Night Photography Class

There’s a certain mystique about night photography that makes it different than shooting during the day because you never really know what you’re going to get. Often you’ll be amazed by what your camera captures. Lights blend, streak, and overlap, the ordinary becomes extraordinary and suddenly you realize there’s a whole world of creative possibilities at your fingertips. If you’ve never done any night photography, other than the occasional snapshot of friends at a party, you’re missing out on an entire realm of creativity and possibilities.

What is it you wish to capture? Is it lightning, city lights, fireworks, the streaking headlights of passing cars, the moon over the ocean? Perhaps you’re the artistic type and want to draw with a sparkler, make fire spirals, or “paint” with a flashlight. It’s all possible and easier than you might think. Best of all, you can do it with the digital camera you have right now! All it takes is a little practice and the know-how that you’ll find on this site.

More than just a collection of fun and exciting techniques, this site is an invitation to see your world in a whole new way. Are you bored with just taking snapshots? Are you ready to get excited about photography again? Then read on fellow adventurer.

So what is night photography? Technically speaking, it’s any photography that is done between dusk and dawn but it’s really so much more than that. It’s a way of capturing an accumulation of time and condensing it into a single, representative image. Photographs taken at night show us a world that’s just beyond our senses. Movement creates form, lights streak, colors shift, night turns to day, and an ordinary flashlight can become a paintbrush.

In the not so distant past, the process of learning night photography was a long and expensive one. Rolls of film, pages of notes, and countless hours were the prerequisites for mastering the art. And, even after all this preparation, there was still the uncertainty as to what was actually captured until the film could be processed. Fast forward to today’s world of instant digital gratification. No more fortunes spent on film and processing. No more notebooks filled with scribbled shutter speeds, aperture settings, ISO, and film types. And, while you still may want to take some notes, the time required to master the art of night photography is a fraction of what it used to be.

The ability to shoot digitally at night is truly a blessing because the image preview allows you to instantly see if your exposure settings are correct. With film, determining the correct exposure often required a good measure of luck on top of a whole lot of experience. For me, this ability has improved my night photography tremendously and made it a much more enjoyable experience. It also gives you much more freedom and incentive to experiment.

It’s truly a wonderful age to be a photographer or learning to be one. The ability to instantly check your exposure is an incredibly powerful tool in any situation, but perhaps most importantly while shooting at night. Night photography is often a guessing game and being able to check your shots right away is going to save you a lot in terms of time, frustration, and missed opportunities. Also, the fact that you’re not using film gives you the freedom to experiment freely without having to worry about your bank account.

That said, even the most advanced digital cameras can’t do everything for you. Sure, “Auto” mode is pretty handy in most everyday situations but if you truly want to create stunning images, especially those taken at night, you need to understand the basics. By basics I mean things like aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and reciprocity to name a few. If you’re not familiar with these concepts, the section on photography basics will describe them in detail so you’ll be able to easily follow the techniques in the book.

Fortunately, these concepts aren’t rocket science and by the time you’re done with this book, you should be very comfortable with them. Not only that, but you’ll be able to apply these concepts to all of your photographic endeavors – not just your night work.

The Camera

I assume if you’re reading this you already own a digital camera but you may be wondering if your camera is capable of capturing great photos at night. The answer is most likely yes but there are some differences in the types of cameras available today.

For the purposes of this discussion, cameras will by divided into two types, point and shoots and digital SLR’s. While both are capable of taking pictures at night, Digital SLR’s have a few advantages over the point and shoot type – namely long exposure capabilities and easier access to various controls and program modes.

Don’t fret if you have the point and shoot type. As long as your camera offers manual exposure controls you can still use it. You will, however, be limited in the length of your exposures. Most digital cameras, including the SLR type offer a maximum shutter speed length of 30 seconds. This will allow you to utilize most of the techniques on this site. However, many digital SLR’s also offer a “bulb” mode which allows for much longer exposures.

Where applicable, the differences will be noted and solutions to work around certain camera limitations will be offered. Regardless of the type of camera you own, you will need to consult your owner’s manual to find out how to access the manual controls and program modes.

Written by Andy on October 18, 2009 under Photography 101.

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