Night photography can capture light and color with sculptural appeal.
When the sun sets, the challenge of outdoor evening photography begins. With the help of a few tools and a thorough knowledge of your camera's operating features, you can create dramatic images that make a dark background look appealing with available light and color. Although lower light levels will transmit through the camera lens barrel, a longer or slower shutter speed can help compensate to produce a correctly exposed image. Manual settings on a single lens reflex (SLR) camera will allow more control and experimentation for the right shutter speed and lens aperture.
Tripod
A tripod steadies a camera to prevent camera shake from causing a blurred night image. This three-legged support usually features telescoping legs to adjust the height of the camera's position. With a camera supported on a tripod, the photographer can select a slow shutter speed to capture the available light with a reduced risk of camera shake during the exposure. For example, a 20-second exposure can capture a fireworks display of trailing lights in the sky.
Cable Release or Remote Switch
A cable release and tripod provide valuable tools during night photography.
A cable release or remote switch attached to the camera allows the photographer to activate and open the shutter without pressing down on the shutter button and causing camera shake. This cable release inserted in a camera on a tripod can reduce the risk of blurred images during long exposures with limited ambient light. For example, at the scene of a floodlit building, a photographer presses the free end of the cable release or switch to open the shutter and create an image with the building's architectural details reflected in clear view.
Exposure Bracketing
Exposure bracketing refers to three or more images of the same scene showing the effects of a range of apertures or shutter speeds in difficult or low-level lighting conditions that affect the subject and surroundings. For example, this bracketing technique using three different shutter speeds to photograph an evening festival can reveal the festival goers as clear, static figures or slightly moving or blurry figures. Exposure bracketing allows the photographer to select the best image for the right portrayal.
Fill Flash
Attaching a compatible flash unit to the camera allows some electronic light to light up a nearby subject to contrast with the dark surroundings. A flash unit often provides a harsher, edgier look. An electronic flash, when used with a reflector or a diffuser, can offer a softer, balanced effect. Certain portable flash units work without a camera's hot-shoe mount and attach on a light stand for remote triggering to create images with more sculptural appeal.
Tags: cable release, camera shake, shutter speed, allows photographer, available light, camera allows, flash unit