If you are visiting Florida and want to create a great launch photograph but the launch is at night, take a look at this relatively simple technique that will yield some great results: a launch streak shot.
Launch streaks are not difficult for nearly any photographer to create, and it doesn’t take any specialized equipment other than a wide-angle lens and a relatively inexpensive shutter release cable used to keep the shutter of your camera open for several minutes during the flight of the rocket. Just follow a basic procedure and you too can create a memorable photo that will be one that you keep for years.
Here’s what you need:
- A DSLR or mirrorless SLR. Or, a film camera.
- A FULLY CHARGED battery. A dead battery mid-exposure is no fun at all.
- A wide-angle lens, preferably with an effective focal length of 24mm or less. Depending on how close the launch is from where you set up, you might be able to use a 35mm. Generally, however, if you’re within 20 miles of the launch site, a 24mm is the best choice.
- A sturdy tripod.
- A locking shutter release-cable.
- Patience
That’s it. The release cable can be purchased on Amazon for less than $50 for most major brands, and for some cameras, the price is a lot less than that: I’ve used a $15 Nikon cable for years with different cameras.
Where To Go?
That’s up to you, and I have seen great launch streak shots taken from Orlando, Daytona Beach, even West Palm Beach and Tampa.
If you are visiting the theme parks in Orlando, I’d recommend going to one of the local parks on US-1 north in Titusville, or perhaps on the beaches on Cape Canaveral or Cocoa Beach. There are other sites, such as KARS Park (limited hours, small admission fee) or the Banana River Bridge on FL-528W, but for the purposes of this article, let’s assume that you’re going to Titusville. It’s easy to get to, easy to get in and out of, is safe and with plenty of police nearby to guide traffic and ensure public safety.
You’ll need a clear view of the horizon and sky to to the general direction of the launch itself. For example, most SpaceX Falcon 9 launches carrying Starlink satellites are to the southeast, while every launch towards the International Space Station are in the opposite direction — to the northeast. If the launch is carrying satellites to geo-stationary orbit, it’s a safe bet that the rocket will fly close to due east from the launch pad.
One direction that rockets won’t fly to in Florida is to the west, over land.
When To Go?
First things first: check the weather. Check the launch status. See below for more information on how to do that. Rockets don’t launch in thunderstorms or steady rain, and winds cancel launches almost as often as rain. Know before you go is the key phrase to remember here.
Assuming everything is still a “go” my personal recommendation is to arrive at your selected viewing location at least an hour in advance – and it is better to get there before that if you can swing it. You’ll want plenty of time to park, to orient yourself to the direction of the launch pad, and to set up your gear and check it twice. I also like to take a quick test shot prior to liftoff to ensure that I’m ready to go and also to check my composition.
A Word About Scrubs and Delays
Rocket launches are peculiar beasts, and they can be delayed or postponed at any time for any reason. I’ve been to launches that were scrubbed with a minute or less to go and a couple after ignition of the engines. Be aware of that, and be ready for it to happen.
How Do I Get Updates While I Wait?
As long as you have a good signal on your cell phone (another reason I recommend Titusville), you should be able to keep up with the launch status relatively easily. That’s important to do, because as I mention above, rocket launches are quite often delayed or scrubbed (canceled for the day) if everything is not right. The weather has to be within acceptable limits, the rocket itself has to be in fully working order, and on top of that, the areas at sea and in the air of the flight path of the rocket have to be clear. In short, thousands of different things have to go right for a rocket to launch, but only one thing has to not be right for the launch to be scrubbed or delayed.
There is a saying around the Space Coast that’s 100% factual: “no one will remember a scrub or a delay, but no one will ever forget a launch failure.”
This is my personal favorite site for upcoming launches, as well as information on the rocket, the payload and the planned trajectory. It’s free to use, is accurate, and has really nice features like a countdown clock that comes in handy while I’m waiting to see watch liftoff. They have apps for both Android and Apple, as well as a website online that has the same information.
If you are a Facebook user, Space Launch Schedule also has an active user group that’s a good source of information and inspiration. Later on, you can share your photo(s) there as well.
Spaceflight Now is a space news website and news service that also provides launch coverage on YouTube. They start about an hour before liftoff, and are an excellent source for up-to-the-minute status updates. SFN offers a countdown clock, views of the rocket and informative commentary by some of the best in the launch coverage business.
NOTE: because it literally takes time for a live signal to travel from the Cape to Youtube’s servers and then back down to your phone, SFN’s video feed can be delayed anywhere from six to thirty seconds when you see it. That’s not any editorial decision by them, it’s simply a matter of physics. Refer to Space Launch Schedule’s countdown clock.
There are other great sources of information, but for simplicity’s sake, I will mention the two websites above. Between them you’ll know what you need to know when you need to know it, and that’s what counts the most. I recommend you explore both sites before you head out to the launch site, and that you familiarize yourself with how they work.
Setting Up For The Photograph
Once you arrive at the launch site choose where you will place your camera. I recommend being close to the water’s edge if you are on the banks of the Indian or Banana River, and to have some sort of foreground interest to give your photograph a sense of place. There are a lot of piers on the Indian River, for example. If you can’t find an object to put in the foreground, no worries, you’ll still get a great shot.
IMPORTANT NOTE: be aware of wildlife in or near the water. If you see an alligator, find another spot. Don’t approach it and don’t disturb it.
Find the launch pad, if you can see it. (Some great streak shots don’t show the launch pad.) This can be tricky, and if you’re not sure and someone is nearby, ask them. Worst case, use Google Maps to orient yourself so that you’re aiming in the right direction.
This is where knowing the trajectory is critical: if the launch is to the south, you’ll want the launch pad on the left side of the frame of your planned photo. The rocket will travel right to left if your looking to the east. On the other hand, if the mission is towards the International Space Station, the rocket will be traveling right to left, so orient the launch pad to the right of your frame. If you’re at an equatorial launch (one to the due east from the pad) you’ll want to center the pad in your frame.
Space Launch Schedule website has a link to a flight trajectory plot on Flightclub.io. Here’s one for Starlink showing it will travel to the southeast. If you are facing east, put the launch pad region on the left side of your composition.
Next, shift the camera to where the balance of sky is at least 75% of your composition. If you’re close to the launch pad – again, using the example of US1 in Titusville, I recommend making it 85% sky, just to be sure. You can always zoom in a crop later if you like, but you can’t compensate for missing part of the flight path if you’re aimed too low. Safer is better than sorry, especially if you’ve traveled a very long way to take the photograph.
Settings
Here are the settings I’ve used successfully for a few dozen “streak shots”:
- Camera Mode: MANUAL
- ISO: 100
- Aperture: f22*
- Shutter: Bulb
- ISO: 100
- Autofocus: turn this off, and manually focus the lens to its Infinity setting.
* Aperture is
Turn off noise reduction or any other in-camera post-processing. I have found with long exposures like a streak shot, my camera can take 4-5 minutes to complete post-processing and that in turn is a chance for a mistake.
Consult your camera manual for directions if you’re not sure how to put it in those settings.
Focusing may be a bit of a challenge, but I’ve found that I can focus my lens fairly easily by first centering on a bright light off on the horizon and then focusing on it. Then I’ll carefully adjust my composition to what I am looking for, and finally lock the tripod down so it won’t move at all while the photo is being made.
When To Take The Picture
Take a test picture once you have everything set – probably 4-5 minutes of exposure, at least. This will give you the confidence that you’ve set up everything correctly, and if not, you’ll have a chance to fix it before the launch itself. Given that it’s pretty dark, I often will tilt or level the camera a little bit after my first test shot.
For the launch itself, I will often start the photo a couple of minutes before liftoff. This accomplishes a couple purposes: if anything has gone awry, I have a last chance to fix it. Secondly, and most importantly, I like my streak shots to have a bit of color in the sky. The longer the exposure time, the bluer the sky. If there are stars out, they’ll have longer streaks. If there are clouds up in the sky, they will streak a bit too. It’s really an artist’s choice, however, if you want a darker sky, wait closer to the liftoff to start your exposure. If you want a brighter sky start earlier. Test shots are informative here, and I can’t recommend creating them enough.
The Launch Itself
Launches are brightest in the first few seconds of flight, because that’s the closest the rocket will be to you and your camera. It’s one of the reasons I recommend a really high aperture like f22 – you’ll have a much better chance for the first part of the streak not to be “blown out” with a huge blob of light. It’s not aesthetically pleasing to me, so I account for it with the narrow aperture.
After that, the rocket will appear to rise vertically for at least fifteen and perhaps even thirty seconds, depending on your location and the mission profile. Then it will begin to arc over towards the horizon. At some point, perhaps 45 seconds or so, it will reach its apparent apex and then look like it is desecending. Don’t worry, it isn’t dropping, your just seeing an optical illusion because of the Earth’s curve.
For a SpaceX Falcon 9, the first stage of flight is roughly two and a half minutes. The plume of the rocket will start changing colors a little after two minutes has gone by, and it will be noticeably dimmer than even just a half minute before. It’s truly a beautiful site to behold.
When the rocket stages, there will be a few seconds of darkness from your point of view. Then, you should see the second stage firing up and continuing the mission. It is usually just a little pin-prick of light, but most nights it’s clearly visible.
This is another point where artist’s choice comes into play: you can stop the exposure pretty anytime you like, or you can let it continue until you can’t see anything. Some nights, I’ve been able to follow the rocket’s flame plume almost to orbit – about eight minutes. If its hazy, like most summer nights, the light will disappear closer to staging. Every launch is different.
Unclick the shutter lock on your release cable, and let the camera write the file to the storage card and have a look – you’ll be able to immediately get an idea of your results!
Later, In Your Photo Editor
Streak shots are rarely perfect out of the camera. The settings I recommended in this article are purposely intended to create a darker photo, because this in turn preserves the highlights — meaning the brightest parts of the picture still have color and contrast. The dark parts do as well, you just need to turn it up to match what you remember seeing while you watched the launch.
Fortunately, modern photo editors like Lightroom can make fixing the shot to look like what you remember.
The darker parts can be brightened, and if you missed the colors can be fixed as well. Just be judicious and have a light touch on the sliders. Less is more.
Oh, and if you edited a Raw photo, check out the photo in HDR, especially if you have a high quality monitor. The difference might amaze you!
If you have a modern Mac or a gaming PC Starlink Launch HDR Version and compare with the JPEG version below:
Photo: Charles Boyer / FMN
