Photographing Cityscapes at Night
When taking night time photos of cities, there are a couple of planning tips you will need to bear in mind before you take any photos:
The first thing you need is a good viewpoint;
The second thing you will need is either a tripod or a solid base to place your camera on. Your viewpoint will depend a bit on what kind of shot you are after. I usually try to aim for somewhere that is above the ground (a set of steps, for example), but not always. There are many times that the best photos are taken at ground level.
You need a tripod or solid base because your camera’s shutter will be open for several seconds, and you need to make sure the camera doesn’t move during those seconds.
Then, if you have a tripod, secure your camera upon it. If you don’t, find a solid surface to rest your camera on; propping it up with something like a bag or jumper.
Once you have figured out how to secure your camera you want to set the shutter speed for a few seconds. I recommend starting with about 15 seconds.
If your camera doesn’t let you control the shutter speed, set it to “night” mode.
Once you have everything arranged (camera on a solid surface and self timer primed) you are ready to take your pictures.
The first thing you want to do is observe your scene. Does it contain everything that you wanted to be in it? If you are hoping to get streaking car headlights do you notice any traffic around?
Once you are happy with things, press the shutter button.
Your self timer will count down. Special Note! - If you are waiting for something to appear in your scene, you will need to remember that your shutter speed will have to count down first - time for this.
When the shutter clicks it is actually opening up so you will need to wait. And wait, and wait . . . until it closes again. Remember that this could take a few seconds.
Don’t worry if you must wait some more. Due to the long exposure typical digital cameras take longer than usual to process the photo, so the preview on your LCD screen may take a while to show up.
If you are looking for some ideas on what to photograph here are a few things that I have used which make a good night photography shot:
Neon lights Streaks of car headlights and tail lights Available light For both of these you need to plan a little in advance. Find an area where you can safely photograph neon lights.
The first thing you do is find your solid spot, or put your camera onto a tripod, and then take a few test shots. If you choose neon lights be aware that they flash so you will want to keep the shutter open for a while in order to catch all the flashes.
And for photographing streaks of car headlights and tail lights - find a spot with a lot of traffic, but again, be safe in your choice of locations.
One thing to try is to use something in the background as well; usually streaks of light photographed on their own can be a bit boring!
Now you can take your shot.
One thing to remember is that the longer you keep your shutter open, the more streaks you will capture. Obviously the more traffic you have the more streaks you will have!
Available light also has a part to play in creating a good night photography shot.
There are times when a scene looks its best when you set it amongst inky-black skies. There are also times when a little light works best, so photos just prior to dark really sets in are worth a try too.
The best bit of advice is to try both and see which captures the effect you are after best.
You will find that sometimes a 10 second exposure gets the look you are after. Sometimes you may need up to a minute.
If you practice you will soon get a feel for what you will need for any given situation.
