Night Photography tips for a Beginner

RachelWaltham90

RachelWaltham90

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Rachel
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Hello all,

Is there any articles/websites or just general tips that all you photography masters out there could give me with regards to taking photos at dusk/and night?
I'm currently looking into getting a 2nd hand dslr and have always wanted to take photos at night, how do you go about taking photos of landscapes, waterscapes and people without it coming out as a blurred drunk looking mess?

Especially when the landscape has street lights etc in it.

Any advice is welcomed for me to be ready for the whole new world of dslr cameras!

Thanks :)
 
Welcome to TP Rachel, this is great place to learn (y) it really depends on what you want to capture (y) shooting at nighttime is a whole different skill set to shooting in the daytime ultimately the route to take when shooting landscapes etc at night is long exposure route, where as if you want to shoot people at night the was to go is flash photography (y)

Matt
MWHCVT
 
MWHCVT said:
Welcome to TP Rachel, this is great place to learn (y) it really depends on what you want to capture (y) shooting at nighttime is a whole different skill set to shooting in the daytime ultimately the route to take when shooting landscapes etc at night is long exposure route, where as if you want to shoot people at night the was to go is flash photography (y)

Matt
MWHCVT
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Thanks Matt :)

Say I wanted to shoot a nighttime landscape photograph, my fiance's attic bedroom window overlooks the whole of a city, hills surrounding it and the sea, at night it looks wonderful with all the city lights, and the stars and sometimes the moon shining on the sea. But getting a photograph of it? I havent a clue, the only photos I get are orange wiggly lines haha!
so if we use this as an example of what I want to take a photo of (for now), what kind of settings should I be changing or using?

Regards

Rachel:clap:
 
RachelWaltham90 said:
Thanks Matt :)

Say I wanted to shoot a nighttime landscape photograph, my fiance's attic bedroom window overlooks the whole of a city, hills surrounding it and the sea, at night it looks wonderful with all the city lights, and the stars and sometimes the moon shining on the sea. But getting a photograph of it? I havent a clue, the only photos I get are orange wiggly lines haha!
so if we use this as an example of what I want to take a photo of (for now), what kind of settings should I be changing or using?

Regards

Rachel:clap:
Click to expand...

Well for that I would look to do it as a long exposure, which it sounds like your camera is already trying to do (y) but to get a nice clear/clean image on a long exposure your going to need a tripod as the camera needs to stay still to avoid the movement in light sources causing the wiggly lines that your currently getting (y)

This is one I did at dusk the other day, this is a 15 second exposure (y)


Light Trail Burton Dasset by mwhcvt, on Flickr

Matt
 
MWHCVT said:
Well for that I would look to do it as a long exposure, which it sounds like your camera is already trying to do (y) but to get a nice clear/clean image on a long exposure your going to need a tripod as the camera needs to stay still to avoid the movement in light sources causing the wiggly lines that your currently getting (y)

This is one I did at dusk the other day, this is a 15 second exposure (y)


Light Trail Burton Dasset by mwhcvt, on Flickr

Matt
Click to expand...

Luckily I have a small tripod to hand, will have to give that a go!
The shakey hand problem explains it all :bonk:
Great photo btw, love how the traffic light has come out!
 
RachelWaltham90 said:
Luckily I have a small tripod to hand, will have to give that a go!
The shakey hand problem explains it all :bonk:
Great photo btw, love how the traffic light has come out!
Click to expand...

Great, a tripod will really help you out a lot (y) traffic light trails are my speciality (y) if that is something that you want to give a go then check out my signature in my first post there is a guide to light trails in there (y)

Matt
 
A tripod is best by far for this sort of thing, but a pile of books, a rock, a bag... anything can do the trick as long as the camera can rest on it safely.

The other thing to bear in mind is keeping the camera still while you press the shutter. Easiest way to do this is to use the shutter delay. Most cameras have a two or ten second delay, which allows you to trip the shutter without touching the camera. The best solution is a remote trigger. It's also worth looking up `mirror lock-up` for even more lack of movement (eh?).

Finally, if you have some form of image stabilisation, leaving this on when using a tripod can actually make things worse! This will depend on...stuff. Like anything else, practice!
 
jon ryan said:
Finally, if you have some form of image stabilisation, leaving this on when using a tripod can actually make things worse! This will depend on...stuff. Like anything else, practice!
Click to expand...

Why does image stabilisation make it worse on a tripod?
 
robump said:
Why does image stabilisation make it worse on a tripod?
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Because your on a tripod there should be no movement in the camera for the IS to cancel out, IS is basically little in camera/in lens movements designed to cancel out your own little movements (y) so if you are not making those movements but the camera is making it's little movements then it will actually make the photo a little soft (y) HTH

Matt
MWHCVT
 
MWHCVT said:
Because your on a tripod there should be no movement in the camera for the IS to cancel out, IS is basically little in camera/in lens movements designed to cancel out your own little movements (y) so if you are not making those movements but the camera is making it's little movements then it will actually make the photo a little soft (y) HTH

Matt
MWHCVT
Click to expand...

What movements is the camera making?
 
Also check your ISO, keeping it low makes for a much sharper image, if your using a tripod mentioned above then the longer shutter speed isn't a worry.

Night time photography is such a different world but so rewarding, brings new ways of seeing to nearly every environment.
 
I can recommend Michael Freemans "The Low Light Photography Field Guide" I got mine from Waterstones, its one in a series and it assumes you have some knowledge of camera settings before you start.
Capturing a good night time scenes depends on a lot of factors combined to set the camera up correctly. Too long an exposure will turn night into day and although sometimes this is acceptable, I like my night shots to resemble what I am actually looking at.

Get the book and have a good read, then post some pics you have taken.

Allan
 
Splog said:
What movements is the camera making?
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Don't be that person :nono: I you want to be pedantic the movement is user generated...but strictly speaking that is the camera moving, we all know that the camera is not a organic organism that moves all on it's own it needs some operator input to make it move, but since we are in the "talk basics" section was there any need for me to good so in depth :thinking:
 
NigelPaul said:
This has been asked a few times before and I've replied with the same link IIRC:
(The filter he talks about can be added in PP with Photoshop)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcpwOTSNFI8
Click to expand...
Thats a great link, but, I must say I much prefer the later darker shot that he took. Its much more dramatic and closer to the sort of shots I like.

Allan
 
MWHCVT said:
Don't be that person :nono: I you want to be pedantic the movement is user generated...but strictly speaking that is the camera moving, we all know that the camera is not a organic organism that moves all on it's own it needs some operator input to make it move, but since we are in the "talk basics" section was there any need for me to good so in depth :thinking:
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Well, you made the statement and I was simply asking for clarification!

There was no need for the sarcasm.
 
Carter64 said:
Assuming it's a dSLR, the mirror.
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Perhaps and if so the op could use mirror lock up but tbh I've never seen it to be much of a problem with night shots.
 
Thanks all :D

I've been spurred on by the view from my fiances window to be honest, well that and seeing the crescent moon shining over a small pebble beach with waves crashing last night, made me want to get a good photo but I dont have the camera for it currently *sigh*
 
Originally Posted by MWHCVT

Don't be that person I you want to be pedantic the movement is user generated...but strictly speaking that is the camera moving, we all know that the camera is not a organic organism that moves all on it's own it needs some operator input to make it move, but since we are in the "talk basics" section was there any need for me to good so in depth
Click to expand...



Splog said:
Well, you made the statement and I was simply asking for clarification!

There was no need for the sarcasm.
Click to expand...


Ah, well, as it happens, the movement on tripods IS caused by the camera moving `all on its own`, in some circumstances. :p

“The IS mechanism operates by correcting shake. When there is no shake, or when the level of shake is below the threshold of the system’s detection capability, use of the IS feature may actually *add* unwanted blur to the photograph, therefore you should shut it off in this situation. Remember that the IS lens group is normally locked into place. When the IS function is active, the IS lens group is unlocked so it can be moved by the electromagnetic coil surrounding the elements. When there’s not enough motion for the IS system to detect, the result can sometimes be a sort of electronic ‘feedback loop,’ somewhat analogous to the ringing noise of an audio feedback loop we’re all familiar with. As a result, the IS lens group might move while the lens is on a tripod, unless the IS function is switched off and the IS lens group is locked into place.”




Full article here here.Some lenses can detect when they are on a tripod and will automatically turn IS off. This is a good time to read the manual ;)
 
I think once you get your dslr you just need to set it up and get using it.
Getting the city lit up and stars together will be tricky but fun doing it. You may need to meter for the city first then the stars second and take 2 different captures and layer them on top of each other.

Everyone wants to take amazing images from the get go. Just concentrate on getting your slr and reading the manual so you know what everything does. In no time you will be mastering it.
 
RachelWaltham90 said:
Thanks all :D

I've been spurred on by the view from my fiances window to be honest, well that and seeing the crescent moon shining over a small pebble beach with waves crashing last night, made me want to get a good photo but I dont have the camera for it currently *sigh*
Click to expand...

For that shot, one thing to remember ... the moon is very bright. When you do your long exposue night shot the moon will completely blow out to a round white light. Take one extra exposure for the moon then combine them while editing, another common practice is to enlarge the moon to make it a bit more prominent.
Good luck
 
testbloke said:
For that shot, one thing to remember ... the moon is very bright. When you do your long exposue night shot the moon will completely blow out to a round white light. Take one extra exposure for the moon then combine them while editing, another common practice is to enlarge the moon to make it a bit more prominent.
Good luck
Click to expand...

Indeed........ The moon will be very, very, very small in the shot.
 
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