Night Photography

Technical Tips for Night Photography 

1. Photo quality: Shoot in RAW format, then post save as jpeg or tiff 

2. ISO Setting: 100-200 (Higher ISO's cause grain or noise) 

3. Aperture Setting: F8.0 to F11.0 

4. Use a cable release, on remote or self timer 

5. Use a sturdy tripod that meets eye level 

6. Shutter speed: 1 to 30 second exposures (bulb setting is past 30 seconds) 

7. Colour Temperature: Try settings of Tungsten or Fluoro to match light source on location) 

8. Lens Stabilisation (LS): Turn off LS in lens or camera body to avoid camera shake 

9. Noise Reduction (NR) Turn on NR and mirror lock up for long exposures over 30 seconds 

10. Focus: Manually when auto focus does not work and turn on flash 

Creative Tips for Night Photography 

1. Shoot in manual mode 

2. Try different colour temperature settings (2,500-10,000 K) 

3. Zoom in and out when the shutter is open 

4. Shoot the moving car lights to create a red light line effect 

5. Look for reflective objects like glass, water and mirrors 

6. Use led lights on a string and twirl around to create a ball of light 

7. Use strong small flash lights to paint light into shadow areas 

8 Use strong small flash lights with coloured gels to paint a picture 

9. Use sparklers to write your name or paint a picture 

10. Use very long exposures (1-2 hrs) to shoot star trails