Autumn Schrock (@autpops) has captured astrophotography all over the world. “Astrophotography is so magical,” she says. “Just being out under the stars, looking at your own galaxy is just mind blowing and it makes me so happy.” While certainly magical, astrophotography also takes some practice to get right. Watch below as Schrock shares her top three tips for creating astro images that are truly out of this world.

1. Use A Sturdy Tripod.

Schrock’s first important tip for astrophotography is to make sure you use a sturdy tripod. “If you don’t use a sturdy tripod, you’re risking introducing motion blur into your images. So that negates all of the money that you’re spending on expensive camera gear.”

2. DON'T Focus On The Brightest Star.

Schrock says while you might expect to manually focus your lens on the brightest star or planet in the sky, they will often have halos or glows around them that make it more difficult to see the edge of the star or planet if it’s in focus. “So what I often do is find a more medium bright star. Usually this allows me to nail focus on the first try.”

3. Expect To Fail.

Schrock’s third tip for astrophotography is that you should expect to fail at first. “It’s just part of the process. You’ll get a little bit discouraged, but just have patience. It takes a lot of practice.”

Learn more about the gear she uses for astrophotography in her What’s In My Bag article and watch the video below for more.

See more of Autumn Schrock’s beautiful astro images on her Instagram @autpops.

See more videos like this on the Alpha Universe YouTube Channel.