Night Photography
For a lot of photographers - even professionals - photography ends when the sun goes down.
That's because night photography is a totally different animal than normal photography.
The rules are different. The approach is different. The camera settings are different. You get the point...
But just because night photography is different doesn't mean that you can't learn how to take photos at night.
In the video above, professional photographer Peter McKinnon tackles his fears about night photography, and as he does so, provides us with a top-notch tutorial on taking photos at night.
For an overview of some of Peter's most critical tips, check the tutorial below!
Necessary Gear For Night Picture
There are occasions when you can just grab your camera and a kit lens and go shooting at night.
But in most situations, you'll need a few more items to make taking photos at night an easier task. This includes:
- A solid tripod - Nothing fancy, necessarily, just something to support your camera for those occasions when you need to slow the shutter down.
- A camera remote - Again, you don't need anything spectacular here. The point is simply to be able to trigger the shutter without actually touching the camera.
- A solid headlamp - A headlamp is critical for helping you see what you're doing!
I personally use the Petzl NAO+ Headlamp when I'm shooting at night.
For my money, there's no better combination of value, features, and comfort than this rig provides.
With 750 lumens, it produces more than enough light for me to see where I'm going and what I'm doing.
Better still, with Reactive Lighting technology, the headlamp will automatically adjust its output depending on the ambient light levels. That's definitely a handy trick!
And if you've ever been in a situation in which your headlamp batteries die, you'll definitely appreciate the fact that you can keep tabs on the NAO+ battery level using the My Petzl Light App.
If you find that you're running low on juice - no problem! Simply adjust the headlamp's output using the app to stretch the battery life further.
There's really no better companion for nighttime photography!
How to Take Photos at Night: Light Trails
One of the most popular types of night photography involves capturing light trails as vehicles pass by.
And while these photos look like they might be complicated to create, as Peter points out in the video, it's much simpler than you might think:
- Set your camera on a tripod.
- Put the camera in shutter priority mode (S or Tv on your camera dial).
- Set the shutter speed to 2 seconds.
- Frame up the shot, being sure to include enough room in the frame for passing cars to be seen.
- Use a camera remote to trigger the shutter.
And that's it!
Granted, a 2-second shutter speed is just a starting point. If you want even more blur, try longer shutter speeds.
It's important to note that Peter shoots his nighttime photos in manual mode.
In manual mode, you're in control of the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. In many cases, Peter uses an aperture of f/9 paired with a 2-second shutter speed to get the desired effects.
But as noted earlier, shooting in shutter priority mode is another option that allows you to change the shutter speed as desired, and the camera will adjust the aperture accordingly.
If you're just starting to take night photos, shutter priority might be an easier way to approach things.
How to Take Photos at Night: City Reflections
Another popular type of night photography is reflecting the lights of a city in a body of water. This is especially true if the surface of the water is smooth and glossy as seen in the image above.
Again, this type of photo requires that you put your camera on a tripod and extend the shutter speed.
That's because the longer shutter speed helps smooth out the water even more, resulting in the perfect reflection you see above.
To capture city reflection photos at night, follow these steps:
- Set your camera on a tripod.
- Put the camera in manual mode.
- Set the shutter speed to 25-seconds.
- Frame the shot with the horizon line in the middle, giving roughly equal area in the image to the skyline and its reflection.
- Use a camera remote to trigger the shutter.
Note in this case how much longer the exposure is at 25-seconds. That's why the water and reflection are so perfectly smooth.
This image was shot in manual mode with an aperture of f/16 and an ISO probably around 100 or 200. You can try a similar shot using these exposure settings or see what results you can get with shooting in shutter priority mode.
How to Take Good Night Photo: Look for Water
If you're patrolling the city streets for some interesting night photos, bear this in mind: water helps.
Unlike the previous section in which we discussed creating glassy-smooth reflections in a body of water, this time we're talking about shooting after it rains to capitalize on the beautiful reflections you can find in puddles.
Of course, if it hasn't rained, all you need is a water bottle to wet the pavement yourself.
Doing so adds so much more richness to the photo because you can see the glistening lights reflected in the water.
Not only that, but slowing the shutter speed down to around 2 seconds allowed Peter to capture beautiful light trails in this shot as well.
Wrapping It Up
So, as you can see, the key to how to take good pictures at night is really just about having the right gear, having a good starting point for camera settings, and experimenting with those settings until you get the results you want.
Whether it's light trails, reflections, puddle photos, or something in between, there are so many different beautiful directions you can take your night photography!
Peter has a few more tips in the video above, so be sure to check out the full video to learn how to take photos at night.