night photography - awcl photography group

Photography – Beyond Point & Shoot

Night Photography

Presented by: Heather Jones

Night Photography Equipment

- Tripod – A solid tripod necessary for longer exposure times to allow for crisp, clear photos

- Remote Trigger/Cable Release – to allow you to take the photo without touching your camera (if you don’t have one, you can use the delay, but you are still risking movement of the camera)

- Lens hood – can block unwanted light sources

- Flashlight/torch/flash – to illuminate an interesting focal point or for light painting

- Remember to remove your polarizing or UV lens filters

- It is advisable to scout out your night shots beforehand.

Top 10 tips for good night shots

#1 – Shoot in RAW – this gives you the most information and allows you to make the most adjustments in post-processing

#2 - Use the lens “sweet spot” aperture for your lens (usually f8 to f16) – this is the mid-range – the extreme ends of your aperture don’t give you the crisp images you need for night photography

#3 – Use a good quality, solid tripod whenever possible. Make sure it is secure, level and steady. You can also hang a bag from the center hook for even more stability (just make sure the bag isn’t swinging).

Top 10 tips continued…

#4 – In Manual mode, start with a narrow aperture (f16) and adjust your shutter speed to where the Exposure Level Mark is centered in the Exposure Level Indicator.

Top 10 tips continued….

#5 – Do a test shot and adjust lighter/darker as necessary by adjusting shutter speed.

#6 – Bulb mode – this is a function that allows you to keep the shutter open as long as you want – useful in very long exposure shots (star trails, etc.)

#7 – Set White Balance to Tungsten to avoid that orange tinge in your night shots

#8 – Don’t rely on your LCD – it is calibrated to be seen during the day and may give you a misleading image at night. If possible, lower your LCD brightness to compensate for this.

#9 – Use the fastest lens possible. A Prime lens or one that is at least f2.8 is best.

#10 – DON’T TOUCH OR BUMP THE CAMERA! Even the slightest movement can ruin your night shot.

Example with EXIF info

Photo credit: http://www.exposureguide.com/night-sky-photography-tips.htm

Example with EXIF info

Shutter Speed: 1/13 Aperture: f/5 ISO Speed: 400 Flash: Not Fired Hand-held – no tripod

Source: © H.C. Jones Photography

Example with EXIF info

Shutter Speed: 1 second Aperture: f/16 ISO Speed: 400 Flash: Not FiredHand held – no tripod

Source: ©H.C. Jones Photography

Special effects

Starburst effect with lights – If you use around an f16 aperture, lights will have a starburst effect. You will also have a longer DOF (your image will be sharp in foreground and background)

It is always good to have a focal point in your shot. You can use a flashlight/torch to highlight it.

Light trails/painting with light – can be done with headlights, tail lights, any moving lights.

Even in pitch dark, your camera can see more than you can, and will pick up details you cannot see with the naked eye. Keep this in mind as you set up your shot. See photo below:

Photo taken in dark

This unedited photo was taken in the pitch dark at least 1.5 hours before dawn.Shutter Speed: 20 seconds Aperture: f4.6 ISO Speed: 800 No flash

Source: ©H.C. Jones Photography

Painting with Light

The kids used sparklers to paint with light the family name – of course the J is backwards, but that is part of the fun!

Source: ©H.C. Jones Photography

More painting with light

Source - http://www.tonergiant.co.uk/blog/2013/07/light-painting-5-awesome-things-you-can-do-with-a-camera-and-lights/

This image was produced by tying a flashlight/torch to the end of aString and swinging it in a 360 degree circle.

Abstract painting with light

You can paint with light to make abstract art, to. To do this, you focus ona group of lights, press the shutter and move the camera in whateverpattern you want.

Source: http://www.123rf.com

Zoom with light

Source: http://www.jakobwagner.eu/

These photos are created by taking a long exposure photo and zooming in or out during it.You have to be very steady handed to not move your camera during this, but the resultscan be stunning!

Star Trails

Find an absolutely dark place with no light pollution. You will want to shoot with a new moon or close to that. Scout out your location in advance.

Use a wide angle lens

Make sure your battery is fully charged

Use lowest ISO possible to avoid graininess (generally at or above ISO800)

Use widest aperture available – generally below f6.7 (f2.8-f4 is optimal)

Use your Bulb function with a remote trigger/cable release

Star Trails cont.

Your shutter time will vary depending on the effect you want – start at 10 minutes and work from there

Focus at your “infinity point”

Try to have a focal point (a building, a tree, a rock, mountains, etc.) – not just the sky/stars – this will make your photo more interesting

To get circular star trails, point your camera towards the North

ALWAYS use a tripod and remote trigger/cable release with a locking trigger

At 15-20 seconds, you will just start to see the movement of the stars. Use this as your guide to determine how long you want your shot to be.

Star trails facing North

Photo credit: http://www.exposureguide.com/night-sky-photography-tips.htm

Star trails with flash

Photo credit: http://www.exposureguide.com/night-sky-photography-tips.htm