My Milky Way: A Non-Expert
Guide to Taking Pictures

In finally looking through all the Milky Way shots from my summer vacation, I am bummed I live in such a light-polluted area. Though plenty of the shots have creeping invasive light sources, they’re nothing compared to New York City’s bright lights. And now I am hooked on capturing the Milky Way; the stars just ain’t cutting it for me anymore. Who am I kidding?

In a look back to the darker days, here are some of my favorite shots for a variety of reasons. And some things I learned about the random art of capturing the Milky Way in the sky, in no particular order.

First and quite simply, there it is just above you. Camping, being outdoors, instead of in some motel was probably the most important factor of all. Then, just look up. And set up–quickly. This got easier in the dark with practice. But both of these things require a bit of dedication, a love for the possibility. There wasn’t a long day in the sun that had me too tired to bolt up to shoot the night if the conditions looked favorable.

Total darkness is great but the picture above was shot while lightening was lighting up the sky and with a bright and shining street light in my campground illuminating the palm trees lower halves. In the right dark sky environment, even direct light sources can’t mess up a Milky Way picture. Does that make sense? This shot was taken on Florida’s Sanibel Island which adopted a Dark Sky ordinance in 2006. But that’s not for astrophotographers. It’s because many animals rely on light/a lack of light to thrive. Like the beloved sea turtle and their hatchlings who can be confused by artificial light. Anyway, this barrier island provided me with my first Milky Way success which I won’t soon forget.

The importance of a clear sky is a thing in astrophotography, yes. But it isn’t everything. I love how the clouds look in these two shots below. You’re shooting the Milky Way and you are having fun. You can’t control light, clouds, planes, stars, etc. You’re not a professional photographer. Go easy and be patient. But even the shots with the clouds slowly meandering through can be great shots. (These shots were taken in Marathon, Florida on The Keys. I’ve never seen such bright stars than there. Being on a narrow strip of land surrounded by the sea most definitely played a part in this.)

Once you have her in your sight, play with composition. I lowered the angle of my tripod to get these cool cacti in the mix. And I enjoy the pictures I took that were grounded in Earth. Ones I show the dirt I stood upon right up to the galaxy’s beautiful face.

These two pictures below (taken at the magical, dark sky certified Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park) show the light of the moon rising. Though the fun was over after it got too high in the sky, flooding it with bright light, these shots are quite beautiful with the early stages of moonlight. Lord, I can’t wait to shoot a dark sky with a new moon on a clear night. I’ll keep you in the loop on that. Them’s a lot of variables!

Next, review your pictures now and again. This is how I made the Milky Way discovery. It was on my camera’s screen first, not moving, while the clouds scurried away from picture to picture. And play a little with your settings–ISO sensitivity and shutter speed only really. Your aperature should remain completely dilated, like my eyes in the 10th grade.

Finally, play around–in general. Move your tripod all over the place. Test everything. While your slow shutter is releasing, search for new things to put it front if it on the next shot. Have a tremendous memory card that allows you to follow any whim you might conjure up under the Milky Way. There’s a freedom in the dark. I love these two shots I took at Curry Hammock State Park in Marathon. I love that they capture the RVs and the light from the campsite bathroom and the picnic table.

In the end it’s all just luck kind of. Control what you can and surrender to what you can’t. That’s where the magic is. 🌌