goldengod

Andrew Malek has posted a short, basic guide to night photography over at Photography MasterDigest. Only the first two of three parts are up, but the third is not far off. The tips are such that they can be applied to almost any digital camera, so if you don’t have a digital SLR, it doesn’t matter. Even down to the smallest 2MP camera, the tips he gives on long exposure photography are basic enough (but often overlooked) that anyone can put them to good use.

To me, the two most important things for nighttime photography are to turn off your flash and use a tripod or flat surface. The flash built in to any camera, even a DSLR, has a maximum range of about 20 or 30 ft according to the marketing department. In reality, it’s only useful within 10-15 feet. Anything further away than that will not work; this is why it’s so irritating to see people taking pictures at the Celebration of Light with their flashes on. The main reasons people leave it on is because they either don’t know how to turn it off or they know it will be blurry if they do. Without the flash, the exposure (time the camera shutter is open) is much longer, making the tiny movements of your hands and body much more pronounced in the form a blurry photo. But we can fix that!

How? With a tripod! Any photo I’m taking in low light or full dark conditions uses my tripod. I know that if I don’t, everything will look blurry beyond recognition. In a pinch, I’ve been known to put my camera down on flat surfaces such as a bench or chair to fake a tripod. This does work and it’s thousands of times better than holding it in your hand, even if it means a strange angle for the photo.

Apply these two tips, and read up on Andrew Malek’s tips as well and you’ll see your low light photographs improved overnight!