Have you been trying your hand in photography lately, and wish to do something new? How about night photography? Although, it isn’t a new genre of photography, but there aren’t too many images of night time compared to daytime photographs. By trying night photography, you can also learn some amazing insights!
For night photography, you’ve to bring a high quality camera and a tripod to hold it steady amid long exposures. However, there’s no need to worry, if you don’t have a full size tripod as you can utilise a mini or small tripods that are available at photography shops or online stores, and they don’t cost much, just a few dollars.
The small tripods are easy to carry and good to go in just a few seconds. However, if nothing else is available, then simply find a wall, a stable rock, or just place it on high ground.
The first thing to do before starting the photography session is to ‘turn off’ the auto flash feature. Surprised? Don’t be! If you fail to do this, the flash will overpower any existing natural source of light or illumination with flat, artificial light and damage the ambience or scene that is being captured. Almost every contemporary compact camera has this option available to them these days, and the SLR type and DSLR camera also come with this feature.
Then, check the manual to figure out how to set the camera for long exposures. Many cameras have a special night mode setting that you can utilise or you can go for the manual setting as well.
Next, pick your subject, do all the settings in your camera and place it on the tripod and try the shutter. You should try different things with various time exposures and each of these attempts will give you an alternate outcome. You can take unlimited pictures with digital cameras, so capture as many as you can and there’s a strong possibility, at least one of them will develop into stunning and mesmerising pictures.
If you need to capture images of the night sky, choose a clear night with no clouds, and then go to a light free location. Then, place your camera/tripod on the roof of a vehicle, and point it in the upwards direction at around 45 degrees. Take a few time exposures and you will be able to capture the blurred trails of the stars while they move in the sky.
You can also take some amazing images of the moon. Choose a night when the moon is full. However, there are plenty of moon images already available, but it can help to sharpen your photography skills.
According to professional photographer Sam Crawford, one of the best places to capture night photography is amusement parks. They are full of bright light that appears stunning during night-time. You can take images of Rollercoaster or Ferris wheel shining in bright lights.