Picture this: it is the last night of your vacation, and you take a few pictures to share the memories of your trip with your friends back home. When you review them, you see only a blur of light or very shaky images. Sound familiar? Don't get discouraged. There are some very simple adjustments you can make to get that night shot right the next time, whether you're using an SLR (single-lens reflex) camera or a point-and-shoot camera. Both types of cameras allow you to adjust settings for better night shots.
Shutter Speed or Nighttime Setting
The mode selection dial of a typical SLR camera
When using a SLR, you should adjust the shutter speed settings to longer exposure time. This will allow light to flood into the camera for a specific length of time. To adjust the shutter speed, change your dial to the TV or shutter speed (S) mode.
Depending on what would like your final image to be, your speed can be set from 1/1000th of a second to 1 second or even longer, but start at 1 second and review the image to determine if you need more exposure time or less. (If you are very comfortable with making camera adjustments, you can also adjust the aperture to control the amount light that enters the lens.)
If you are using a point-and-shoot camera, change your camera setting to the "night setting" (typically shown as a crescent moon on the settings dial). Changing your camera to this mode will turn off the flash, slow down the camera shutter speed and open the lens to allow more light in. (Note: many SLRs have a night setting as well, so if adjusting the shutter or aperture is too nerve-racking for you, start with the night setting.)
Additional Tips
A small tabletop tripod for point & shoot cameras.
When you have your camera set, these additional options will make your night shot even better:
Use a tripod or table to steady the camera for the long shutter speeds, to reduce blurring and camera shake. The tripod can be either a full-size or tabletop version.
Turn off the flash if it is not turned off automatically by your camera setting. Using the ambient light will create warmer, more natural images. Also, using the flash on the camera may focus on the immediate foreground, causing the background to unfortunately fade to black.
Take multiple pictures to ensure you get the correct shot. Using digital gives you the freedom to take your pictures, review them immediately and retake them as necessary.
Advanced Options
A perfectly exposed nighttime shot of a city.
As you get more comfortable with nighttime photography, there are additional options you can try to enhance your images even more.
Consider using the bracketing feature on your camera to take multiple exposures at one time. Again, you can review those bracketed images immediately to verify the best settings.
Adjust the ISO setting on the camera to adjust for low light situations. The ISO setting determines how sensitive your camera sensors are to light. Settings of 800 or 1600 will be more forgiving to less light. However, you will have more "grain" in the image. If you are looking for clearer picture and you are using a tripod, you can use an ISO rating of 100 or 200.
Install an optional shutter release cable to reduce camera shake even further. (Typically used only for SLR cameras.)
Tags: your camera, shutter speed, night setting, additional options, adjust shutter, adjust shutter speed
