Want to take stunning images of the night sky with just basic gear and no prior knowledge?
Here’s something you can do on a clear night in your garden, out of your window (as long as you don’t live in the middle of a big city) or in the field just outside your neighborhood.
This is your starting point and by no means the one and only way. Once you’ve experimented a few times you can play with the settings, let some clouds creep in the frame, blend foreground and background, use different number of images and so on, and get the results that you want.

PHOTOGRAPHING STAR TRAILS

Shooting for star trails is by far the easiest thing to shoot at night. It requires basic gear that you’re very likely to have at home or to be able to borrow or buy online without tapping into your savings, and a couple of free software tools. All you need is a camera (DSLR, Mirrorless, point-and-shoot) that has manual mode, standard wide angle lens (even a kit lens) and a decent tripod. The better the gear is, the easier it is to get good results, but it’s more important to just go out there (or stay in there) and practice. For an image for social media or small prints, even this basic equipment should be enough.