Night photography/skylines

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samuelellis

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Sam
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Does anyone have any tips on how to take good night time photography - at the moment i have the following kit

Canon 450d
Kit lens
Cosina 19-35mm - smallest aperture size i get on this is 3.5iirc
tamron 55-200mm
Tripod i got for xmas a few years ago

As i am on the night shift this week i tried to take some photos of the skyline around the office from behind glass when i was on my break (basically turned all the lights off so it was pitch black) and found the following problems

As i could not get a smaller aperture than 3.5 the camera insisted on a long exposure
I found it very difficult to take the shot without it being blurred due to not having my tripod and only the kit lens has image stability built in


As i cant post pics to show you what i mean until i get home and can hook the camera up does anyone have any ballpark tips to taking photos in the dark?

I am considering picking up a nifty fifty as i spotted that it has the ability to have a much bigger aperture so if i am right in thinking it should get more light into the camera meaning quicker exposure - would i be right?
 
It does but you have to remeber your camera is recording the light not the dark, so even with a faster appeture you will never get a short exposure in the dark at night, your only option is really to use a tripod or other way to steady the camera.
 
Frenzied Dwarf said:
It does but you have to remeber your camera is recording the light not the dark, so even with a faster appeture you will never get a short exposure in the dark at night, your only option is really to use a tripod or other way to steady the camera.
Click to expand...

guess note to self is leave tripod in car at almost all times
 
samuelellis said:
Does anyone have any tips on how to take good night time photography - at the moment i have the following kit

Canon 450d
Kit lens
Cosina 19-35mm - smallest aperture size i get on this is 3.5iirc
tamron 55-200mm
Tripod i got for xmas a few years ago

As i am on the night shift this week i tried to take some photos of the skyline around the office from behind glass when i was on my break (basically turned all the lights off so it was pitch black) and found the following problems

As i could not get a smaller aperture than 3.5 the camera insisted on a long exposure
I found it very difficult to take the shot without it being blurred due to not having my tripod and only the kit lens has image stability built in


As i cant post pics to show you what i mean until i get home and can hook the camera up does anyone have any ballpark tips to taking photos in the dark?

I am considering picking up a nifty fifty as i spotted that it has the ability to have a much bigger aperture so if i am right in thinking it should get more light into the camera meaning quicker exposure - would i be right?
Click to expand...

I'm no expert, but I think taking the widest angle you've got (the 19mm, I suppose) and setting it on f/9 or f/11 at ISO 100, then set it on your tripod. I then do a long, bracketed exposure, which is fine, if you're on a tripod and merge them with HDR software. This is the technique I used on this shot:

4231243230_6faa712f8b.jpg
 
This was taken with the nifty fifty but not at it's widest (f1.8) but at f4.



Ideally, if you're shooting where you want foreground interest and distant objects in focus then you need to go to around f16 - f22. Keep your ISO at 100 to minimise noise. Dont be afraid of longer exposures, they can really enhance an image, play with bulb settings to capture moving traffic etc. The above image was 14 seconds at 4am.

Using a sturdy tripod is a must and a remote or the in-built timer to cut down on vibration from hand contact. Good luck :)
 
Use a tripod, the self timer as you have no remote release, an aperture of around f8 - f11 depending upon focal length and turn off IS. I find most exposures at dusk/night tend to range from a few seconds to 30. Bracket and shoot RAW, then it's easier to correct for odd lighting. Depending upon light levels you might find manual focus better, and use aperture priority or manual exposure. Keep the ISO down as low as possible but not so low you can't achieve realistic exposure times. I tend to shoot at ISO 160, 200 or 400 max.
 
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