Do you struggle to get proper focus when photographing the stars at night? Has nothing you tried worked for you? Then this video will help with your astrophotography aspirations. 

Alyn Wallace is an astrophotographer from South Wales. His work has been published in Digital Camera magazine and PhotoPlus magazine, among others. He’s also a Pro Partner with Benro Tripods and an ambassador for Kase Filters. In this informative video, Wallace breaks down several methods that have helped him nail the focus in his nighttime photography shots. 

The first method he shares guarantees near-perfect focus, but may be impractical for most people. Unless you have ample amount of time or are on a long photography expedition, heading outside while it’s still bright out to secure your focus position may not work for you. If you do have the time, though, this is a surefire way to nail your nighttime focus.

One small but extremely helpful tip that Wallace shares in this video is to use a small strip of masking tape to lock down your focus, no matter which technique you’re using. Especially if you’re composing multiple shots or creating something like a nighttime panorama, using a piece of masking tape to keep your focus ring in place will help make sure you don’t go home with out-of-focus images. 

My personal favorite method that Wallace shares, and the one I use 95 percent of the time, is his second tip. But, the others are practical, too and may work better for you. Watch the video to see the rest of Wallace’s techniques for shooting the night sky.

Which works best for you? Do you have your own technique that isn’t mentioned in the video? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.