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How to Photograph the Geminid Meteor Shower

The Geminid meteor shower is set to be a one of the most consistent meteor displays of the year, so we will be taking you through the preparation, shooting, and editing tips you'll need to capture the Geminid meteor shower from start to finish.

The Geminid meteor shower is an annual event that occurs near the middle of December each year. In December 2021, that means they will be peaking around the night of the 13th and early morning of the 14th. Interestingly, it’s thought that the Geminids are one of only two annual meteor showers that don’t originate from a comet.

Luckily for us photographers, the Geminids are also one of the most consistent meteor showers in the year, with up to 120 to 160 per hour, which makes it ripe for photographing. However, capturing a meteor shower can be extremely difficult. Not only do we have to capture well-exposed images of the night sky which introduces problems such as focusing and attaining sharp shots during long exposures, but then we have to make sure we are taking a photo while a meteor shoots overhead.

Fortunately, we're here to help. We’ll be taking you through the best practices for finding the meteors, checking for good weather to maximize chances of seeing the Geminids, and going through a list of useful kit to bring and the best camera settings to ensure you get some shots. We will even take a quick look at how to create a composite of your best images in editing software afterward. But for now, let us get started by discovering which direction our camera should point.

How to Locate the Gemenid Meteor Shower

As the name suggests, the Geminids will appear most prominently around the constellation Gemini, though they’ll also be visible a few days on either side of it as well. Generally, Gemini will appear above the horizon roughly northeast across the globe this time of year. Should you want to get a more accurate direction though, turn to a night sky app on your smart device or computer. We recommend Stellarium for both desktop and mobile as it’s easy to navigate and simple to jump through time and dates and search for the constellation or meteor shower itself.

If you don’t like relying on too much tech, you can always navigate to Gemini using the stars. In the northern hemisphere, just look for Ursa Major (aka the big dipper) and draw a line from the two end stars, starting at Merak, heading up to Dubhe, and then continue up until you reach the next brightest star. That is called Polaris, or the north star, and forms the tail of Ursa Minor. From here you can find northeast pretty easily.

What Photography Equipment is Needed to Photograph the Gemenid Meteor Shower?

While it might be tempting to throw your camera around your neck and head into the great outdoors, it’s important to bear in mind that for the northern hemisphere, it’s winter and that means it’s cold and dark. As such, there are some essentials we need to pack before leaving.

A tripod is a must to photograph the Geminids as we need to keep the camera steady during long exposures; my recommendation is to use one with a ball-head as it is ideal to enable a variety of shooting angles. Since the Geminids appear across the night sky, only with an emphasis on the direction of Gemini, a wide-angle lens of around 24mm or wider would be best. Try to choose a wide-angle lens that has a wide aperture too, such as f/2.8 or faster.

How to Photograph Meteors

Technique-wise, what we’re going to do is take loads of photos, one after the other, with the hopes of capturing some frames with meteors in them. The idea is to then composite the useful frames together in image editing software later to create a single photo with all the best photos together.

If your camera has an interval timer built-in, then a simple external shutter release is all you need to fire the camera without touching it. You can use the self-timer feature in a pinch if you don't have a separate shutter release. The whole goal of this is to reduce vibrations and camera shake blur. However, if the camera doesn’t have a built-in intervalometer, then you should opt for an external intervalometer which will both trigger the camera remotely and take a series of images one after the other, without asking you to regularly press buttons on your camera through the capture process.

Keep an Eye on the Weather

It doesn’t matter which direction we look in if it’s cloudy as the meteors will be obscured from sight. Check the weather forecast ahead of time to avoid wasting the time it takes to travel to a suitable location, especially if going a long distance to, say, avoid light pollution.

Be aware though that weather forecasts are generally more regional than local, so they are not always super helpful for specific local spots. What that means is that if there is a chance you will have time to view and shoot without cloud cover, it might be worth heading out just in case.

Recommended Camera Settings for Photographing the Geminid Meteor Shower

Use manual mode for this shoot; other semi-automatic modes like shutter or aperture priority might change exposure settings during a long shoot based on cloud cover and light pollution, which makes it hard to composite photos together later in editing software. To keep things consistent, shoot entirely in manual mode.

Camera settings depend on the darkness of the sky, any extraneous light pollution, and the maximum aperture value of the lens used. However, rough starting camera settings could be an aperture of f/2.8, 5-second shutter speed, and ISO1000 or greater. Make sure you turn off long exposure noise reduction. It might also be a good idea to lock your white balance to make sure the colors in all your photos are consistent. If light pollution is an issue where you’re shooting, opt for Tungsten or Fluorescent white balance to reduce the orange glow and make sure to shoot RAW.

Get Focused

Autofocus notoriously doesn’t work well in low light, so focusing on the night sky will be nearly impossible. Instead, we’ll manually focus for the best results. Engage live view on the rear screen and aim at a bright star or very distant street light. Switch over to manual focus on the lens or camera body and zoom in on the star in the screen using the digital magnification feature found on most digital cameras. Manually adjust the focus ring until the star is as small and defined as possible.

How to Edit Photos of the Geminid Meteor Shower

You can do this in any layers-based image editing software, but we'll show you how to do it in Adobe Photoshop. First, import your images to the computer and then open up Photoshop. Head to Fil e> Scripts > Load Files into Stack. Navigate to the successful images where meteors are clearly visible and click "OK."

With the layers laid one atop the other, change the blending modes of all layers except the bottom-most layer to "Lighten." To do this on multiple layers, quickly set one layer’s blending mode to Lighten then right-click on the layer and choose copy layer style. Then Shift + click on the others, right-click again and select paste layer style. If a good amount of time has elapsed between the frames chosen then the stars will have rotated and this might appear in the composite. In that case, add a layer mask to the layers affected and mask in only the meteor so that it's visible to remove this problem.

Make any global adjustments required using new fill or adjustment layers to edit non-destructively and then save it as a Photoshop Document or JPEG for sharing online. It’s helpful to save it as a PSD as well so that you can come back to it at a later date and tweak the composite if needed, especially if you’re new to image editing or aren’t yet confident enough to edit an image you’re happy with.

Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.

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How To Snap Spectacular Fourth of July Fireworks This Summer

After a year indoors, this year’s Fourth of July fireworks are sure to be one of the highlights of summer. As most photographers know, the bright flash from fireworks against the dark night sky can make it tricky for both novice and experienced photographers to get a crystal-clear image of the spectacle.

Not to mention, by the end of the show, there’s a smoky haze that can mute the fantastic colors and light trails. But don’t fret, I have some quick tips that make it easy to take showstopping images that will make you want to get out and red, white, and shoot!

Scout Out the Location

Be there before the show begins to find a good spot. The farther away from the fireworks you are, the longer the lens you will need.

Use a Tripod

If you don’t have a tripod, you can rest your camera on a stable surface like a picnic table or a cooler. To avoid camera shake either use a remote shutter release or a self-timer of two seconds on the camera.

Adjust Your Auto-Settings

Turn off in-camera noise reduction and turn off the flash. The extra light makes it harder for the camera to focus.

Set the Shot

Apply good image composition by thinking foreground to background. Consider including a person, building, or reflections in the foreground to create a sense of scale and show off the location. Take a moment to photograph the people that are watching the fireworks since their faces will often be well- illuminated and full of wonder.

Shoot Early

Photograph as much as possible early in the fireworks display -- the longer the show is, the more haze there will be in the sky towards the end. While the finale provides the biggest bang, earlier shots of less fireworks will prove more vibrant in the editing stages by highlighting their individual light trails.

Capture Light Trails

To capture the light trails, set the camera to 100 or 200 ISO and shutter priority, starting with a two-second exposure. Increase or decrease the shutter speed to get more (longer exposure) or less (shorter exposure) light trails. For advanced photographers, use full manual exposure mode at 100 to 200 ISO with an aperture f/8 to f/11 and adjust the shutter speed as needed.

Edit Your Photos

Use Lightroom to make the fireworks pop in your photos. Try lowering the highlights and the blacks sliders to build contrast. You can also enhance the color by using the Color Grading wheels to refine the colors in the shadows, midtones, and highlights separately. With fireworks images, always check out the Clarity and Dehaze sliders to make your fireworks pop and reduce the smoky haze.

For more novice editors, you can learn how to edit step-by-step by checking out this guide, or use one of the built-in presets to edit with one tap. Check out Adobe’s 70 new presets -- I recommend having a look at professional photographer Tobi Shinobi’s Futuristic and Nikk La’s Cinematic color-based presets. Because they focus on bright colors, they’re a great place to start for firework photos.

That's all it takes! Go out and shoot, and enjoy some much-needed summer fun. Good luck, photographers!

About the author: Katrin Eismann has been a Lightroom Product Manager at Adobe since 2019 and specializes in interpretive travel, still life, and portrait photography. She is an internationally respected artist, teacher, and co-author of Photoshop Restoration and Retouching, Photoshop Masking and Compositing, The Creative Digital Darkroom, and Real World Digital Photography. Her images have been featured in numerous books, magazines, and group and solo exhibitions. Katrin is the founder and former chair of the Masters in Digital Photography department at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and she has never met a pixel she didn't want to change.

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How to Photograph an Annular ‘Ring of Fire’ Solar Eclipse

Annular solar eclipses give us the chance to capture incredible photos. Just have a look at the image above, taken by photographer Josh Cripps back in 2019. Simply legendary!

The good news is that there is another annular eclipse approaching, so get ready to learn everything you need to photograph the June 10th, 2021 annular solar eclipse.

What is an Annular Solar Eclipse?

A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth casting its shadow on some parts of our planet. Depending on how the Moon's shadow falls on Earth, the eclipses are classified as:

1. Partial solar eclipse : the Moon covers only part of the Sun.
2. Total solar eclipse : the Moon covers the Sun disk completely.
3. Annular solar eclipse : the Moon covers the Sun disk partially, creating a spectacular ring of fire around the Moon.

When it comes to an annular eclipse, you want to be in a location where you can enjoy (and photograph) all the phases of the eclipse:

• Partial eclipse begins (1st contact - C1): The Moon starts to cover the Sun.
• Total eclipse begins (2nd contact - C2): The Moon starts to be inside the Sun. you begin to see a ring of light around the Moon.
• Totality and maximum eclipse (Max.): The Moon covers the center of the Sun completely creating a stunning ring of fire in the sky.
• Total eclipse ends (3rd contact - C3): The Moon starts to move away from the Sun.
• Partial eclipse ends (4th contact - C4): The Moon completely leaves the Sun.

All the eclipse phases are spectacular. Unfortunately, the eclipse will be visible only from certain places on Earth, including the US, Europe, UK, and Canada.

There'll be lots of areas where you can go and photograph the partial phase of the eclipse, but only the locations that fall within the so-called "path of totality" will be able to enjoy all the phases of the eclipse, including the stunning "ring of fire."

So, the question is: where on Earth you should go, and when, to have the best chance to photograph the annular eclipse?

When and Where is the Annular Solar Eclipse Visible?

The path of totality of the June 10th, 2021, annular solar eclipse goes through parts of Canada, Greenland, and Russia. It's where you can photograph the ring of fire. The partial phase of the eclipse will be visible in parts of Canada, the US, Europe, the UK, Russia, and China.

Here you have a list of places that fall within the path of totality, where you can enjoy all the phases of the eclipse (including the maximum phase). The table also shows places where you can photograph the partial phase of the eclipse.

Note : Time is shown in Hours:Minutes:Seconds.

To create the table above, I've used the eclipse information that the Planner tool included in the PhotoPills app provides. Using the app, to get all the eclipses info you need, all you have to do is to:

PhotoPills Planner - The Red Pin is located in Ontario (Canada), within the path of totality (dark blue band), where all the eclipse phases are visible. If you're in a location that falls within the area between the yellow lines, then you'll be able to enjoy a partial eclipse. PhotoPills Planner - On the top panel you have all the eclipse phase times. On the map you also have the position of the Sun during the eclipse for the selected time (using the Time Bar). Zoom in the map as much as you want to help you plan your photo.

Confused? Don't worry, everything will become clear in the next section. I'll show you how to plan your solar eclipse photo step by step in a video.

How to Plan a Photo of an Annular Solar Eclipse Like a Pro

Stop! The idea goes first. Then you plan it! Then you shoot it! Imagine. Plan. Shoot! So decide what you want first.

Maybe you want to create an image of the eclipse aligned with an interesting subject. Like Josh Cripps did during the December 26, 2019, annular solar eclipse (in the photo at the top).

Or maybe you're interested in capturing all the phases of the eclipse. Like I did during the 2017 total solar eclipse in Oregon, USA.

No matter the photo you want to capture, watch this video of Rafa (the Bard of PhotoPills) planning the June 10, 2021 annular eclipse and you'll learn how to easily plan it:

Now that you've planned your photo, you know your shooting spot and shooting time. Let's have a look at the gear you'll need to photograph the eclipse.

All the Gear You Need to Photograph the Annular Solar Eclipse

I love my solar eclipse checklist. It's the only way I make sure to bring everything I need for the shooting session. This is the gear you need to photograph the eclipse:

Solar filter

You need to put a solar filter in front of your lens if you want to photograph the solar eclipse. Otherwise, you'll damage your camera and your eyes when you look through the viewfinder of your camera. Nowadays you can buy a solar filter almost everywhere. Make sure you buy a solar filter that works with your lens diameter.

Can you use an ND filter instead? In practice, you can, but you shouldn't. There is the risk of damaging your camera, so I definitely wouldn't use an ND filter to photograph a solar eclipse.

Lens

The lens choice depends on the photo you want to capture. Go wide (14-35mm) if you want to include the landscape. The Sun will be a small dot in your photo, but you can make it work in your composition.

Go long (200-500mm) for a close-up view and to create a powerful image of the eclipse aligned with a subject. Or to photograph all the phases of the eclipse.

Camera

Use your own camera! You don't need a special camera to photograph the eclipse. The advantage of using a crop sensor camera vs a full frame camera is the focal length multiplier effect. For instance, using an APS-C camera with a 1.5x crop sensor, a 200mm focal length turns into a 300mm focal length.

Tripod and Head

The filter, the camera, and the lens are heavy. Therefore you need a sturdy tripod and head capable of bearing it, and which are as stable as possible on a windy day.

Shutter Release or Intervalometer

Don't press the shutter button of your camera! If you do so, you'll shake your camera and your images won't be 100% tack sharp, and you want them crispy and sharp! Always use a shutter release or intervalometer.

Memory Cards and Batteries

Don't forget to bring several memory cards and spare batteries just in case something goes wrong.

Eclipse Glasses

And last but not least, protect your eyes. And that's it -- you're ready to go!

How to Photograph an Annular Solar Eclipse Step by Step

Photographing the annular solar eclipse will be lots of fun, and the good news is that you have plenty of time. Practice a bit photographing the Sun before the eclipse begins.

Just follow the steps in this section and you'll nail the photo.

Go to the Planned Shooting Spot

On the day of, go to the planned shooting spot and make sure you set up the tripod and head right where the PhotoPills' Red Pin is in your photo plan. Being at the right spot is key, especially if you're photographing the solar eclipse aligned with a subject.

Shoot in RAW

Don't shoot in JPEG. Instead, shoot in RAW to collect as much data as possible for better post-processing work.

Use a Long Focal Length (200-500mm)

If you want to center the attention of the viewer on the eclipse, use a long focal length. The longer the better!

Attach the Solar Filter to the Lens

The solar filter is key here. Use it to protect your camera. However, you don't have to take it out during totality as you would during a total solar eclipse. During an annular eclipse, the Moon never covers completely the Sun. Therefore you need to keep the solar filter in front of your lens at all times.

Set Spot Metering Mode

Meter light on the Sun to nail the exposure.

Close the Aperture (f/8)

I usually shoot my eclipse photos (close up) at f/8. It works great for these types of images.

Use ISO 100

Use a low ISO to prevent image noise. Use the nominal ISO of your camera (100 or 200).

Set Shutter Speed

Set the shutter speed from 1/500s to 1/1000s at f/8 and ISO 100. Since you've metered light on the Sun and you've set the aperture and ISO, set the shutter speed to have an image correctly exposed (exposimeter centered to 0).

Usually, a shutter speed between 1/500s-1/1000s should work.

Bracket Your Exposure

After all the planning, the last thing you wish is to fail the get the exposure right, so make sure you apply the bracketing technique. 3-stop bracketing will work.

Focus at the Edge of the Sun

When you're ready to start shooting, focus at the edge of the Sun, take a test shot, and use the Live View option on the LCD screen to double-check that the Sun is in focus.

Photo by Rehman Abubakr and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo by Kevin Baird and licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. Photo by Takeshi Kuboki and licensed under CC BY 2.0

Now you can successfully photograph an annular solar eclipse. Good luck!

Full disclosure : Antoni Cladera is an employee of PhotoPills, but this article was not sponsored by the company.

About the author : Antoni Cladera is a landscape photographer with commitment to the environment. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. Cladera is an artist of the Spanish Confederation of Photography and a member of the Spanish Association of Nature Photographers (AEFONA). This article was also published here.

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