As we relaunch Milky Way Photographers, we should begin with a fresh piece targeting those eager to learn Milky Way photography. This will be the essential, all-inclusive guide — the 101, if you will.

I will begin talking about the gear needed, then move off into location and weather scouting and then finish up with settings. 

Before I get off into the weeds, I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to join us. Please support the site by sharing on your social platforms and asking questions in the group.

The take away I want you to have from this article is that there are different mindsets when it comes to photography and how to do it. My way may not be your way, and I have a very simplistic view on how to do it. The important point is to give you a foundation that does not take away from the learning and adventure that comes with Milky Way photography.

WHAT IS THE MILKY WAY

The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains our Solar System. It is a barred spiral galaxy with hundreds of billions of stars, gas, dust, and dark matter. From Earth, it appears as a hazy, glowing band stretching across the night sky because we are inside the galaxy, looking edge-on through its dense disk.

WHY IS MILKY WAY PHOTOGRAPHY SO POPULAR?

Astrophotography is a stand-alone genre of photography. It can be combined with landscape photography, and we may refer to it as nightscape photography.

A decade ago, Milky Way photography was perhaps still looked at as wizardry with most people with a camera. Once the ice was broke though and people found out how easy it is, I think some of the luster of the art has been lost.

When we think Milky Way photography, most people think of those stunning shots of the core, which is just a small part of the actual Milky Way. Yet because it is so bright and easily seen in dark skies, the core is more often than not, the center of attention in Milky Way images.

GEAR

There is a bare minimum gear requirement for Milky Way photography. The first thing we need to look at is the camera. While modern cell phone cameras are capable of capturing the Milky Way, I will not include them since my knowledge about them and their ability to capture night sky images is very limited.

You want a camera that you can have full control over the settings. This usually means a DSLR or mirrorless body. Milky Way photography requires manual input for ISO, exposure time, and aperture. You do not even need to newest body either. My first Milky Way images were with a Pentax K-5 II.

The next thing we need to look at is glass choice. A kit 18-55mm is a good start, but we want glass that has wider apertures. A great, low-budget choice is a Rokinon 14mm f/2.8. I ran this for years and did fine with it. We also want a wide focal length. Since the timing of our exposure is connected to focal length, we want to look for glass that can go wider than 20mm in most cases.

SECONDARY GEAR

The last piece of gear that is mandatory that we need to equip ourselves with is a tripod. There are many options out there, but it need to be quality. I have been rocking a Vanguard Alta for a decade now, and it has held up well. Other brands out there are worthy contenders.

A good quality light and maybe a laser pointer. These are used not only to help you find your way, but to find focus at night. I bought several high-powered lasers off of eBay a few years ago, and they work great. I also have several different flashlights to include some high-powered tactical lights and a good quality headlamp.

You might consider some optional gear, such as camera remotes, whether wired or wireless. I prefer to wire myself so I do not run into battery issues in the field. 

LOCATION SCOUTING

Choosing a good location can make or break a Milky Way photography session. The first thing we have to do is get away from the light pollution. In the eastern United States, this is an issue. Get west of the Mississippi, and then it’s game on. Using websites such as Dark Site Finder, we can see where the sources of light pollution are.

The Bortle Scale, developed by John Bortle in 2001, can assist us in finding a good location to create images of the Milky Way.

The Bortle Scale is a nine-level scale that measures the brightness of the night sky at a given location, helping astronomers determine how much light pollution is present.

Clear Dark Sky is an excellent resource to find information about cloud conditions.

Bortle Scale Levels

• Class 1 – Excellent Dark-Sky Site
  
  • No light pollution, perfect Milky Way visibility
    
  • Zodiacal light, airglow, and faintest stars are visible
    
• Class 2 – Typical Truly Dark Site
  
  • Slight skyglow on the horizon
    
  • Milky Way shows rich detail and color
    
• Class 3 – Rural Sky
  
  • Some light pollution is visible on the horizon
    
  • Milky Way is still prominent but with slight fading
    
• Class 4 – Rural/Suburban Transition
  
  • Sky glow from distant cities is visible
    
  • Milky Way is less distinct, especially near the horizon
    
• Class 5 – Suburban Sky
  
  • Milky Way is faint and only partially visible
    
  • Light domes from cities are more prominent
    
• Class 6 – Bright Suburban Sky
  
  • Milky Way is barely visible, mostly washed out
    
  • Skyglow is significant
    
• Class 7 – Suburban/Urban Transition
  
  • Milky Way is not visible
    
  • Sky brightened by city lights, only the brightest stars seen
    
• Class 8 – City Sky
  
  • Sky has an orange or gray glow
    
  • Only brightest constellations are visible
    
• Class 9 – Inner City Sky
  
  • The sky completely lit up
    
  • Only the Moon, planets, and a few of the brightest stars are visible

While many people place a Bortle 1 sky on the mantle, more times than not, even in the western US, a Bortle 2 sky is what we are working in. 

WEATHER

Weather is a very important thing we have to take into consideration. The rise of the core also signals the beginning of thunderstorm season. If you chase storms on occasion like I do, it is not uncommon to spend an afternoon capturing storm scenes and the evening making pictures of the Milky Way.

Depending on your geographic location in the US, being familiar with some advance weather information will go a long ways in making your trip a success.

I like to use the weather modeling information located on the College of DuPage Weather Page.

This is an example of a cloud forecast. I think one of the biggest pet peeves I have is the amount of grief weather folks receive from the public about missing weather forecasts. This could be because of storm chasers who have a habit of being on target when it comes to locating tornadoes or severe storms. While the information they use is available to the general public, it is highly scientific and I barely understand a lot of it myself, so I keep it simple. In my experience, even though weather folks can call for a particular weather event some days before it happens, reality is that the weather can change on a dime within hours, especially in areas where it is historically unstable.

Tracking the Milky Way: Timing, Direction, and Tools

Using a light pollution map is just the start — you also need to know where the Milky Way will be in the sky. Its position changes throughout the year. In the U.S., the core starts to rise above the horizon just before sunrise around late February to early March. This is also a great time to shoot panoramas.

As spring shifts into summer, the core appears earlier each night until late September or early October, when it disappears behind the sun for the season.

Direction matters too. Early in the year, the core rises almost due east. As months pass, it gradually shifts until it’s rising nearly due south by fall.

This screenshot from PlanIt Pro shows the core’s position on a specific date. Not every tool appears here, but this selection is enough to help you frame your shot. A more in-depth guide on using this app is coming soon.

Scouting Photography Locations

When it comes to finding great photo spots, there are tons of resources—you just need to think outside the box.

Go-To Tools for Location Scouting

Some of my favorites include:

PlanIt Pro – A powerful tool for planning astro shots. It shows the Milky Way’s position on any date and location.

Google Maps – Great for directions and satellite views. You can scope out the terrain and even check if a building lines up with the Milky Way core. If Street View is available, use it to visualize possible shots.

OnX & Gaia GPS – I started with GaiaGPS, but switched to OnX for its public/private land info and contact details for landowners. Knowing who owns the land can be key to getting permission.

Facebook Groups – These are goldmines. People regularly post unique locations. If something catches your eye, dive in and do the research. Finding a spot on your own can be just as rewarding as the shoot.

Don’t Underestimate a Backroad Drive

Sometimes the best spots aren’t online—they’re out there on a dirt road, waiting to be discovered. A little exploration can go a long way.

SETTINGS

Now, this can be open to discussion depending on the person, but there are some ground rules we did to focus on. The first rule which is very important here is that focal length and shutter speed share a bond that we have to keep in mind. A longer focal length dictates a faster shutter exposure to reduce the risk of star trailing. We tend to want pin sharp stars in our images, so we want that shutter speed to be short as possible.

Back in the day, the 500 Rule was what we used to come up with our maximum allowed shutter speed. These days, the NPF rule is the one we go by. Reality is once you have made a few trips using your gear, you might get to the point where you already have a solid idea of where you need to be. I am like this with my Nikon 750.

WHAT IS THE NPF RULE?

The NPF rule is a modern formula used in astrophotography to calculate the maximum shutter speed you can use without star trails, especially when using high-resolution sensors and wide-aperture lenses. It’s more accurate than the old 500 Rule, which often doesn’t account for today’s gear.

The formula itself is somewhat convoluted and if you would like to see it, hit up Google. Otherwise, since we are progressing at the speed of light technology-wise, here is a life hack for y’all.

Hit up ChatGPT and ask it to use the NPF formula to calculate your shutter speed. You will need to know focal length, camera model and aperture and ChatGPT does the rest.

ISO

I’ll admit it—I’m a bit behind the curve. My last Milky Way session was with the Nikon D750, but now that I’m using the Z6III, the difference in noise handling is night and day.

One common misconception, especially among newer photographers, is that ISO should always be kept as low as possible. I get it—that’s how many of us started. But in Milky Way photography, that thinking can actually hurt your results.

We’re working with strict limitations:

• Shutter speed is capped to avoid star trails
• Aperture is usually already wide open

That means ISO becomes your main tool for getting a proper exposure, just like in sports photography when you need to keep shutter speeds high. Don’t be afraid to push your ISO to get the shot.

Once you’re on location, take a few test shots and check your histogram. Make sure your exposure is where it needs to be—don’t rely solely on how the image looks on the back of the camera.

WHAT IS THE HISTOGRAM

A photography histogram is a graph that shows the tonal distribution of an image — basically, how light or dark your photo is.

How it works:

• Left side = Shadows/Blacks (dark areas)
• Middle = Midtones (grays, mid-range brightness)
• Right side = Highlights/Whites (bright areas)

Each part of the graph shows how many pixels in the image fall into that brightness range.

What to look for:

Balanced exposure: The graph is spread across the whole range without hitting the edges too hard

Clipped blacks: Graph is bunched up on the far left = lost shadow detail

Clipped highlights: Graph is spiked on the far right = blown-out highlights

Below is two different versions of the same image. While this was done in Lightroom, the thinking stays the same. The histogram on the right is what we are aiming for in camera.

in closing

The purpose of this article is to give you, the new photographer, an idea of where to start in your journey. As we progress with MWP, we will write specific articles on information that has been presented here, to include some of the apps that we use. Hopefully, this gave you a good foundation to build from.