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Index Page –› Art & Creative –› Art Photography

Take Spectacular Nighttime Photos with your Digital Camera - Part I

N i g h t p h o t o g r a p h s e x p r e s s a s p e c i a l s o m e t h i n g t h a t c a n n o t b e s e e n i n n o r m a l d a y t i m e p h o t o g r a p h y . W h e t h e r i t i s a p h o t o g r a p h o f a m o o n a n d s t a r l i t s k y o v e r a w i n d y d e s e r t e d b e a c h , t h e e x c i t e m e n t o f a d o w n t o w n c i t y s c a p e w h e n t h e l i g h t s g o o n , o r j u s t a p i c t u r e o f y o u a n d s o m e f r i e n d s i n f r o n t o f a f a v o r i t e h a n g o u t , n i g h t t i m e p h o t o s , w h e n d o n e r i g h t , a r e s u r e t o a t t r a c t a t t e n t i o n . H o w e v e r , e v e n f o r e x p e r i e n c e d p h o t o g r a p h e r s , n i g h t t i m e p h o t o g r a p h y c a n b e a t r i c k y s i t u a t i o n . P h o t o s o f t e n l o o k u n f o c u s e d , b l u r r y , o r l a c k i n g c r u c i a l d e t a i l s , a n d m a n y m a y n o t c o m e o u t a t a l l . T h e r e a r e s o m e t r i c k s , t h o u g h , t o t a k i n g s p e c t a c u l a r n i g h t t i m e p h o t o s w i t h y o u r d i g i t a l c a m e r a , t r i c k s t h a t c a n b e e x p l a i n e d y e t o n l y c o m p l e t e l y l e a r n e d t h r o u g h p r a c t i c e . T h i s f i r s t p a r t o f a t h r e e - p a r t s e r i e s o n n i g h t t i m e p h o t o g r a p h y w i l l c o v e r t r i c k s n o t n e c e s s a r i l y r e l a t e d t o d i g i t a l c a m e r a s e t t i n g s , b u t t r i c k s n o n e t h e l e s s t h a t c a n r e s u l t i n b e t t e r p h o t o g r a p h s o r a m o r e p l e a s i n g p h o t o - t a k i n g e x p e r i e n c e . * A l t h o u g h m o r e e x p e n s i v e d i g i t a l c a m e r a s d o n o t n e c e s s a r i l y r e s u l t i n b e t t e r p h o t o s , r e a l i z e t h a t t h e c h e a p e s t c a m e r a s m a y n o t b e c a p a b l e o f t a k i n g g r e a t p h o t o g r a p h s a t n i g h t . I t r e q u i r e s m o r e w o r k , b o t h o n y o u r ' s a n d t h e c a m e r a ' s p a r t , t o t a k e s p e c t a c u l a r s h o t s i n v e r y l o w - l i g h t s i t u a t i o n s . T h o u g h y o u d o n ' t h a v e t o s p e n d o v e r a t h o u s a n d d o l l a r s f o r n i g h t p h o t o g r a p h y , d o n ' t e x p e c t t o o m u c h o u t o f a s u b - t w o h u n d r e d - d o l l a r c a m e r a , e i t h e r . * E s p e c i a l l y i f y o u a r e n o t c o m p l e t e l y f a m i l i a r w i t h y o u r c a m e r a ' s s e t t i n g s t o e n h a n c e n i g h t t i m e p h o t o g r a p h y , c o n s i d e r f i r s t t a k i n g s o m e p h o t o g r a p h s a r o u n d d u s k , w h e n t h e s u n h a s n o t y e t c o m p l e t e l y l e f t t h e s k y . D u s k p h o t o s c a n s o m e t i m e s b e e v e n m o r e d r a m a t i c t h a n t h o s e t a k e n i n t h e p i t c h - b l a c k s k y , a s t h e a d d e d l i g h t h e l p s i l l u m i n a t e d e t a i l s e a s i l y m i s s e d i n a c o m p l e t e l y d a r k e n v i r o n m e n t C h e c k y o u r l o c a l n e w s p a p e r w h e r e y o u a r e s h o o t i n g p h o t o g r a p h s o r a w e b s i t e s u c h a s h t t p : / / w w w . w e a t h e r . c o m f o r s u n r i s e / s u n s e t t i m e s , a n d b e r e a d y t o s h o o t a r o u n d a 2 0 - 3 0 m i n u t e w i n d o w f o r b e s t r e s u l t s . * P l a n y o u r p h o t o s b e f o r e y o u s h o o t ! W h i l e i t i s a l w a y s a g o o d i d e a t o s t u d y a n a r e a f i r s t , t h i s i s c r u c i a l i f y o u a r e p l a n n i n g o n s n a p p i n g p h o t o g r a p h s a r o u n d d u s k ! Y o u w i l l n o t h a v e m u c h t i m e t o p l a n , a n d i f y o u s p e n d f i v e o r t e n m i n u t e s j u s t g e t t i n g a p e r f e c t a n g l e o r f r a m i n g t h e p e r f e c t s h o t , t h e o v e r a l l l i g h t i n g w i l l c h a n g e a s t h e s u n s l o w l y s e t s . A n d o f c o u r s e , r e m e m b e r w h e n c o m p o s i n g y o u r p h o t o s t h a t t h e s u n s e t s i n t h e w e s t . * B e p r e p a r e d f o r t h e e n v i r o n m e n t . I f y o u ' r e h e a d i n g o u t b y y o u r s e l f , e s p e c i a l l y i n a s e m i - d e s e r t e d w i l d e r n e s s a r e a , a l w a y s c a r r y a m a p s o y o u r e m e m b e r h o w t o g e t t o y o u r h o m e , c a m p , o r h o t e l . C h e c k t h e w e a t h e r b e f o r e y o u g o a n d w e a r a p o n c h o o r c o a t i f n e c e s s a r y . C a r r y a f l a s h l i g h t , o r , i n t h e m o s t e x t r e m e e n v i r o n m e n t s , a f l a r e , t o h e l p o t h e r s f i n d y o u i f y o u b e c o m e l o s t . A l s o , b r i n g a l o n g a W E L L - C H A R G E D c e l l p h o n e i n c a s e o f e m e r g e n c y ! Y o u ' r e t a k i n g p h o t o s a t n i g h t t o h a v e f u n a n d c r e a t e s p e c t a c u l a r r e s u l t s . B e p r e p a r e d f o r u n e x p e c t e d s i t u a t i o n s s o t h e y d o n ' t r u i n y o u r e x p e r i e n c e . W h i l e t h e r e s u l t s c a n b e o u t s t a n d i n g , n i g h t p h o t o g r a p h y p r e s e n t s i t s o w n u n i q u e b e n e f i t s a n d h a z a r d s . N o t j u s t a n y d i g i t a l c a m e r a w i l l d o ; l o w e r - e n d m o d e l s m a y n o t h a v e t h e c a p a b i l i t y o f t a k i n g s p e c t a c u l a r s h o t s . T i m i n g i s c r u c i a l , e s p e c i a l l y w h e n t a k i n g p i c t u r e s i n t h e b r i e f t i m e b e t w e e n d u s k a n d t o t a l d a r k n e s s . A n d , t h e e n v i r o n m e n t a n d w e a t h e r c a n p l a y h a v o c w i t h y o u r p l a n s . B y p u r c h a s i n g t h e c o r r e c t e q u i p m e n t , s t u d y i n g t h e s u b j e c t a r e a b e f o r e n i g h t t i m e f a l l s , a n d d e a l i n g w i t h u n e x p e c t e d s i t u a t i o n s w i t h t h e c o r r e c t n i g h t t i m e g e a r , y o u c a n b e b e t t e r p r e p a r e d t o t a k e a m a z i n g n i g h t t i m e p h o t o s .

Author: Andrew Malek

Author Bio:

Andrew Malek

Andrew Malek operates the MalekTips computer and technology help website, offering thousands of tips and tweaks for Internet users worldwide. He has been involved with computers since 1985, and has been online since the fall of 1992.

Mr. Malek was a webmaster at previous startups Net-A-Car and Airtuit, and was a Systems Analyst at BellSouth.

In his spare minutes, Andrew is an avid basketball and football fan, hikes, enjoys photography, and plays sports from time to time.