Mark Janes | FUJIFILM GFX50R <\/p>\n<\/div>\n As ever, lenses are another important choice. Longer focal lengths close in on an uncontextualised section of sky, which will suit the vision of certain creatives beautifully \u2013 but as Mark has established, the stars are merely one part of what makes his images special.<\/p>\n \u201cAnything from 24mm down to 16mm, in full-frame equivalent, is where I\u2019m most comfortable. That gives an epic look to night sky photography, but it also means you can get close to some foreground details as well,\u201d he reasons. \u201cI\u2019ve been using FUJINON GF20-35mmF4 R WR<\/a>, which falls right within that range. The lens\u2019s aperture is also perfect for me, because I view F4 as a minimum limit and it\u2019s very sharp without stopping down.<\/p>\n \u201cStill, someone trying the genre for the first time doesn\u2019t need very much,\u201d Mark assures. \u201cThe GFX System sensor is in its own league, but you can get great results from the right crop sensor camera. Any X Series body with a moderately fast wide-angle lens attached will do the job.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Photo 2022 \u00a9 Mark Janes | FUJIFILM GFX50R and FUJINON GF20-35mmF4 R WR <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Any subset of astrophotography should not be viewed as inaccessibly technical \u2013 though there are some fundamentals to perfect. In the eyes of this creator, there are three distinct factors to manage.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople expect the stars in a night sky image to be pinpoint sharp,\u201d Mark muses. \u201cThat\u2019s what they truly look like when you go out at night, so the image has to reflect that, I feel. To achieve that, you need to avoid star trailing, acquire focus and avoid camera shake.<\/p>\n \u201cStar trailing is caused by the rotation of the earth and is a genre in its own right. The longer the exposure, the more of the Earth\u2019s movement in relation to the stars you document. A good rule of thumb is one we call the \u2018500 rule\u2019. If you take the number 500 and divide it by the focal length of your lens in its full-frame equivalent, you get a maximum shutter speed. For example, with GF20-35mm at the wide end of its zoom range, you\u2019d have full-frame equivalent of about 16mm. Divide 500 by 16 for a maximum shutter speed of roughly 31 sec. For certainty, I tend to back off a little bit from that.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can forget autofocus for astrophotography,\u201d Mark adds. \u201cThere\u2019s not enough light for even the most advanced systems to work reliably. Typically, I\u2019ll find the brightest star in the in the field, hit the Rear Command Dial to magnify the image, then use the manual focus ring to shuttle backwards and forwards until the point of the star is at its smallest. Focus Peaking really helps as well.<\/p>\n \u201cAvoiding camera shake is about having a good, solid tripod. It\u2019s worth the effort of carrying something a bit heavier in my opinion \u2013 especially in windy conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n![\"Stone](\"https:\/\/fujifilm-x.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/X-STORY-ASTRO-MARK-JANES-2.jpg\")
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