PHOTOGRAPHY

 Night photography: its settings, equipment, and some amazing night photography ideas

  Have you ever come across those amazing photos taken at night? Do you wish you were able to take beautiful photos of the stars but often get unsatisfactory photos?

  In the beginning, you will inevitably face a new set of challenges when shooting at night. The rules or guidelines that you follow when shooting in the daytime are not necessarily the right choices when shooting in the dark.

  But believe me, night photography is an excellent way to learn to use manual mode, setting all the settings yourself rather than relying on the camera to set it for you.

  At the end of this post, you will have exactly what you need to get the shot you want and you will discover that night photography is really fun.

  Don't be afraid to experiment and you will be rewarded with amazing photos that you will be proud of.

  Let's Begin.

Night photography

   What are the preparations before the night photography?

  Timing and planning are very important in night photography.

  Explore the shooting location in broad daylight for planning and composition.

  Learn about the night sky with apps and other resources.

  Find out when the moon will rise if you want to include the moon in your photo and when the things you care about will rise, like **the Milky Way**, and the direction you're going overhead.

  PhotoPills is a great photography app to use for planning. (To download it on Android devices click on this link, to download it on Apple devices press this link).

  Light pollution is an important consideration when choosing an imaging location. If you want to photograph the stars, get as far away from city lights as possible, and if possible, go to higher altitudes where there are fewer particles in the air so that the light does not scatter. This will make your photos clearer and more detailed.

 Shooting at lower temperatures gives you sharper images because the temperature of the sensor inside the camera is lowered during long exposures and generates less noise.

   What equipment will you need for night photography?

  You don't need a lot of expensive equipment to take beautiful photos at night. These four elements are enough to get you started:

  Camera with Manual Mode

  It doesn't matter what kind of camera, or what brand, it doesn't even matter its shooting capabilities, you just have to have the manual mode denoted by M in the mode dial at the top of the camera, so you can adjust everything yourself.

  Lens

  Since you are looking for how to shoot at night you probably already have a lens, well don't worry your lens will do the trick however, photographers prefer a wide-angle lens like 35mm or 24mm or less to capture as much of the scene in front of you as possible.

(If you do not know the types of lenses in photography, feel free to visit our article at this link).

  Tripod

  The most important thing that you will absolutely need is a tripod.

  Shooting in the dark means that you will need to set the camera to a long shutter speed meaning that the shutter on the camera will remain open for as long as several seconds to collect enough light for proper exposure.

  A long shutter speed means that the slightest movement causes the image to blur, so you'll need to hold the camera on a tripod to avoid damage.

  If you haven't bought a tripod yet, here's our guide to choosing the best tripod for your budget.

  Remote shooting or using the Timer in the camera

  Another useful element to keep the camera steady is the remote shooting device. I highly recommend you get one because it's so cheap (under $10 on Amazon). You may find it both wired and wireless.

  If you don't have a remote camera and don't plan to buy one, you can use the two-second timer to take the photo, so you don't touch the camera while shooting.

   What are the appropriate settings for night photography?

  When you want to adjust the settings, the first thing you should do is find the mode dial at the top of the camera as shown in the image below, and rotate it to “M” which means “Manual Mode”.

  By doing this, you will be able to manually adjust the three exposure settings; Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO.

  Now, let's start with the aperture.

  Aperture 

  Aperture is simply the aperture at the back of the lens, which controls the amount of light that enters the camera.

  The aperture is measured by a value known as “F/stop”, for example, f/1.8, f/16 …, and so on.

  The aperture controls the amount of brightness of an image, which is called exposure.

  If you choose a wide aperture like f/4 or f/2 or less, a lot of light will enter the camera because the aperture is wide, and vice versa, the narrower the aperture, the darker the image.

  Exposure is not all that aperture controls, it also affects depth of field.

  If you want to get an image where both the foreground and background are as crisp as the image below, you'll need a narrow aperture like f/13 or f/16 or more.

  Whereas, if you want to isolate your subject from the background, meaning the subject is clear and the background is blurry, you will need a wide aperture such as f/4 or f/2.8 or less.

  This was a short definition of aperture, if you are interested in learning more about it click on this link: Our Complete Guide to Aperture!

  While shooting landscapes during daylight, we tend to keep the aperture somewhere between f/7.1 and f/13 as this will result in clear images from front to back.

  The exact opposite is true in night photography because you need to keep the aperture open to collect a lot of light. After all, the scene is dark.

44m f/4 10s ISO100

  Some lenses allow a wide aperture of f/1.2 but I recommend using the f/2.8 aperture for night photography.

  Don't worry if the lens doesn't have an aperture that wide; The f/4 aperture does the trick.

  I don't recommend shooting at f-stops wider than f/2.8.

  Although wider apertures like f/1.8 capture more light, it is very difficult to get a sharp picture at very wide apertures at night.

  Shooting at f/2.8 or f/4 keeps the foreground reasonably clear and ensures the stars and the night sky are in focus.

  ISO

  Raising the ISO increases the brightness of the image, but raising it too much leads to the appearance of small dots in your image, which may reduce its quality, as shown in the image below.

  When shooting in daylight it is always recommended to leave the ISO at its lowest value which is often ISO100. But in night photography quite the opposite, since the scene is dark, you will need to increase the ISO, but without exaggeration.

  Exactly how much the ISO should be increased depends on how dark the place outside is. I tend to start with ISO800 and increase if needed.

  If the image is too dark, increase the ISO further. I usually use an ISO between 800 and 3200 for most of my night photos. In some cases, I may increase it more but not go beyond 6400.

  Shutter Speed

  There is a curtain inside the camera called the shutter, when you press the shutter button, this curtain opens and closes and you are taking the picture.

  How long this curtain stays open is called shutter speed and is measured in seconds.

  Shutter speed also affects the brightness of the photo.

  The slower the shutter speed a second or more, the more light will be collected by the camera. And vice versa, the faster the shutter speed like 1/500s or more the darker the photo will be.

  Shutter speed is also responsible for how the movement appears in the image.

  A fast shutter speed such as 1/500s or more is responsible for freezing action.

  While a slow shutter speed like seconds will create blurred motion.

  For more information: Explanation of Shutter Speed ​​for beginners.

  In night photography, the shutter speed depends on the scene you are shooting, but it's usually 10-30 seconds and sometimes more.

  I tend to start at a 10-second speed and raise or lower it depending on what the image looks like.

  If the image is bright, I lower the ISO instead of lowering the shutter speed. I do this to get as little noise as possible.

  Now, you might be wondering why can't you just use a longer speed (like 2 minutes) and lower the ISO to a minimum to avoid blobs?

  The answer is “you can.” But a shutter speed that is too slow will cause the stars to move in your photos, I’ll explain further:

  Our planet is spinning. This means that the stars are constantly "moving", and it also means that the more you slow the shutter speed to minutes or several minutes, the more movement we catch in the stars.

  When you increase the shutter speed to a minute or two, you'll start to notice movement in the stars, which doesn't look good in photos.

  But when you use a very slow speed (such as 10 minutes or more), the movement becomes sharper and the image will start to look better.

  A 10-minute exposure will result in long star trails that give beautiful images. But all cameras are only up to 30s. How do I use shutter speeds longer than that? This's what we will see in the next paragraph.

  Use Bulb Mode to shoot star trails

  If you need to adjust the shutter speed for longer than 30 seconds to capture star trails, you will need to use Bulb Mode. Where do you find this mode on your camera!

  Shift the shutter speed for as long as possible. Normally, it is 30 seconds, and the camera will display the letter B after “30. This is your flashlight mode!

  Lamp mode keeps the shutter curtain open as long as you hold the shutter button, meaning if you hold the shutter button down for 4 minutes without lifting your finger, the shutter curtain will stay open for 4 minutes. That is, you used a shutter speed of 4 minutes.

  However, it would be impossible to keep a finger on the button to get exposure for minutes or hours, so what should you do?

  Flashlight mode is usually used in conjunction with a telephoto device.

  You can get this device for about $10 for most cameras. It is simply a remote or wired control, allowing the photographer to lock the shutter button to take long exposures, without actually standing up and pressing the button.

  If you want to take a picture at a shutter speed of 5 minutes, for example, when you press the button on the device above, the camera starts taking the picture, until the five minutes are up, then press it again to release the shutter. (This is the same device I talked about in the Night Camera Equipment section.)

  Since you will be opening the shutter for more than 30 seconds, select a larger f-stop meaning a narrow aperture such as f/8, f/11, or even f/18.

  Using a narrow aperture reduces exposure due to a very slow shutter speed.

  You can also use the lowest ISO possible for your camera.

  Like all the other settings discussed in this article, I advise you to take some test shots and adjust them according to the shot you want.

  Flashlight mode (B) is also ideal for “light painting” where you can “scribble” or “draw” in the air using light sources such as a flashlight.

  Manual Focus

  In night photography, when you focus on the right point in the scene, it means that everything behind and before that point is sharp and clear, in other words, you get a clear picture from foreground to background.

  Focusing on the camera is manual (denoted by MF) or automatic (denoted by AF).

  In night photography, since everything is dark, the camera will find it difficult to focus automatically, to address this you must follow the following stages:

  If you have Live View, activate it to see your scene on the LCD screen.

  Try to find a place to focus. This often depends on the photo you're taking (bright cityscapes are different from dark landscapes) but try to find bright places on the LCD screen (it could be the brightest star, streetlight, or other light sources).

  Use the +/- buttons on the back of the camera to zoom in on the screen and zoom in on the bright spot we'll be focusing on.

  Because it's dark, the camera will find it difficult to focus automatically, so you must focus manually. Move the focus switch (pictured above) to manual focus (MF).

  When you find a bright spot and zoom in with Live View, start adjusting the focus ring at the front of the lens until the spot is sharp and clear, and shoot!

  Note: Autofocus can work when shooting lit cityscapes at night but it is still better to focus manually.

  But wait... I don't have Live View!

  Fear is not my friend, lack of Live View is no reason to give up! It may take one or two additional test shots but the process is not that difficult.

  Since we don't have the LCD and Live View to refer to when adjusting focus, we need to know where our lens will give the sharpest result and focus most of the image.

  Two methods make this process very easy.

  Focus on infinity

  The easiest way to get good focus in night photography is to simply set your focus to Infinity. The sharpest point may not always be exactly at infinity, but it is close.

  Since the stars are so far away from where we are on Earth, focusing on infinity will provide perfectly sharp images of the stars, the Milky Way, and the night sky.

  Most lenses have a “∞” symbol on them which is used to mark the approximate infinity focus point.

  Focus on Hyperfocal Distance

  Hyperfocal distance is the point in the scene that if you focus on it you will get a clear image in front of and behind this point infinitely, everything is clear.

   Some ideas for night photography

  Now that you have an idea of the proper equipment and camera settings in night photography, you have to choose a good subject for your photography.

  Photographing at night is not different from what you do during the day. A good topic is a good topic day or night. However, things will look different at night.

  Let me introduce you to some of the things I love to photograph at night.

  Night sky

  If you're in the countryside, you don't need more than a clear night to get a great picture.

  Moonless and clear nights are the best. If you can catch up with the Milky Way, the better 

  If you can add an interesting introduction to the shot, that's even better. Like the image above where the man in the foreground has been added to give the image the feel of a huge sky.

  Lit buildings

  Lighted buildings are a good choice for a night theme.

  Although the idea is simple, when implemented well, you can get a great result.

  You can also use this as a starting point for night photography. You will have additional ideas as you stand there.

  Fountains

  Fountains are probably my favorite nightly themes.

  Oftentimes they are lit in different colors as well, which adds extra interest. The long shutter speeds you use at night make the fountain appear to be flowing.

  Bridges

  It seems that every city or town has a bridge. It may not be the Golden Gate Bridge, but there will likely be a bridge and it will be well lit at night, making it an interesting subject.

  In addition, the slow shutter speed you use for night photography will cause the water under the bridge to blur, and traffic lights up choppy.

  Street lights

  Pay close attention to the street lights when you are shooting at night. They can be useful in many different contexts. You can add a point of interest at the end of the lights like the building in the image below.

  If there are many lights, they can create a beautiful main line in your photo that leads the viewer's eye to the point of interest.

  Tracks car lights

  It's really fun to catch the light trails from moving cars. Created when the shutter speed slows down and a car or other vehicle passes through the frame while the shutter is open.

  Reflections

  A benefit of the longer shutter speeds you'll use at night is that reflections appear better on surfaces of water.

  Panoramic city views at night

  Some of the best night photography I've seen are night views of cities.

  You can often get great shots on the horizon. Be careful though - a great view often doesn't translate into a great photo.

  Make sure you have an interesting introduction or a strong center of interest for the image.

  When choosing subjects for night photography, it is important to note that things will not look the same on the camera as they really are.

  Take some test shots whenever possible. And manipulate the settings until you get the image you want.

   Process your night photos

  You can make your night photos look much better with a minimal amount of post-processing.

  Of course, given all the different types of night shots you might encounter, providing specific editing tips here is tricky.

  Try adding simple changes to your photos like making shadows lighter or darker, sharpening and lighting, and more.

  But always try to look as natural as possible, and do not over-edit.

   Conclusion

  Night photography is not complicated. In fact, night photography is the first thing I want a new photographer to learn.

  It's easier than taking pictures in the daytime because everything happens slowly, the camera is on a tripod and can take your time, and it's easy to see the effect of shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.

  Our world is so beautiful at night! I hope you are encouraged to come out and make sure to try it out for yourself.