How to take perfect sky high photos with your phone

Photographing the stars is much more complex than you think: it is not enough to point the phone camera up and take the picture, as there are many elements to consider before venturing into a very difficult shot like this.

In this guide we will show you how to take perfect photos of the stars using the right phone, the right photography app and the best camera settings to photograph the stars in the night sky.

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1) Ideal conditions for taking pictures of the stars

Before venturing into the enterprise of photographing the stars in the sky, let’s be sure to follow a few simple precautions, such as checking the weather conditions in the area we have chosen to shoot the stars: obviously there must be clear weather and the clouds must be absentwithout forgetting the Moon (which sheds a lot of light and hides the stars from view of the lens).

After checking the weather conditions and moon phases (we must find a clear sky and the moon must not be visible at the time chosen for the shot) it is advisable to move away from the city or from any source of light pollution: only in the open countryside or in the mountains can we enjoy the starry sky in all its beauty, so you can photograph it as it deserves.

2) Best phone for taking night photos

The best tools for photographing starry skies are obviously the reflexbut these cameras are very expensive and are not affordable for amateurs.

For our purposes the rear camera of the mobile phone may be fine, but to obtain results similar to those of reflex cameras we will have to focus on night camera phonesso as to immediately have the necessary hardware to shoot the sky and the stars.

The best phone for taking night pictures is the Google Pixel 7 Pro: in addition to having an excellent camera-side hardware equipment (1.2 μm pixel width, Aperture: ƒ/1.85, 82° field of view and 1/1.31″ photo sensor size) it also has the best app for taking pictures to the stars, that is Google Camera (equipped with the mode Night photo powered exclusively on Pixels).

Alternatively we can take excellent night photos using a high-end smartphone such as the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra o l’iPhone 14 Pro Max.

To view other smartphones with excellent night cameras, we advise you to read our guide to best photography smartphones.

3) Best apps to take photos of the stars

As already understood from the previous chapter, the best apps for taking sky-high photos with the phone are those integrated into the device, in particular on the latest generation Google Pixel (where Google Camera beats everyone in night shots with many stars).

Unfortunately, not everyone has the phones seen above, without forgetting that not all integrated camera apps have the same level night mode as seen on the Google Pixel.

To fix it, it may be a good idea to try the app ProCam Xavailable from Google Play Store (free) and fromApple App Store (payable).

With this app we will unlock all the advanced options normally only available on reflex cameras, so you can try to take sky-high photos by maximizing the exposure time (at least 30 seconds) and bringing the ISO value below 3,200 ISO (up to where possible). Unfortunately, the app alone isn’t enough to take good shots of the starry sky, as ISO values ​​and exposure times vary a lot from phone to phone.

To try other camera apps useful for the cause we can continue reading in the guides Best camera apps for Android to take pictures with your phone e Best Camera Apps for iPhone.

4) Accessories to take photos of the stars

Even with all the features seen so far, it is not obvious to be able to capture the night sky in one shot: in addition to having a good sensitivity at the time of shooting (in the end, the best photos are made by good photographers, not the best cameras) we need to make sure we have a variety of astrophotography accessories on handso as to significantly increase the possibility of taking a photo at night with all the stars in plain sight.

The best accessory that we can use to take photos of the stars with the phone is definitely the Tripod for cell phonea simple tripod compatible with any smartphone, ideal for leaving the phone capturing on a stable and well-defined surface.

Not much else is needed, as stability is everything for this type of shot; if we want to try other scenic shots we can also try a LED spotlight for filmingso as to create a lighted area in the foreground and the night sky behind.

We try to get everything we need in order to increase the chances of taking sky-high photos with the phone.

5) Professional settings for cameras

The night modes integrated in the phone camera apps already do a good job, nothing compensates for the manual adjustment of the camera parameters, especially on apps that leave users full freedom (Pro mode o Manual).

The best settings (or parameters) to set in the camera app are:

• Resolution: the highest supported by our sensor.
• Shutter speed: values ​​between 25 and 30 seconds.
• ISO value: between 800 and 1200.
• Focus: setting up Infinite or, if the value scale is present (0.0/1.0), set 0.8.

With these values ​​it should be possible to shoot night skies without defects, especially if we have chosen one of the phone models seen in the dedicated chapter of this guide

Conclusions

Taking a picture with the stars clearly visible in the sky can be really a great challenge for budding photographerssince in most cases we will only get a completely dark photo or a photo with some trail of stars (or tail of stars): let’s not give up and make sure we have all the tools indicated above, so as to have a very good chance of capturing at least a picture with stars.

If we want to dedicate ourselves to astrophotography instead we have to spend much more and equip ourselves with a reflex camera and related accessories.

Always on the subject of photography we can read our guides on how to take better photos from smartphone come on How many megapixels do you need to take beautiful photos?