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22 night photography tips for beginners( P1)

admin August 2,2017

How to capture night photos and what tips for beginners?  This article will explain common questions and give common tips.

1. To have high-quality night photos

If you want the best night shot, you need to shoot at the best picture quality, and that means RAW image format. By taking in RAW format, your images will retain “information”, giving you greater ability to edit your photos. RAW has special benefits when it comes to night because it gives you flexibility when you want to change things.

2. Use a tripod to have sharp images

Shooting at night will obviously have less light and therefore slow down the shutter speed. Any speed, from 1 to 30 seconds, is too long to hold the camera by hand. So you will need to carry a tripod if you want to have sharp photos. Make sure your tripod is set up properly and stable- it’s easy to make the picture soft because you will not have to check it again. Hang the camera bag at the bottom of the center column of the tripod if possible. And do not hold your tripod when you are shooting at slow shutter speeds, as any small movements can cause the image to blur.

3. Choose the location of night photography

Before shooting at night, if you plan on picking it in advance it will save you precious time later. Choose a good location, the best spots in your city to find the light and the most interesting architecture, or if you’re looking to capture traffic lights, check out the busiest streets. When is the best time to capture, and where is the best (and safest) location to stand on?

4. Use the most suitable aperture

Use the “sweet spot” of the aperture for your lens – usually between f / 8 and f / 16, but take a test to find the aperture. Even professional lenses do not produce the best results when used at its maximum or minimum aperture. By using a mid-range aperture you’ll probably capture sharp photos with your lens.

5. Set the night shooting settings

To control exposure, it is best to set in manual mode so that you can choose the best narrow aperture and slow shutter speeds for night photography. Start by setting a narrow aperture of about f / 16, then adjust the shutter speed until the exposure points in the center of the Exposure Index. Take some photos and review them on your LCD screen. Remember that this is what your camera considers to be the best exposure, but if you see the photos are too bright, drop 1-2 stops so they really look darker!

6. How to get the “star” effect of street light

Using a small aperture will not only ensure greater depth but also give you sharper images.

7. Elements in a night photo

Carefully look the scene before you start taking pictures. Make the areas of the image more interesting, more colorful, brighter or darker than they are. Do not be afraid to zoom in on the most photogenic area. Zoom in on wide-angle or “zoom in feet” – just move closer to the subject …

8. Use Mirror Lockup

The smallest movement can cause unwanted camera shake, and this even includes the mirror moving up and down inside your digital SLR. You can quickly enable Mirror Lockup (find it in the settings of the control menu).

9. Do not touch your camera!

When shooting long exposure at night, even touching your camera to press can also cause enough shake to blur the image. Use self-timer device in the camera to automatically shoot after you press the button to avoid any camera shake. For photographs that are based on the exact time, use a remote control.

10. Create ideas

Photographers are on our way and do not want people in our beautiful landscape photographs. However, when it comes to night photography, including the crowd in the frame can increase the contrast. If people are not moving, try using them as a creative silhouette to highlight the photo. Or, if people are walking, try using a shutter speed of about 1 / 4-1 / 2 seconds so they are “creative” silhouettes.