There’s no better time to improve your night photography than right now. It’s winter, and longer nights and shorter days give night photographers more opportunities to experiment with different techniques and ideas for their nighttime photo shoots. If you enjoy capturing images at night or want to expand your photo creativity or quality, this post will help be your guide in the dark.
We’ll shine a light on excellent night photography ideas, tips, and equipment to take your after-dark images to the next level. As the sun sets on another day, it’s time to grab your camera and embrace the beauty of all the marvelous ideas you’ll have for your next night’s photo shoot.
Night Photography Tips & Techniques
Long Exposures
Want to add some creative flair to your nighttime photo shoots? Try longer exposures. This simple technique involves using a slow shutter speed to intentionally lengthen the amount of time that the camera’s sensor is exposed to light. By using a long exposure time, not only does your camera capture more light (to brighten the images), but it can also capture the movement of light sources in beautifully intricate ways, creating motion-inspired light streaks or star trail effects. This is especially effective for photographing moving traffic or astrophotography.
You can achieve ideal long exposure results by using a tripod and a camera with manual exposure settings and setting the shutter speed to a slow value, such as 30 seconds or longer. You can experiment with exposure times and see what different creative captures you construct.
Shooting In RAW
Shooting in RAW format can give you more flexibility when editing your nighttime photos, as it captures a greater range of tonal detail. When you shoot in JPEG, the camera processes the image and discards some of the data, resulting in a smaller file size. This can make it more difficult to recover lost detail when editing the photo, especially in low-light conditions. Overall, it gives photographers more control over the final look of their images, adding flexibility to editing.
High Dynamic Range (HDR)
HDR is another good night photography technique involving taking multiple exposures of a scene at different exposures and combining them into a single image. This can be useful for capturing a wide range of tones in a setting with a high contrast between light and dark areas, such as a cityscape at night.
To create an HDR image, you will need to take multiple exposures of the same scene at different exposures, either by using a camera that has an HDR mode or by taking the exposures manually. You can then use special software to combine the exposures into a single image, adjusting the exposure and other settings to achieve the desired result.
Below is a gallery of beautiful NYC night photography samples our team was able to capture, including camera setting like ISO, F-stop, and shutter speed. We used a Sony a7R IV camera with a Sony 70-200 2.8 GM lens for the close up cityscape, a 14mm GM lens for the wide bridge shots, and a Sony 35mm 1.4 GM for the pics of Little Italy restaurant signs.
Night Photography Ideas
Light Painting
Another way you can expand your artistic canvas is by light painting. This involves using a flashlight or other light source to “paint” light onto a subject or scene during a long exposure.
This creative technique involves using a flashlight or other light sources to ‘paint’ light onto your subject or scene during a long exposure. This simple but well-renowned technique highlights specific features, creates abstract patterns, and vibrantly brings your photos to life.
Below is a short light painting reel our team worked on. It showcases all the wonderful creative potential you have when it comes to using this practice.
Star Trails & Light Trails
As previously mentioned, star and light trails are created by taking a series of long exposures and combining them into a single image. This can create illuminating photos with a mix of streaks that show the night sky, traffic, and cityscapes in motion. You’ll need a camera with manual exposure settings, a tripod, and a slow shutter speed to create lavish light trails.
Capture the Beauty of the Night Sky
There’s something magical about the night sky. Whether you’re out in the countryside, away from city lights, or simply enjoying the view from your backyard, the stars and the Milky Way offer a stunning spectacle that can take your breath away.
Using the tips this post covers, a wide-angle lens to capture a larger portion of the sky, and a long exposure, you create the opportunity to capture the movement of the stars as they travel across the sky.
Document the City at Night
Nighttime cityscapes can be beautiful and atmospheric and can be captured using all these techniques to enhance the aesthetic of traffic lights, store signs, and skylines. Consider including iconic landmarks or other exciting features in your compositions. So next time you are out in the city after dark, don’t forget to bring your camera for some excellent night photo shooting opportunities.
Experiment With Abstract Compositions
Nighttime photography can be a great opportunity to experiment with abstract and creative compositions. Try using light painting or other techniques to create unique and artistic images. Since the lighting is often low and there may be a lack of detail, you can play with shadow and silhouette to create interesting and striking images.
One way to create an abstract composition is to focus on a specific aspect of a scene, such as a single light source or a pattern in the environment. Another technique you can try is to play with perspective. Shooting from a low angle or a high angle can change the way a scene looks and feels, and can help you create a more unique and interesting image.
Night Photography Settings & Equipment
Use a Tripod
As discussed, long exposure is a great photography technique to help manipulate lighting and create unique light trail effects with cars or stars. However, it is crucial that you keep your camera steady during these shots; otherwise, even the slightest movements can create obnoxiously blurry photos.
One reliable way to prevent this is by using a tripod. They help keep the camera steady and to avoid movement during the long exposure shots, resulting in sharp and focused star trails.
Experiment With White Balance
White balance refers to the process of adjusting the colors in a photograph to accurately represent the colors of the scene as they appear in real life. Different light sources, such as streetlights and headlights, can give off different colors of light. Experimenting with different white balance settings can help you capture a scene’s mood and atmosphere more accurately.
On the other hand, if you want to enhance the mood of a scene and create a particular atmosphere, you can intentionally adjust the white balance to produce a warm or cool color cast. For example, if you want to create a cozy and intimate atmosphere, you might adjust the white balance to a warmer setting to add a yellow cast to the photo.
Color Temperature Guide Courtesy of Exposure Guide
Use a Fast Lens
A fast lens with a wide maximum aperture can help capture more light in low-light conditions. This can help to reduce the need for long exposures and high ISO values, which can introduce unwanted noise into the image. For example, Sigma’s 35mm F/1.4 DG DN Art is an excellent lens for night photography because of its wide aperture and high optical quality. See which lenses best complement your style for night photo shooting.
Use a Cable Release or Self-Timer
Using a cable release or setting the camera’s self-timer mode can help to reduce camera shake during long exposures. A cable release is a device that allows you to take a photo without physically pressing the shutter button on your camera. By using a cable release, you can also minimize the amount of movement caused by pressing the shutter button.
Check Your Focus
It is essential to pay attention to focus when taking photos, especially at night when the light is low. The autofocus (AF) system in your camera uses contrast to determine which parts of the scene are in focus, and in low-light conditions, there may be less contrast for the AF system to work with. This can make it harder for the camera to focus accurately, resulting in blurry or out-of-focus photos.
To ensure that your photos are in focus, it is a good idea to check the focus before taking each shot. You can do this by using the viewfinder or the LCD screen on the back of the camera to check the focus point.
Shoot In Manual Mode
Shooting in manual mode can give you more control over the exposure and focus of your photos. This can be especially useful when shooting in low light conditions, as the camera’s automatic exposure settings may not always produce the best results. You can set the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO manually when shooting in manual mode rather than letting the camera choose these settings for you.
In dark scenes, the camera may struggle to choose the correct exposure settings, resulting in too dark or too bright images. By shooting in manual mode, you can take control of the exposure and choose settings that will produce the best results for your particular scene.