![startrail photography rule startrail photography rule](https://steemitimages.com/DQmPYkbY8TiaQsBh8cRd1ZLLTZXAqvdo5xK9qgVXSbYCp74/EntropicSteemit.png)
Setting the shutter speed for longer than allowed by this rule will result in images that do not have sharp stars. The 500 rule is used to measure the maximum exposure time you can shoot before the stars become blurry or before star trails appear. Now, this can be a fun technique to explore, but what do you do if you want razor-sharp stars? Which shutter speed is acceptable? Let me introduce you to the 500 rule: What is the 500 Rule? These settings will result in a much cleaner image file (less noise and better front-to-back sharpness), but the long shutter speed will result in star trails.
#Startrail photography rule iso#
In other words, if you decide to keep your ISO at 100 and aperture at f/11, you might need a shutter speed of over 20 minutes. What does this mean for night photography? Due to the Earth’s rotation, stars will appear blurry once the shutter speed exceeds a specific period. In other words, anything that moves within the frame while the shutter is available will be picked up by the camera leaves blowing in the wind during a five-second exposure will appear blurry. The camera picks up any motion that appears while the shutter is open. What happens when we extend the shutter speed too much Yes, we can do that, but that also introduces an effect that you might not want in your images.
![startrail photography rule startrail photography rule](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/fd/54/85/fd548538b81da6c5848991c3502caa5b.jpg)
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Yes, a slow shutter speed is needed but can’t we keep a low ISO, an aperture of f/11 and then extend the exposure time to several minutes? ĭespite thoroughly covering night photography settings in our Beginner’s Guide to Night Photography, there’s one setting that tends to be often overlooked: the shutter speed. If you need advice on your wedding photography, check out our photography packages and services at Wild Romantic Photography. Instead, you have to go against everything you know and increase the ISO, open the aperture and use a long exposure time. Forget about the rules and guidelines you know about general settings for photography most of these are likely to do more harm than good when the sun goes down, and stars take over the sky. If you’ve played around with night photography before, you’re well aware of the many differences to traditional landscape photography. One of the best ways to combat star-trailing when capturing astrophotography images on a stationary (non-tracking) tripod mount is to use the 500 Rule.
![startrail photography rule startrail photography rule](https://www.astronomyphotos.com/images/StarTrails.jpg)
Because the night sky appears to move from our vantage point on Earth, capturing a long exposure starry sky image on a fixed tripod may reveal star-trailing. One of the first challenges beginners faces when getting into astrophotography is taking an in-focus photo with round stars. If you’re into night sky photography in any way, then it’s only a matter of time before you run across somebody talking about the “500 Rule” – sometimes referred to as the “rule of 500.” It’s a classic photographic rule of thumb that most experienced photographers will commit to memory for when they are out shooting at night and want to capture one of those beautiful images of the Milky Way that tend to blow audiences off their feet and keep the stars nice and sharp.