Night Photography: Tips and Tricks
Canon Beach, OR: Sony A7ii; Focal Length: 28; Aperture/Fstop: 2.1; Exposure Time 25 seconds
I love night photography, especially in places where I am not at risk of being eaten by Mountain lions, tigers or bears! In my experience night photography does not only lead to awesome pictures and amazing memories, but also some great stories! Like the one time I am 99% sure that we ran into a ghost at the Cliffs Of Moher.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
1. A Camera with the capability to take long exposures
2. Lense
3. Extra Camera Batteries
4. SD Card
5. Tripod
6. Remote
7. Flashlight or Headlamp
8. Appropriate Clothing
Rainbow Trout Ranch, San Juan Wilderness; Nikon D600; Focal Length: 16; Aperture/Fstop: 2.8; Exposure time: 12 seconds
1. A Camera with the capability to take long exposures
You really need a camera that is capable of taking a long exposure. These days some phones can do that. I don’t know how well long exposures on phones turn out as I have never personally experimented with it. Any DSLR, SLR or a Sony mirrorless camera (or any mirrorless camera with long exposure capabilities) works too. I use a Nikon D610 and D850 - they are both full frame - this means you can use a wide angle or fish eye lense without any of the image getting cut off. My husband (Robert) uses a Sony A7ii which does really well with night photography as well. 2. Lense/Lenses
I like to use a fisheye - but some people don’t like the distortion that occurs with a fish eye lense. In this case I would recommend a wide angle (but keep in mind you need a camera that has a full frame so that non of the image gets cut off). A lot of people love wide angle lenses for night photography. They just allow you to get more of the sky in and therefore more stars, more of the milky way, etc. It is also better if the lense has a wide aperture (Which lets in more light) f/2.8 is pretty great! I personally wouldn’t use a super zoom lense because it would be hard to get a nice composition. If you don’t have a DSLR ( or some form of mirrorless camera capable of taking long exposures photos you can rent one for pretty cheap from a place like Mikes Camera. If you do not have a Mikes Camera near you, there is probably another place that rents cameras or lenses as well. Or, If you do have a camera and want a wide angle lense - you can always just rent a lense.
3. Extra batteries:
This is especially important if you are in a super cold climate that gets into the negatives Fahrenheit. The cold will kill your batteries. My Nikon battery will last forever in good weather - but I would suggest having at least two extra Nikon batteries and three or four extras for a mirrorless camera. You can never be too safe! If your camera was to die right before an epic shot - that would be a real bummer that could have been avoided. 4. SD Card:
Don’t forget your SD card. I like to always have a spare just in case my camera doesn’t like the SD card or something else weird happens. I like to bring one with a lot of storage like 256gb and then maybe a 16gb or 32gb one. Also, if you are with others and they run out of space on their SD card you can give them yours and go down like a legend or make a new best friend. 5. Tripod:
This is probably one of the most important parts. This will allow you to take the picture without your camera moving. I mean if you forget your tripod you can always set your camera down on a rock or something, but it doesn’t allow you to compose your photos as well as you can with a tripod. I recommend one with a ball head - I use a Manfrotto aluminum travel one. It folds up really nicely, is light and fits in my carry on. Because it is so light, it’s a great one to back pack with or hike with - (especially when your husband is carrying it ). 6. Remote Or Self Timer: I actually never use a remote and just put my camera on self timer mode - I use a two second delay. You could even put it on a longer delay if you are worried about it shaking. My Husband uses a remote and he likes it. Really, comes down to personal preference. Remotes annoy me because they don’t always work with every click. If you want a photo with yourself in them, you have to point it at the camera.
If you do end up getting a remote - I would highly recommend a wireless remote if your camera has that capability. It just gives you a lot more freedom.
The good news is - if you love using a remote and you forgot yours -now you know that you can put your camera on self timer mode.
7. Flashlight or Headlamp
If you want to hike someplace a flashlight or headlamp can be really handy. Sometimes if you need to look at your camera or arrange settings it is also a handy thing to have. I recommend one with a red light on it, as they are not as blinding. Also, be courteous if there are others around shooting the aurora, as you can ruin their exposure which will ruin their picture.
CAMERA SETTINGS:
Havasu Falls, AZ; Nikon D600; Focal Length: 16; Aperture/Fstop: 3.2; Exposure Time: 30 seconds
The most important settings:
1. Manual Mode
2. Aperture
3. Shutter Speed
4. ISO
5. Focus
6. Image Quality
1. Manual Mode
Set the Camera to manual shooting mode. If you do not know how to do this, you can either look in the manual as every camera is different or google it based on the type of camera that you have.
You will also need to set your lense to manual. Sometimes you have to do this both on the camera as well as on the lense.
2. Aperture
If you are new to photography and all these terms are like another language to you let me explain. Think of the aperture as the eye of the camera. The wider your eye is open the more it can see and the more light it lets in. This is also true for the camera. When shooting at nightime the reason you want as much light as possible coming into your camera is because you are shooting in the dark and it will reduce how high you need to go with you ISO (which is a whole another beast that I will explain later).
Now the funny thing about the Aperture or what photographers call the f-stop is the lower the number. f/2.8 for instance, the more the aperture (eye of the camera) is open. Whereas f/22 means that the eye is almost closed and letting in the least amount of light possible.
When shooting the stars you want the aperture open as wide as possible so an aperture of f/2.8 or lower (a little higher will be okay) is what you need. It really depends on your lenses capability how low (wide) you will be able to go.
3. Shutter Speed
This is something that you will have to play around with, based on the light (if there is a moon, no moon, etc.).
Obviously, you do not want to overexpose your photo too much that it is a blown out white picture, at the same time you do not want to underexpose it so much that it is a dark black image. There is a fine balance that you can play with. I usually start somewhere between 5" and 10" seconds and then adjust accordingly. I was taught it is always better to underexpose than overexpose because once you overexpose an image you can never get those details back, but if you underexpose you can bring the details out. This is when your artistic license comes in to play and you get to decide what you like.
4. ISO
ISO measures the sensitivity of the image sensor. The lower the number the less sensitive your camera is to light and the finer the grain (less noise). Higher ISO is usually for shooting in darker situations to get faster shutter speeds but this can cause more grain to end up in your photo (noise).
When shooting night photography I do not like to go above an ISO of 3200. That is generally what I will start at and you can bring it up or down depending on your personal preference and how much noise (grain) is acceptable to you in your photo. But 32oo is a good rule of thumb.
Example of a photo with a lot of noise. If you look you can see all of the grain in the sky.
Gokayma, Japan; Nikon D6o0; Focal Length: 14; Aperture/Fstop: 2.8; Exposure time: 96.6 seconds
5. Focus
Unless you are going for some really artistic out of focus kind of photo you are going to want to focus before you begin to take your photo.
The best way to do this at night time is first turn your lense and camera to manual focus. Set the focus to infinity and find something bright to focus on. You can use the moon, a star or a window. I like to use windows because they are the easiest thing for me to tell if it is actually in focus. Then you just turn it ever so slightly until whatever you are focusing on looks clear. Once you get the right focus put a piece of tape on the focus and the camera so that it cannot move. This is especially handy if you are moving your camera around a lot.
If you leave your camera in automatic mode it will refuse to take the photo and that is just annoying.
6. Image Quality
Your camera has a lot of image quality settings. The first thing to do is turn it up to the highest megapixels it can shoot int. Then decide if you want to shoot in JPEG, JPEG FINE or RAW. Only shoot in RAW if you have a software that can post process the image and you have the time and want to do that; It can be a lot of work.
More Trips and Tricks:
Shooting with the moon
Seven Mile Beach, Cayman Islands; Sony A7ii; Focal Length: 21; Aperture/fstop: 2.8; Exposure Time: 11 This is a great example of what happens when you shoot with the moon. It drowns out the stars completely. But, I was shooting water, so I got that cool ND/misty effect with the ocean. You do not have to do night photography to just shoot the stars. You can use it to get a better water effect or whatever else.
Trying to take pictures of the stars can be very aggravating when they are being drowned out by the moon. But, shooting with the moon can actually make it so that your subject shows up really well. The lighter the sky is, the more likely you are to be able to get that epic shot of arches, or whatever your subject may be without having to use artificial light. Another option is to turn your ISO down so that you can take a longer exposure and get more detail of the stars or the Milky Way.
light pollution
Cliffs Of Moher, Ireland; Nikon D600; Focal Length: 16; Aperture/fstop:2.8; Exposure Time: 30 seconds
This is a great example of Light Pollution. All the red on the right is from the city Lahinch. Which is not even a big city. I personally love the color that it adds to the photo.
Some artists/photographers do not like the way light pollution looks in their photo. I personally love it because it adds colors. What is light pollution you ask? It is light from cities, street lights, houses, etc. When you take a long exposure the camera picks up the lights which can also cause the stars to be less sharp if you are super close to, or in a city.
You have a few options. Make sure that you are as far from cities as possible when shooting the night sky. Especially the Milky way because it will drown out the clarity and sharpness of your photos. Or you can embrace it and let it add some color to your Milky Way photos.
Shooting without the moon
This is a blessing when you are trying to get that epic milky way shot, but it can also be a little annoying if you are trying to shoot a specific subject because it will not show up.
Why no moon is great for a milky way shot: Because you can expose the shit out of your photo. Meaning you can set the exposure for 30 or more seconds and it will not come out overexposed. Pretty neat, huh? It will just pick up more stars in that epic milky way.
How to shoot a subject without the moon in a very dark place: You are going to want to make sure that you have a flashlight. The best flashlight to have is not a circular one because then your photos will have circle marks in it. It is hard to describe, but just trust me - it never works as well as a pen light.We have had the best luck with the lil larry power pocket light.
RTR, San Juan Wilderness; Nikon D600; Focal Length: 16; Aperture/Fstop: 2.8; Exposure time: 16 seconds
One of my favorite photos that I have ever taken. Because I shined the light on this fine fellow named Hank in the photo and moves so perfectly as to leave his shadow in the stars. It was amazing luck and just one example of the great shots you can get when you are not expecting it. This is also an example of how no moon can be a blessing in disguise. If I had been photographing Hank with a moon I would not of been able to get that intense of a Milky Way shot as well as Hank looking at the camera like the handsome model that he is.
How to light up the subject: I have found that the best way to go about lighting up your subject is to
Step One: Turn the flashlight
Step Two: Hide the light on your knee or somewhere else.
Step Three: Begin the exposure
Step Four: Shine the light at your subject using a circular/arcing motion until you think that you have lit it up enough. This will take some trial and error for you to get the right length of time down. Be careful not to cast a shadow of yourself or your tripod or get the light directly in the lense or it will cause a lense flare.
A Blessing in Disguise: No moon can actually be a blessing in disguise, especially when you are trying to take photos of a moving subject. I am talking about an animal, for example we love to take photos of horses. Horses do not sit and stay like a husband or a dog, but instead have a mind of their own, especially at night time when they are the prey. The cool thing about night photography, especially when it is super dark - is you can stand in front of the camera and move around a little bit you will never show up. When you have a subject that moves a lot you can shine the light on it for a max of three to five seconds and then turn the light off and continue exposing your photo. The animal or whatever it is will come out really well and sharp and you will also be able to get a lot of clarity in the sky. This will take trial and error and probably turn out epic. So good luck shooting!
How to find the Milky Way
In The united states (not counting Hawaii) Milky Way season runs from March to October. This is when the Core of the Milky Way is visible. The Core is what you always see in photos as it is the most interesting part of the Milky Way.
We love Milky Way photography and when we first began shooting the stars it was super hard to find. We actually literally had no idea what we were doing or how to find the milky way. If you are in a place dark enough you will actually be able to see the Milky Way with your eyes. But the best way to figure out what it looks like or where the core is to use an App. We use an app called SKy Guide for Iphones. They probably have something similar for Android . It is super simple to use, you just point it at the sky and move/turn around until you find the Milky Way. Pretty simple!!!!
Clouds!
RTR, San Juan Wilderness; Nikon D600; Focal Length: 16; Aperture/fstop: 2.8; Exposure time: 29.1 seconds
How clouds can create some cool photos or "drama". The color of the clouds in the photo below are due to the great light pollution from the town of Canon Beach.
Canon Beach, OR; Nikon D600; Focal Length: 22; Aperture/fstop: 2.8; Exposure time: 20 seconds
Sometimes the clouds come out of nowhere and can ruin your night. But...they can also add "drama" to your photo and make it that much more interesting. Maybe you are going for that Milky Way photo, but if the clouds come out and try to ruin your night just go with it and you might just get an awesome shot out of it!
In The End:
Gokayama, Japan; Nikon D600; Focal Length: 24: Aperture/fstop: 2.8; Exposure Time: 30 seconds
Our first ever successful photos of the Milky Way In Gokayama, Japan. Really it was just a matter of luck. There was no moon and we were in a tiny little traditional village with like zero light pollution. It was the first time I ever noticed seeing the Milky Way with my own eyes. They are still some of my favorite photos because it does not even look like real life and it was a day for the history books. Not to mention our first creepy experience we had with night photography.
Gokayama, Japan; Nikon D600; Focal Lenght: 16; Aperture/fstop: 2.8; Exposure: 30 seconds
It took us a lot of failed attempts and trial and error to finally get our first Milky Way photo and truly successful night photo shot. It was in Japan and it was a beautiful night despite the ghosts and running off the mountain like scared chickens. But that is a story for another time. What I am trying to say is if the first ten times you go out shooting the night sky and do not get anything that you like, keep on trying! You will get the hang of it!
Related Posts: