Night Photography

Tip #1: Carry a flashlight so you can see to set your camera.

There are many different types of night photos that can be taken, requiring a range of techniques. The most important factor in night photography is the exposure. With an SLR camera, you may manually adjust the exposure by changing the aperture and shutter speed settings, or you may use one of the programmed exposure controls. No matter what type of digital camera you have, it likely has an automatic night mode that sets the exposure automatically. The camera may have an exposure compensation setting. Both of these probably work by adjusting the aperture to larger and the shutter speed to slower. This may not work for your shot if for some reason you need a fast shutter speed and small aperture simultaneously. It also will not work if the light is so dim that adjusting the aperture and shutter speed alone still results in an underexposed shot. If you have a camera that can shoot at high ISO settings with little or no noise (a good SLR), the solution to these problems is to adjust the camera to a higher ISO setting. This is one reason to spend more money on a camera.

Keep in mind that if you shoot at a slow shutter speed, both the camera and the subject must remain absolutely still or the shot will be blurred. Even the slight shake caused by depressing the shutter release button can result in blurring. A way to avoid this is to use the self timer, or remote control if you camera has these options, while the camera is sitting on a stable object or tripod.

If you want a photo that appears as if it was taken during the day, this might be possible if there is even a minimal amount of illumination from sources such as street lights, or maybe even a full moon. In fact for some shots where a flash is usable, you will get better, more natural looking results using existing light instead. This type of shot may require a higher ISO setting, depending on how dim the light is.

Another type of shot is one in which the dark sky is an integral part of the scene, such as sunsets, fireworks, cityscapes, illuminated buildings, and stellar objects. Some example situations are:

• Sunsets
  A good technique is to use exposure bracketing and take a series of shots as the sun goes down. Then you can select the best. Something to consider when shooting sunsets is that clouds and the sun move. When bulb exposures (time lapse) or very slow shutter speeds are used, this motion can cause the photo to lose sharpness or worse. A tripod is essential.
  
  
• Carnival
  The same slow shutter speed that is a problem for some types of night shots, can create some very nice artistic photos of something like a carnival at night, filled with swirling trails of multicolored lights. A tripod is essential.
  
  
• Fireworks
  Fireworks can be photographed right at any instant while exploding or falling, by using a fast shutter speed coupled with a high ISO setting. Another type of more artistic fireworks shot can be made using bulb exposure to hold the shutter open for several bursts. This can fill the image with bursts of bright colors. A tripod is mandatory.
  

Many shots look better if taken as the sun goes down and it is not completely dark yet. This avoids an expanse of the photo that is just too "black".