Night Photography with Digital Cameras

Night Photography with Digital Cameras

Night photography is the perfect medium for creating art with your digital camera. If you’re new to taking photos at night, traffic scenes are a good place to start. With the right settings and exposure time, you’ll get an image of light trailing from the vehicles.

What you’ll need:
1. A digital camera
2. A tripod – helpful but not essential
3. A location with steady (but not heavy) traffic
Where and how to shoot your traffic scene:

Location, location, location! That’s the key to amazing after-dark photographs. For traffic shots, position yourself near enough to see the car lights and fit them in the frame but still back far enough that they don’t overwhelm the rest of the exposure.

You’ve got a few options for the angle of the shot. If you’re on the same level as the traffic you’re photographing, it’s better to shoot the tail lights than the headlights. You can also opt for a side-on view which yields great pictures even when you’re positioned close to the traffic.

Perhaps the best vantage point of all is from a highway overpass. By looking down on the traffic, you avoid the glare of the headlights. You’ll also find this perspective allows you to fill up more of the frame with light patterns.

Start by mounting your camera on the tripod and setting the exposure mode to either manual (M) or shutter-priority AE (S or Tv). Then, adjust the ISO to either 100 or 200, and set the lens aperture to between f3.5 and f8; the right setting depends on the ambient light levels. Engage the self-timer so your camera will be steady when the shutter opens. Start with a 2-second delay. If your camera doesn’t have one, the 10-second delay will work, too.

You can play around with different exposure times to create different effects. You’ll notice that the longer the shutter stays open, the longer and more spread out the trails of light will be. For a more dramatic image, try an exposure time of 15-30 seconds.

Check your digital camera’s LCD screen after each shot. Striking the ideal balance between the light from the traffic and the background illumination can take a bit of experimentation. Too bright? Set a smaller lens aperture, such as f8, f11 or f16 and move the ISO back to 100 or lower. Too dark? Increase the exposure time and/or move the ISO up to 400 and open to lens aperture to f3.5-f5.6.

Note that long exposures are ruined when light directly enters your camera’s lens. Don’t shoot the vehicles head on, and avoid locations where the ambient lighting is especially bright. Also, the picture will blur if your digital camera or tripod moves. Pick a night that’s not too windy and avoid locations where there’s a chance someone will bump into you or your camera.

Twirling, swirling lights:
Now that you’ve got a feel for night photography, have some fun with creating one-of-a-kind light patterns by moving your camera during a long exposure. The results are striking, but the technique is simple. All you need to create these photos is a digital camera with at least a 5-second exposure setting.
1. Select a location with plenty of light. You need an ISO of 100 or 200, a lens aperture of f/5.6 (or a bit smaller) and a shutter speed of at least five seconds.
2. Aim your camera at any lights you see. Press the shutter button and move your camera around while the shutter is open.
Here are a few suggestions for creating cool light patterns:
• Walk or run with the digital camera in your hands to create a light pattern that imitates the movements of your body.
• Record from the window of a moving vehicle. Bumpy roads will create jagged light patterns. You’ll also get eye-catching results if you shoot while going around curves or under a bridge.
• Hold the camera and move it around in all directions. Try circles, arcs and sharp zig-zags.
Keep trying new exposure lengths and movements. You’ll learn which techniques produce the most interesting results.

This article was brought to you by Canon Australia – Helping you Shoot Quality Photographs at Night with your Digital Camera


About Canon
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