Night/Twilight photography

Mogsy

Mogsy

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Bill
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Hi All,

Just a quick question - Is it possible to take night/twilight photography without using a tripod? Well I know its possible! (Increasing ISO, wider aperture, slower shutter speed but some of these I believe would be detrimental to the image) But can you still achieve good results without one and has anyone got any examples or previous experience of shots such as this that they were happy with?

Cheers guys
 
If you want to use lower ISOs, you need to steady the camera, you can do this without a tripod by using a wall, fence etc. but it'll dictate your shot. Using a tripod allows you the freedom to pick your shot.
 
A lot will depend on what you're shooting. Even close to sunset there can be a surprising amount of light around, enabling you to hand-hold. Of course in very low light there is no choice but to use a tripod or something firm to rest the camera on, but don't think sunset = tripod in every case.

Symi Island.
a2da1d1a.jpg


1/125th, f/8, 100ISO, 50mm lens, Canon 5D mk2. Hand held.

Edit to add: Worth noting that this shot was taken above a fairly bare, rocky hillside that acted as a bloody great reflector for the water in the harbour. A land forground would probably be more or less black, so you'd need a grad or multiple exposures (though a grad wouldn't be much use with that horizon). This was just a straight 50mm prime, no filters, single exposure. Some shadow detail was brought out in post.
 
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With a fast lens and a solid wall to brace yourself against you can get away without a tripod. Post-processing opens up many options to reduce noise from high ISO, open up the shadows, etc.

Remember, if the composition is interesting enough a few compromises on absolute image quality don't matter. And if the image isn't interesting enough, no amount of technical perfection can compensate for that.


30mm, 1/125, f/1.4, ISO400, handheld
 
Wow didn't expect those settings on the examples, thought the shutter speed would be much slower, thanks everyone thats all a big help
 
Mogsy said:
Wow didn't expect those settings on the examples, thought the shutter speed would be much slower, thanks everyone thats all a big help
Click to expand...

The shutter speed shouldn't be a suprise, it's the one thing everything else is compromised to maintain. 1/125 is the slowest shutter speed I can reliably handhold. The maxim 1/focal length for shutter speed is useful, but you'd be a fool to depend on it without making allowances for your own abilities and the situation (how much time you have to compose yourself, have you just spent two hours walking around the city after a long day of walking, etc).

It's a balance, do you want a reasonably clear shot with shallow depth of field, or do you want the whole of the shot affected by motion blur?
 
You can pick a tripod up for reasonable £££ and they are really worth it. I'd consider them essential kit. I prefer taking night shots too as everyone sees things in the day but not so much in the dead of night.

In short...why would you not want to use one? The image quality (with remote release) is so much better.
 
Pegasus2 said:
In short...why would you not want to use one?
Click to expand...

A tripod is nice (I have three or four), but on a quick weekend away with your partner to Paris for *her* birthday, you'd be foolhardy to take-up suitcase space with a tripod or require her to stop and hang around for 20 minutes every time you want to stop for a "quick" shot whilst walking of an evening..

.. yes, we'd all ue a tripod given the opportunity, but the opportunity isn't always there and it isn't always due to cost.. ;)
 
Also, you have to carry the tripod unless you can afford Sherpas. Symi, where the above shot came from, is steep and rocky. The temperature that day was around 40C. On days like that I don't carry any more than is absolutely necessary, which often comes down to a single body with a small lens. A tripod can limit your shooting simply because of the effort involved in dragging the thing around everywhere. I hardly ever use one.
 
Take a look at Jessops ones, ok they are not fancy but mine was £22, extends to 1.5m and weighs...*goes off to weigh tripod on scales*....900 grams.

...and Alastair...you obviously need a new partner. I've had girls sit on the ground with me while my camera cycles an hour long timelapse at 2am :D
 
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Pegasus2 said:
...and Alastair...you obviously need a new partner. I've had girls sit on the ground with me while my camera cycles an hour long timelapse at 2am :D
Click to expand...

On their birthday or yours? I doubt it was theirs.. ..
 
Pegasus2 said:
You can pick a tripod up for reasonable £££ and they are really worth it. I'd consider them essential kit. I prefer taking night shots too as everyone sees things in the day but not so much in the dead of night.

In short...why would you not want to use one? The image quality (with remote release) is so much better.
Click to expand...

Yes I agree, personally I find twilight/night shots much more appealing, I don't inherently dislike using a tripod, far from it, but as Alastair says sometimes its not practical, if I go away for a quick weekend with my better half I normally have a big enough job carrying her around after a few bottles of Rosé wine, nevermind a tripod as well :) Seriously though my train of thought regarding not using a tripod was when I went to see some planes landing in the airport not far from me last week, I thought it would be a great shot (a lot of my shots appear great in my imagination but the final result doesn't always match it :D) to get one just before landing against the light of twilight but thought this would have been much easier without a tripod, I will definitely invest in one very soon (credit crunch hasn't affected me that bad yet!) but I think I'll try it 'jon ryan' style for a bit!

Thanks again everyone, appreciate your help
 
Mogsy said:
Wow didn't expect those settings on the examples, thought the shutter speed would be much slower, thanks everyone thats all a big help
Click to expand...

It may also be worth practising slow shutter speeds. Practice remaining steady, camera holding, breathing etc,.

Like anything you can always improve with a bit of practice (unless you have already done that)
 
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