Summertime means a lot more adventures outside the city, deep in nature where urban lights don't pollute the night sky.

The absence of artificial lights makes the stars shine a lot brighter and it gives your phone the chance to pick up some of that nighttime beauty.

This past week I had the chance to capture the stars on camera in the backwoods of Ontario and I thought I'd share with you the exact steps I followed so you can try it too.

My unedited straight-out-of-camera photo taken in Night Mode:

Here is the finished product, edited in Lightroom Mobile to punch up the colours and contrast:

How to take starry night sky photos with an iPhone camera

(if you have an Android, use your phone’s Night Mode, Astrophotography mode, or Long Exposure mode to capture stars with a slower shutter speed.)

1. Open your iPhone camera.

Tap the Camera Controls icon (the six-dot button) in the top right corner to access settings.

A camera settings panel will open so you can adjust Night Mode and the Timer (you'll need both).

2. Adjust Night Mode and set a timer.

Night Mode: Toggle until you see the moon turn yellow and a number appear. Select the highest number.

(Note: The number indicates the seconds the shutter will be open while capturing the photo. The higher the number, the longer the shutter will be open to capture the dim light from the stars.)

Timer: Click on Timer and set it to 5 or 10 seconds (your choice).

(Note: Night Mode photos get blurry if you hold your phone while taking the shot. The Timer lets you set the phone on solid ground and step away before the photo is taken, resulting in sharper, clearer images.)

3. Close the settings panel

Swipe it down or tap on the camera screen above it.

4. Your camera is ready to take the night time photo!

Click the white shutter button on the camera, immediately set the phone screen down on the ground, and walk away from the camera to avoid having your face show up in the photo.

After 10 seconds, go back to your phone and check the results!

What happens if you don't get out of the way fast enough:

There you have it: an easy night time shot of the stars! You can get creative with this mode and change the angle. Instead of using the ground to stabilize the phone, you can set it on a tripod and catch a different view of the sky.

But wait, there's more!

Editing your phone photos is important to make them look their best. Don't skip this step!

Here are the Lightroom Mobile settings I used to make my star photos pop:

To see a quick video of my editing process, check out my latest Instagram post:

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Hi I'm Gabrielle. I run a full time photography business in Winnipeg, specializing in portrait and commercial photography. This newsletter started with my passion for helping everyday people realize their full photography potential. With a bit of technical and creative help, you too can take better photos with the phone camera you already have.

Find more of my resources here:

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Gabrielle Touchette Photography

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