Hi Folks!

With all the recent hysteria around drones/orbs right now. I wanted to offer a clear guide on how to get the best results when attempting to photo or video something you see.

If someone thinks they see a UFO - please know that quality is paramount right now. You should treat it like such. This isn’t something folks can just whip out a phone and try and capture without contributing to the already-bad data. Given how long this mystery has persisted, I’ve been really surprised at how low effort most evidence is. Is this not important? Don’t we want to get to the bottom of things? Well then, read on, here’s how:

0. ALWAYS- Validate what you are seeing with public data. Use AR Astronomy apps to rule out bright stars and planets. Use AR Flight Radar apps to rule out commercial planes. Also ensure you aren’t looking at a lens flair by comparing against other light patterns in the image.
1. ALWAYS- Use a tripod or stabilization of some sort and film from a stationary area. Even a mini tripod is better than nothing. Oh, and pull over if you’re driving or ask to pull over if you are a passenger. This is important enough to pull over for right?
2. ALWAYS- Lock your focus to infinity. You might need a 3rd party app to do it. Anything further than a few hundred feet doesn’t need a focus wheel - just go straight to “infinity” or as far out focus as you can and lock it.
3. TRY - To get as much data as possible. Is the orb still there? Do you have battery? Don’t stop recording! 6 second snippets are a trend worth fighting against.
4. TRY - Astrophotography mode if your phone supports it. It stacks thousands of exposures and tries to increase detail. Stop the capture if the subject moves to avoid streaks.
5. TRY - Lucky imaging if you don’t have an Astro mode on your phone. This means locking your shutter speed to 1 second, with a moderate-high ISO (about 3/4 of the way to max ISO) and taking images continuously. This can later be stacked in a photo editor or astronomy stacker where you can fine tune the image and get insane amounts of detail. If you find that the subject is too bright, reduce ISO first, then reduce shutter speed.
6. TRY - To use a telescopic lens OR mount your camera to a telescope of some type. Many of the videos suggest that these anomalies are often stationary for long enough to be viewable in astronomy telescopes.

If you follow these tips, you’ll get better photos than 90% of what’s being shared recently. Even if you’re using a smartphone.

Anyone else have good tips?

EDIT: Added note about what to do if lucky imaging subject is too bright.