Night photography tips helping you to take better low light images
All night photography tips in one place
 | Akerselven Oslo light festival |
A lot of people pack their camera away as soon the sun is setting and think there is no way for more shooting. This is a wrong decision as the time just before sunrise and after sunset have a lot of photographic opportunities. Your most important tool for night photography is a tripod because you will shoot at long shutter speeds. As long you use a tripod there is always enough light to shoot beautiful images.Night photography is subject to the same constraints as when shooting at daylight. It is about the right combination of aperture, shutter speed and ISO, but the settings are all often pushed to their extremes.
Here are the night photography tips you can learn more about
Night photography tips - when to shoot night images?
The best time is just after dusk and just before dawn, often referred to as the magic hour. During this time there is some light in the sky. Shooting at this time can yield some spectacular results. The blue hour
Actually the best time for photography is the minutes before the sun is going down – the golden hour, and before the sky is getting completely dark. You might have seen photographs where the sky is dark blue but still you can see the clouds. This short period before the sky gets totally dark is often referred to as the blue hour. Nearly in any weather condition even fog or rain, the sky will turn cobolt blue in images shoot in this period of time. You have very limited time slot to shoot so you need to be well prepared. Twilight photography
 | Dubai skyline at night |
Is the time just before the sun is rising in the morning. This is also a time when the light is beautiful. The problem (for some of us) is to get up from the bed early enough and get outside before sunrise. During the “twilight” and “golden hour” the light is softer and has a beautiful warm colour. As the sun is low on the sky you will have pronounced shadows and patterns.Know when and where the sun is setting or the moon is rising if you what to include them in your photos. If you want to find out at what time the blue hour is where you are, look here
Night photography tips - what equipment is needed?
Long shutter speeds and Manual settings
Two important things for night photography are the camera must have possibilities for long exposure times and preferably full manual settings of exposure (aperture and shutter). You don’t need an expensive camera or DSLR for night photography. A compact camera is fine as long as long shutter speeds are possible. Depending on the subject and situation shutter speeds from 2 up to 30 seconds or even longer might be required. Many cameras have a B (Bulb) option which allows you to keep the shutter open as long you want - even for minutes. To do this a cable release or remote release is necessary. If your camera allows you to shoot in M (manual) I will recommend this setting as it gives you full flexibility.
Camera with - Night scene Mode
 | Lights of car in snow |
Many digital compact cameras have some kind of "Night Scene Mode". In this mode the camera will choose longer shutter speeds than it does with bright light conditions. As long exposure times are used it is essential using a tripod. If possible you should turn the flash off.The exception is if you are using the flash as a fill-in flash when taking portraits. Do remember the built in flash only reach a few meter (2-4 meter depending on the camera).
Tripod
As you will shoot at long exposure times at night a tripod is a must accessory. Without a tripod your images are likely to be blurred due to camera shake. It is of course possible to place the camera on some type of pedestal. The problem is often the photographer leaves the tripod at home because it is regarded as not important or it is too much to carry. I promise you a lot of opportunities are lost without the tripod. You should consider a small lightweight tripod or one of the flexible "Gorilla pods"
Remote control or self timer
Another useful accessory with the purpose of reducing camera shake is a remote control. The remote control allows you to activate the shutter without touching the camera. Remote controls are available as cable or wireless. Either of them are good options but the wireless gives you more flexibility as you don’t need to be at the camera. A wireless is of course more expensive. Not every camera and especially not the compact have possibilities of using a cable release. In this case the use of the self timer might help you out. Most cameras have a self timer option. This is often a forgotten feature which is used when the photographer wants to be in the picture himself.
A torch
A last night photography tips is - bring a torch. It may be useful when it is dark for reading camera settings and if you want to paint with light.
For more night photography tips please continue reading - which camera settings to use
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