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Night Photography as the name suggests is photographs taken in night or photos shot at time of twilight and dawn. The unique aspect in night photography is to bringing out animated an inanimate object in the darkness of night, that is brightened through artificial lights, making this form of photography very attractive for photographers.
The scope of night photograph has widened by the use of high-speed films, higher-sensitivity digital image sensors, wide-aperture lenses, and the ever-greater power of urban lights.
Factors influencing night photography
The key aspect to be considered in night photography by a photographer, when taking night shots are lens's aperture, ISO and shutter sped.
The higher the lens's aperture the more there is room for light to enter through the lens. The widest aperture is f2.8. Slow shutter speed is used to capture subject sin their elements and to show them off at their best under artificial lighting. The shutter works slowly to capture light correctly.
ISO is the camera's sensitivity to light and it is a very important factor in night photography. While a High ISO will make your camera more light sensitive, a lower ISO will reduce the camera's sensitivity increases its exposure time and also create better night sots.
Night photography techniques
Night photography requires certain techniques that best bring out the subject in the quality of the night or twilight time. Some technique seen to be used in Night Photography are:
1) Night photographers always take to luminous lenses that have a high aperture. Foe example they can be seen using lenses with an aperture of 2.8 or more.
2) The use of shutter release cable or self timer is seen so as to prevent the photo from being disturbed by camera shakes that happens with the release of the shutter.
3) Photo's focus is always done manually.
4) Tripod is seen to be used for the long exposure required in these photos.
There are many interesting things to be photographed during the night, some of which are cars, people, street illuminations, fireworks, bonfires, reflection in pools of water. Many interesting night photos are seen to capture moving trails of light coming from lighted moving objects such as cars, buses, trains and so on. Such photos are taken using a very slow shutter - one that has a speed from 2 - 20 seconds.
Night photography tips
Night photographers try to capture their subject in the mystery of the night by using longer exposure, with minimal lighting. They use exposures that last from half a second up to about half-a-minute. Doing this helps them to create unusual and sharp photos, given the fact that they are taking photos at night with only artificial light their source of light.
They are seen to experiment a lot with what would be the best scenes and what would be the best exposure, and matching the two to get a good shot. Amateurs interested in getting into this photography form can do with a couple of useful tips such as
1) Choose a good location. The location should offer you the best in night time lighting. It should be vibrant and be able to bring out the subject you wish to photograph. At the same time choose a site that's safe.
2) Bring in your camera case, and all the required films for shooting. If you are using digital camera, make sure your camera batteries is fully charged. Having a spare set of batteries can be helpful.
3) Night photography works best with a camera that has manual exposure settings and one with an SLR or a single lens reflex. It is also necessary to have a sturdy tripod to prevent camera shakes while shooting. The tripod should have a rubber leg to prevent slippage.
4) If you have to take photos which do not have adequate lighting, you require hand-held flashes. You can also use lights and torches as additional lights, so be sure to make arrangements for these in your shoot.
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