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NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY

Saturday, 14 November 2009 23:05

Night shots provide a very different mood and perspective to a subject. Having the ability and confidence to take a night shot is a valuable addition to the photographer’s repertoire.

Digital cameras have made night photography a breeze. You can see immediately as to whether you have captured the image you want. They also are brilliant when it comes to calculating exposure and, like video cameras, capture an amazing amount of detail in low light. Even the photographer who is unsure about manual exposure will usually score a good shot with the camera set on auto.

Here are three tips to achieving good night shots.

Make sure the camera is steady. A tripod is the first choice, but many a good shot has been taken with the camera propped up on something like a table or a folded coat.
Choose the best time for a ‘night’ shot. There is a critical time at dusk when the sun has long since disappeared but the colour of the sky becomes a deep purple. Take your shot while there is still a trace of twilight. Once the sky has turned an inky black it is too late. Experiment with this and you will eventually develop the knack of picking the ideal time for your dusk shots.
If you are taking a shot when daylight has totally disappeared, use diffused light and minimise the amount of sky in the picture. Dust, smoke, pollution, rain and humid air add body to the atmosphere. They act as a natural reflector.

RANDOM NOTES:

Take plenty of shots. Digital film is cheap. Somewhere in there will be the one that stands out.

Be careful of wind. It can move a tripod around, and even blow over a lightweight model.

Work with a low ISO. Night images always reveal more noise (grain), so it is better to set the ISO as low as possible and rely on a longer exposure. As long as the camera is steady it can take as long as it likes.

The most pleasing night shots are taken before the sky actually becomes dark. There is a period of 10-20 minutes when the sky will appear a deep blue and the lights of buidlings will stand out while the buildings themselves will be illuminated. Move quickly though. You will be surprised how quickly the light drops at this time of day

Don’t worry too much about moving objects in the scene, but do try and keep people from walking or standing right in front of the camera. A little blur and movement can add to the mood of a shot. Car headlights pointing directly at the camera are usually not a good look either. If there is a risk of someone walking into your gear in the dark, it is a good idea to hover over the tripod. It is all too easy for someone to trip over this accessory in the dark.

Remember, if you miss the shot at dusk, there is always dawn, not that I emerge often at that time of day. Just remember that most buildings, cities etc will in all probability be dark. Most turn off all lights by midnight. Keep in mind though that cityscapes are always better at dusk on weekdays. Cleaning staff turn on every light on the building. City buildings are often darker on weekend nights.

Use the timer delay function of the camera. Don't keep your finger on the trigger during the time of exposure.

Best if you can shoot with the twilight sky behind you. If you shoot directly into the sky where the sun recently set you will probably be troubled by heavy contrast, unless conditions are overcast.

click to view enlargements

A classic dusk shot of the Museum in Hobart, Tasmania. It was late enough for the floodlights to have been turned on, but early enough in the evening for the fading twilight to give deep blue to the sky. Ten minutes later and the moment would have been lost
Taken minutes before the previous image. The conditions were identical, but the sky to the south had more light in it, giving much more detail in the cloud. Reflections usually work well in night shots as the increase the illumination
The picture of the London Eye was taken at dusk after the moon had risen but before the sky became too dark. Leaving the shot for much longer would have resulted in blurring of the rotating wheel.
It was night-time when I took this image of trishaws in front of a temple in Singapore. Incense smoke, humid air and general city dust combined to diffuse the ambient light resulting in a good exposure of the street scene.
The walls of the city of Xian in China are well illuminated at night. Like so many cities affected by pollution in China, the smog diffused the light. Even though it was late, there was no problem in getting a good night shot.
This is an interesting night shot of The Nut at Stanley. It was threatening rain so the air was very humid. Even though it was quite dark, the diffused light and a 30 second exposure resulted in an amazing amount of detail. The camera picked up things that the eye couldn't see.
Here is another variation on a theme. A sudden squall hit Pittwater at dusk. The lights were already on in the houses, while the eerie, contrasting light accentuated the white hulls of the boats.
A wet and windy night - not the best conditions. But a sturdy tripod and light diffused by the rain resulted in an attractive shot of the Forth Bridge in Scotland.

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Last Updated on Monday, 31 October 2011 16:32