Beginner’s Guide to Camera Setup & Technique for Meteor Photography

 Beginner’s Guide to Camera Setup & Technique for Meteor Photography

If you’re anything like me, you may be feeling a little frustrated recently. I headed out to capture the Leonids a few weeks ago and was completely defeated by thick cloud cover. Now I’ll be waiting impatiently for the next decent shower - the Geminids - in December. At least the nights will be longer and darker by then. And this year, 2025, the moon will be just past the last quarter - so, not so much of an issue. Controllable! 

But if you’ve never photographed a meteor shower before and want a solid, beginner-friendly guide, read on. This will walk you through everything from location scouting to camera setup and even how to composite multiple meteors into one stunning final image.

Geminids - copyright PhotoPills website 

 Lets start with some basics - what is a meteor? 

They are bright flashes of light that move quickly across the night sky, caused by pieces of dust and debris from space entering the atmosphere - where they slow down and burn up. Meteor showers are periods when there are a larger number of meteors, normally because the Earth is moving through a trail of debris left behind by a comet or asteroid. 

So, this December, where should you be looking to catch a glimpse of a Geminid meteor or two? 

The Geminids emanate from the constellation Gemini. Look for the two bright stars Castor and Pollux. Find Orion - locate Rigel and Betelgeuse - draw a line from Rigel to Betelgeuse and keep the line going for the same distance to find Castor and Pollux. This is where the Geminds will appear from. 

Location: Finding the right spot is half the battle in meteor photography. Look for:

·       A dark sky site ideally bortle 3 or darker – the darker, the more fainter meteors you’ll catch

·       Big open sky view, especially to the sides of the meteor shower’s radiant. The wider the unobstructed sky around you, the better.  

·       Aim your camera 50 – 60 degrees above the horizon – it avoids the murky lower atmosphere and keeps star trailing manageable.

·       Cover at least 40 – 60 degrees in all directions from the radiant – Meteors fan outward; they won't appear right on the radiant itself. On the other hand, if you do aim towards the radiant, you will get shorter trails but show clearly how those trails appear from a single area of the sky.

·       Best time - typically after midnight until dawn, when the radiant is higher and your side of Earth is hitting more debris.

I'll add a note of controversy here which I will pick up again later - but you need to decide whether or not to include a foreground. You maximise your chances of catching a trail if you don't. On the other hand, foregrounds provide a beautiful context to a meteor trail. 

 

Equipment: you don’t need high end gear but there is some basic kit that makes it easier:

·       DSLR or mirrorless camera with manual controls

·       Wide angle lens (14 – 24mm) – I use a Samyang 14mm f/2.0. Wider = more sky = higher chance of catching meteors.

·       Sturdy tripod – keep it at mid height for stability and easy access to your camera controls

·       A programmable Intervalometer with 2” gap between exposures – prevents buffering issues and reduces sensor heat. One that is ‘lockable’ is a bonus.

·       Dew band – to stop your lens fogging

·       Plenty of batteries + memory cards - Continuous long exposures drain batteries fast and eat storage. Every hour or so when you re-align your frame (see below) – check your SD card, batteries and dew bands – you don’t want them running out or ‘fogging’ building up on your lens.  I tend to use a dummy battery powered by a large power bank in my camera – eliminating the ‘battery’ worries.

 

Framing your shot: Composition matters—beautiful images come from more than just catching a meteor.

If shooting sky only:

• Some astrophotographers try to keep the radiant in one corner of the frame.
  Meteors streak outward across the sky, so you want surrounding space. I centre my camera at around 60 degrees above the horizon and then decide which cardinal direction I will focus on. I then orientate my camera – by ensuring the long axis of the frame points back towards the approximate radiant position.
• If you choose the ‘long-axis’ orientation method above, remember to realign your frame every hour or so, as it will have drifted off alignment.
• With an ultra-wide lens (14 mm), don’t zoom or crop—you want the maximum sky coverage.

If adding foreground: A well-chosen landscape element can add scale and visual interest – but remember, at the sacrifice of sky area

• Include trees, hills, coastline, or architecture to give scale and grounding.
• Mind the balance of light vs. darkness—too much empty sky can feel flat.
• Try test exposures before peak activity to refine your composition –
• Use the rule of thirds loosely: horizon on the lower third if you want the sky to dominate, and foreground or radiant near intersection points for a dynamic feel.
• A diagonal element (a tree, rock formation, or shoreline) can help lead the viewer’s eye toward the radiant.

Helpful tool:

·       Use a star-chart app (Stellarium, SkySafari, Star Walk) to locate the radiant before you start shooting.

 

Copyright: stargazing website 

Camera settings on the night: These settings are a solid baseline and work for most cameras.

• Shoot in RAW. You’ll want maximum flexibility for noise reduction and colour.
• Manual mode for both exposure and focus.
• Long exposure noise reduction: OFF. Otherwise, your camera takes a dark frame after every shot, halving your chances of catching meteors.
• Drive mode: Continuous shooting.
• Aperture: As wide open as your lens allows (f/2.0–f/2.8).
• Focus:
• Set lens to manual focus.
• Use live view to zoom in on a bright star.
• Adjust until it becomes a precise point.
• Tape the focus ring to stop accidental movement.
  (Infinity marks are notoriously unreliable.)
• ISO: 800–3200. Darker skies allow higher ISO without too much noise. I normally start at 1600 on my test exposures – which I tend to do for 20 – 30”.  Overexposed? Shorten exposure length and take another test shot.  
• Shutter speed: 15–30 seconds.   Longer exposures increase meteor-catching probability but introduce star trailing. Start with 20–25 seconds, zoom in to check star sharpness, and tweak as needed.
• Capture as long as you can -  Once the setup is dialled in, shoot continuously for 1–2 hours without moving the tripod.

 

Practical Tips for a Successful Meteor Session

• Be patient. Even during peak showers, meteors can come in clusters with quiet gaps.
• Avoid moonlight. A bright Moon washes out faint meteors and reduces contrast.
• Let your eyes dark-adapt for at least 20 minutes. Use a red torch to preserve night vision.
• Check weather and cloud forecasts (satellite maps are best).
• Dress warmly! Layers, gloves, hat, and insulated boots are your best friends.

When you get home, check your images – download them to your laptop/computer and go through each frame – looking for that trail! Don’t get confused with plane or satellite trails!  Rename each ‘genuine’ meteor trail by just adding a prefix letter at the end of its file name.

 

How to Capture and Composite Multiple Meteors

Capturing a single meteor is exciting—but capturing dozens in one polished image feels magical. Here’s how to create that iconic composite.

Step 1 — Capture your sequence

Shoot hundreds of frames as described above. If you’re lucky, 5–15 will contain visible meteors.

Step 2 — Choose a base image

Pick your cleanest frame:

• sharp stars
• no meteors
• minimal cloud
• well-exposed foreground

This becomes your master background.

Step 3 — Prepare your meteor frames

In your editor (Affinity Photo, Photoshop, etc.):

• Open each RAW file. In affinity photo – that would be in ‘develop persona’
• Apply minimal corrections: lens correction, light noise reduction, exposure, and white balance.
• Do not crop or rotate—perfect alignment is crucial.

Place each meteor frame as a full-size layer above the base image.

Step 4 — Blend with “Lighten” mode

Set each meteor layer’s blend mode to Lighten.

This reveals:

• the meteor streak
• any stars brighter than those in the base frame

…and hides the rest.

Step 5 — Mask out unwanted areas

For each meteor layer:

• Add a mask
• Use a soft brush at 20–40% opacity to remove clouds, plane trails, or light pollution.

Step 6 — Final polish

• Global exposure + white balance adjustments
• A gentle noise reduction
• Curves adjustment to add subtle contrast
• Optional: light high-pass sharpening on meteor layers

When everything looks natural and cohesive, export your final image.

 

Final Thoughts

Meteor photography mixes patience, technique, and a bit of luck—but when everything comes together, the results are unforgettable. With preparation, the right settings, and a thoughtful workflow, you can go from “I hope I get one meteor” to creating stunning composite images full of movement and wonder.

 If you want further information about shooting meteors - i found this presentatiuon by PhotPills vcery useful: https://www.photopills.com/articles/meteor-shower-photography-guide#step12