Summer nights are perfect for photographing the stars and Milky Way. To get great star images, you'll want to use a wide-angle lens, preferably one with a fast aperture. I use the new 20mm f/1.8 Nikkor, or the 14-24mm f/2.8 Nikkor. You can use a slower lens, but you'll need to use a higher ISO to capture the faint stars and Milky Way.

To avoid star trails, limit your exposures to no more than 30 seconds. A general rule of thumb is to divide 500 by your focal length to get the maximum shutter speed before star trails appear in your image. For a 20mm lens, this works out to 25 seconds. Start at ISO 1600 and see if the image captures enough stars. The ISO will vary depending on how dark it is. As the night progresses, you may end up around ISO 3200 or higher, depending on your lens. Don't be afraid to shoot wide-open!

When processing your images of stars, boost the contrast and use the Whites slider in Lightroom/ACR to make the Milky Way stand out. The latest version of Lightroom CC now offers whites/blacks sliders in the Brush/Gradient tools for even more control.