Taking photographs at night requires technique.
Night photography can offer stunning landscapes and colorful portraits of city lights. Most cameras' automatic settings fall short when shooting at night and in low-light situations. This can make night photography difficult if the photographer does not have a basic understanding of the manual settings on his camera. However, capturing the moment in poor lighting is not impossible. Getting to know your camera can have you snapping perfect night shots in no time.
Instructions
1. Turn your camera to it's "Manual" setting. On some cameras this may be represented by an "M." This will allow you to fully adjust the options needed for night and low-light photography.
2. Set your camera's ISO to a high setting such as 1,600. If there will be movement in your photograph, try setting it to 3,200. For film camera users, you will need to use a film with a high speed rating such as 1,600 or 3,200. The higher the ISO number, the quicker the shutter speed you can use.
3. Open your aperture as wide as it will go. The smaller the aperture number, the wider the shutters in your lens will open, allowing for more light to pass through them. The more light that passes through the lens, the brighter your photograph will be.
4. Too much light can wash out a photograph.
Activate the "Flash" setting on your camera if you would like to use it. Apply a diffuser to the flash head to avoid your photo from washing out. When shooting with an ISO of 1,600 or higher, the flash becomes optional.
5. Point your camera to your subject and look at your camera's light meter. Adjust your shutter speed to the number your light meter suggests. The lower the number, the longer the picture will take to expose. If your photo has a lot of movement, use your flash and a higher shutter speed. Low-light still photographs will benefit from lower shutter speeds.
6. Mount your camera to a tripod. Look through the viewfinder to set up your photograph. It is recommended that you focus the camera yourself instead of relying on auto-focus. Auto focus lenses generally have difficulty focusing in low-light situations. Press the shutter release button to take your photograph.
Tags: your camera, your photograph, shutter speed, light meter, low-light situations, more light