Capture the Magic: Night Photography in Fuerteventura

photo courtesy of Simon Waldram Photography

Photography can be about capturing the essence of a moment, weaving a narrative, and connecting with the viewer on an emotional level. As the saying goes, 'Without the darkness we can not see the light,' just because we can´t see it, does not mean it´s not there. Night photography shows us what our eyes can´t see. By embracing the darkness, we unlock a world of hidden beauty, where the stars shine brightly and the cosmos unfolds its wonders.

One technique that constantly captivates is long exposure, with its ability to transform ordinary scenes into something ethereal and dramatic. And what better subject for this transformative technique than the night sky? A realm of endless wonder and a canvas of twinkling stars, the night sky has captivated stargazers and photographers for generations. Combining these passions allows us to not only observe the cosmos but also capture its ethereal beauty, creating a truly enriching experience. Fuerteventura can offer  a stargazer's paradise—the perfect location to merge astronomy with the magic of night photography. Here's your guide to capturing the magic of Fuerteventura's night sky.

Why Fuerteventura is Ideal for Stargazing and Night Photography (and what to consider):

Dark Skies, a Valuable Asset: Fuerteventura's commitment to minimizing light pollution as a Starlight Reserve creates the potential for outstanding stargazing and night photography.

Weather and Atmospheric Conditions: While the Canary Islands generally have favorable weather, cloud cover and calima are factors to consider. Successful stargazing and photography require careful planning, including checking weather forecasts and being flexible with your schedule to take advantage of clear nights.

Diverse Landscapes: From volcanic landscapes to pristine beaches, Fuerteventura offers diverse foregrounds to complement your night sky images.

Planning Your Stargazing and Photography Trip:

Check the Moon Phase: A new moon (when the moon is not visible) provides the darkest skies for stargazing and capturing faint celestial objects.

Weather Forecast: Look for clear skies and calm conditions. Websites like Meteoblue or AEMET (Spanish Meteorological Agency), Windy can provide detailed forecasts. Always look up and constantly check, what was true in the morning may change by the evening. 

Location Scouting: Explore potential locations during the day to identify interesting foreground elements and ensure safe access at night. Inland areas away from towns: Provide the darkest skies.

Timing: The best time for stargazing is typically a few hours after sunset, once the sky is fully dark.

Here are some tips for capturing stunning images in low-light conditions:

Fast Lens: A lens with a wide aperture (f/2.8 or wider) is crucial for gathering as much light as possible.

Sturdy Tripod: Essential for long exposures, ensuring sharp images.

Remote Shutter Release: Minimizes camera shake for crisp shots.

Extra Batteries: Cold temperatures drain batteries faster, so bring spares.

Red Light Flashlight or Headlamp: Red light preserves your night vision.

Manual Mode: Provides full control over settings.

Aperture: Use the widest aperture your lens allows for maximum light.

Shutter Speed: Start with a longer shutter speed (e.g., 10 seconds) and adjust as needed.

ISO: Keep it as low as possible to minimize noise, but increase if the image is too dark.

White Balance: Adjust according to the light source (e.g., Tungsten for city lights). 

Focus: Use manual focus and zoom in to ensure sharpness.

Night photography can be a rewarding experience for photographers of all levels. ..

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Ready to take your photography to the next level and unlock the secrets of capturing the night sky?

Join us for our Night Photography Workshop in Fuerteventura this June, from June 22 to June 28 2025!

This workshop will provide a comprehensive learning experience, covering everything from the fundamentals of night photography to advanced techniques for capturing specific celestial phenomena. We'll delve into camera settings, composition strategies, light painting, and post-processing workflows.

Visit www.starsbynight.es/photographyworkshop to learn more and register.

photo courtesy of Simon Waldram Photography

....JUNE 2018 NIGHT SKY.. JUNIO 2018 CIELO NOCTURNO....

....In the beginning of June, when the night comes in we can admire the 2 brightest planets of the Solar System at the same time in the opposite sides of the sky: Venus, towards the Sunset, and Jupiter towards the Sunrise, higher and higher each night. In the next hours, Mars and Saturn are already appearing from the East, announcing the great season of the planets of this summer.

For our visitors from northern countries, the southern sky in June will be a big surprise: Fuerteventura's latitude allows us to admire the wonderful constellation of Centaurus in all its beauty, with its remarkable guests, such as the globular cluster Omega Centauri; it is the only one faintly visible with naked eyes, in spite of the incredible distance of 17 thousand’s light-years, a beautiful explosion of light through a telescope.

For the Moon lovers, the best days of June are in the second half of the month, with the First Quarter on day 21st. Her carters, her seas and her long ranges of mountains, visible with rich detail with a telescope, are always fascinating children of all ages.

Clear skies to everybody!  ..

A principios de Junio, a primeras horas de la noche, podemos admirar los dos planetas más brillantes del Sistema Solar en las extremidades opuesta del cielo: Venus hacia donde se pone el Sol y Júpiter hacia donde se levanta, ganando altura cada noche. En las horas siguientes, ya van apareciendo también Saturno y Marte, anunciando la gran temporada de planetas que nos espera este verano.

Para los que nos visitan desde el continente, la zona Sur del cielo de este mes va a ser todo un descubrimiento: la latitud de Fuerteventura permite admirar la constelación del Centauro en toda su plenitud, con sus admirables huéspedes, como el maravilloso cúmulo llamado Omega Centauri; es el único de su género que se atisbe a simple vista, a pesar de la descomunal distancia de 17 mil años luz, todo un resplandor de luz a través de un telescopio.

Para los apasionados de la Luna, la época mejor de junio es la segunda parte del mes, con el Cuarto Creciente el día 21. Sus cráteres, sus mares y sus largas cadenas de montañas, visibles con todo lujo de detalle desde un telescopio, dejan siempre fascinados tanto a los niños como a los mayores

¡Cielos despejados para todos!....

CONVERSATION WITH ANDY, CARLY AND MARISA

I had a great email conversation with photography enthusiast Andy Bailey the other week that i had to share his questions with our resident photographer Carly Higgins and here were our  answers: 

MARISA AND ANDY

I sell a lot of full spectrum cameras to astrophotographers but I have never been able to use one here in the uk due to light pollution. 

1) would I need to use a full spectrum camera or would a unmodified one be ok?

2) where is the closest point to corralejo where I could capture the Milky Way.  Could I achieve this in a single image or would I need to stack several shots?

3) I understand that at around 28mm I could use a maximum exposure of around 30 seconds. Does that sound right?

Could you advise what settings you would use?

I have various compact, bridge and dslr camera to choose from but would like to carry something practical and as cheap as possible. 

Hi Andy

You don't have to use a full spectrum camera. Most of our photos are taken with dslr's. As a collective we own full frame Canon body's and 3/4sensor bodies. Our previous photographer and the founder are Nikon lovers. As you can see from our website: www.starsbynight.es and Instagram account: instagram.com/starsbynightfv/ you can still produce amazing photos with basic equipment. 

We are very lucky in Fuerteventura that you don't have to go too far out to see the milky way or to see stars at night. We do observations just 5mins away from the RIU hotel near the dunes which is about 10min drive from the centre of Corralejo. You won't really see the Milky way in April. From July onwards we have a good view but September/October are the best months to see it with with the naked eye. Yes, you can take a photo of this in a single image. 

As for your 28mm lens... well that depends if its a full frame, APSC or Micro4/3  camera, what fstop of your lens ( this will change the light qualities depending on what sensor size you have)? What iso? as a general rule and depending on what you are shooting - be it milky way or stars in general, or light/star trails  you would be looking at anything from minimum of 20sec-30secs for a night photo ( depending on what you are photographing). 

If you are specifically looking at taking night time photos i  would recommend bringing a dslr with the widest and brightest lens you have. If this is not what you have then a good start would be something with a lens that is f4 and/or brighter (f2.8, f2, f1.8, f1.2 - are nice to play with). Yet you can still take a good quality photo with even a standard 18-55 kit lens if its only milky way that you want to shoot. 

CARLY AND ANDY

"Have you ever tried using a Ricoh theta S fir astrophography"

No I have never tried 360 degree photography

"The Milky Way is the object that I wanted to try and capture. I have several apps on my phone to help track it. I guess planets and nebulas would potential need longer exposures and equatorial mount. " 

You can capture images of the planets (looking like stars) using only a DSLR and actually as some are very bright you don't need a long exposure, but If you are looking to take more deep space images yes you would need a very long exposure so an equatorial mount or tracker of some kind would be essential.

"This is the style of photo I'd like to achieve. Astroscape!  Is the following a series of images (foreground / background) or still just the one?"( see above picture for reference)

This is all one image in camera, where possible I prefer to do this and reduce processing time

"If it's easy to explain how would you achieve the above image? "

This image is just a single exposure of 15s at f/2.8 and ISO 2000 and would be very easy for even a beginner to take, its the kind of image we will learn to take on workshops. It was a beautiful clear night and the milky way was clearly visible to the naked eye. There is of course a little post processing in Photoshop

"Finally one last question, assuming there was a clear sky with no foreground subject like the windmill, how would you advise achieving the image of the Milky Way like it is in the image above (assuming I was using an APS C with kit lens)"

You would need to use your widest angle lens to get as much of the sky in as possible, if you have a kit lens I am guessing something like 18-55mm which on a crop sensor is equivalent to 27mm on full frame - not massive wide but definitely workable. You also want to use the lowest aperture possible f/2.8 or below if you have it. Using the 500 hundred rule (something else we teach on the workshop) you can workout how long an exposure (shutter speed) you can have without starting to get star trails. For 27mm I would recommend no more than 18 seconds. You will then need to adjust your ISO to get a properly exposed image balancing it against the other 2 elements of the exposure triangle Aperture and Shutter Speed. It would be really great to have you attend a workshop as I can demonstrate exactly how to capture and image like this and work with you to get exactly what you want.

To note: content has been edited slightly to remove places and dates. 

who is Andy Bailey: INFRAREADYUK & BESTGHOSTHUNTING