The World at Night - Industrial Night Photography

How to Photograph at Night

As I mentioned above I'm certainly not a photography expert, but I have learnt enough to be able to pass on a few brief instructions on how to get started in night photography. In fact it's surprisingly easy to get acceptable results.

What You Need

• A camera (obviously)
• A tripod (essential)
• Warm clothing (also essential)

I have only ever used a digital camera for night photography, so I can't comment on film cameras. I expect they are still the weapon of choice for many professionals, but I have heard of exposure times for shots running into hours, as opposed to seconds for digital. The big advantage of digital cameras from a beginner's point of view is that you can take as many shots as you like and delete any that turn out rubbish. My camera is a 4 megapixel model, but I would guess that 3 megapixels would be quite adequate. Other important features are the ability to turn off the flash manually, and some kind of night or low light mode, or manual control of exposure time. Any cheap tripod will do to start off with, but if you're moving around a small portable one is best.

Technique

There are a couple of things to consider before you even set off. Firstly, take more clothes than you think you'll need. You can quickly start to feel cold standing around in the middle of the night, even in summer. The other thing to think about is your own personal safety. Hanging around in strange places in the dark can be a bit of an adventure, so make sure you're aware of your surroundings at all times. Also, take time to familiarise youself with the camera so that you can find all the functions in the dark.

Some aspects of night photography are the same as any other type of photography, so I'll concentrate on the differences. One of the main things that you have to worry about is camera shake, which is why a tripod is so important. The low light levels mean that the shutter is open for several seconds when you take a photo, and any movement of the camera during that time will result in a blurry image. Try to place the tripod so that it's as stable as possible. using the zoom tends to amplify any vibrations, so if you're still having problems try zooming out a bit. One cause of camera shake can be pressing the button to take the photo - so how do you avoid that then? The ideal solution is a remote shutter release that plugs into the camera, but if you haven't got one there is another way. Most cameras have some kind of a timer, so you just set it to a short time (say a couple of seconds), press the button and by the time the shutter opens there should be no camera vibration. Even if the camera is rock solid you can still get a blurred image due to the fact that objects in the frame are moving. If it's windy, try to avoid things that blow about like tree branches or long grass.

When you try night photography for the first time you'll soon discover another difficulty - seeing the thing that you're trying to photograph! Digital cameras are very sensitive and you will be able to photograph scenes that aren't easy to see with the naked eye. The only technique that I've come up with is trial and error. Point the camera roughly in the right direction, take a picture and (without moving the camera) look at the LCD screen to see how it turned out. If the shot isn't framed correctly you can then carefully adjust the camera in the tripod and try again. After a few attempts you should get the shot that you're after. If you're unsure about the best way to take a particular photograph, just do it both ways and see which turns out best. As I mentioned before, that's the big advantage of digital cameras - it doesn't cost anything to take a picture, so take as many as you like!