Space Shots: Chris Hadfield Reveals Top Tips

The commander of the International Space Station (ISS) has been showing how he and his team have managed to take so many amazing pictures of Earth.

In a four-minute video called Snapshots From Space, Chris Hadfield points out the ISS is in orbit 400km (250 miles) above the blue planet.

That being the case he says a camera with a powerful lens is absolutely essential.

The other key thing, he says, is to "focus, frame and fire!"

With the ISS travelling so quickly (8km or 5m per second), he informs viewers, you cannot afford to waste a single moment.

Cmdr Hadfield, who arrived at the station on December 21 last year, says one of the most striking spectacles on Earth is the Sahara Desert.

"Huge, barren, colourful rock ... no vegetation covering it up. You can see all the textures and varying shades of the world. The Sahara is beautiful," he says.

"We're coming up on it now " he adds, and proceeds to take a series of breathtaking snaps.

Cmdr Hadfield points out it is "lunchtime" on the Sahara and "the sun is shining right down, which means it is strong on the surface and it's good to get the detail".

Something he looks for he says is "edges and borders and changes", which the Sahara has in abundance.

The beauty of taking photos from space, he concludes, is that "if something is not here this time, tomorrow it might be ... or maybe next week or maybe a month from now.

"There's not a race to get a picture ... you can be patient."