Use These Tips For Shooting Photos of The Perseid Meteor Shower

The annual August Perseid meteor shower kicks off this week throughout North America, and like most geeks we will be out there with camera, or smartphone in hand trying to capture that perfect moment. Unfortunately shooting those stars after dark can be a bit on the tricky. Thankfully noted photographer and Olympus Trailblazer Peter Baumgarten has put together a few great tips that should help even the most seasoned photog get some great shots.

Here is just a snippet from Peter's Astrophotography Tips:

1. Plan Ahead: All great photos require a bit of planning, but shooting at night requires considerably more thinking beforehand. 
2.  Stay Away From the Light: To capture a great star field in the night sky you need to be aware of light pollution that could spoil your shot.
3. Include A Point of Interest: Include an interesting subject in the foreground that will set your photo apart.
4. Go Wide and Open It Up: A fast, wide-angle lens is definitely the best choice for astrophotography.
5. Post Processing Is Required: To create nightscapes that pop, some post-processing is required.
6. Star Trails Made Easy: Us Live Composite features to combine several separate photographs in to one.

For more great tips on how to capture that perfect shot of the night sky checkout Sky & Telescope.

You’ll be able to view the shower from Aug. 11-14. If you’re able to stay up late (or wake up early), the best views of Perseids are between midnight and dawn on Aug. 13 – when you may see up to 50 meteors an hour (depending on your time zone).