Night photos can take on a somewhat magical quality you may find lacking in normal daytime photography. Amazing night pictures certainly can attract attention. As the sun goes down, however, it becomes harder to capture images without the proper equipment and techniques. Thus, as was mentioned in Part I of this series, taking incredible nighttime photographs requires a lot of planning.
When your digital camera receives less light, it cannot absorb the surroundings as well in the resulting photographs. Some pictures may turn out too dark. Others can be too blurry. Your camera requires more time to absorb enough light to create an effective picture, so any shaking of the device will result in photographs lacking sharpness.
To compensate for the lack of lighting, here are several things you can do with most middle and high-end digital cameras to get the results you need. Part III of this series will continue with even more expert ideas.
* You may think that professional photographers take a large amount of time to set up a shot, perform complex calculations, talk about all sorts of topics such as f-stops, shoot one photograph that accurately represents their interpretation of a particular scene, and then leave.
While most of this may be true, the last part - only taking one photo - is far from it. Many, if not most, professional photographers commonly take a multitude of shots for every subject! Traditional photographers can go through rolls and rolls of film on a single shoot, and digital photographers may use gigabytes of memory.
Professionals know that no matter how well everything has been factored in when setting up a shot, 'stuff happens'. It is better to take time shooting a particular subject ten times and get one outstanding photograph than to take one or two photos that turn out blurry or dull.
Most photographers perform a trick called bracketing, where they intentionally adjust their camera settings in small increments in case their calculations were not precisely correct.
Heed this advice when taking photographs at night. If you have a particular subject you want to reproduce in digital form, don't rely on taking 'the one perfect shot', but take several photographs in case problems occur with the lighting, or lack thereof.
Remember, you're shooting digitally, which means you can later throw out all the bad photos in your camera's virtual 'trash can', and no one ever needs to know! I can't tell you how many times I've done this, especially when taking late-night shots of the Chicago cityscape in places I couldn't bring a tripod. I may shoot hundreds of shots and only keep a few dozen.
* If your digital camera has a special nighttime mode, study your manual and learn how to enable this feature. Perhaps your camera has a button or dial next to a graphic of a half-moon to signify this setting. This works well for some late-night situations.
* Forget about using the flash unless you purchase a high-quality accessory flash unit. Flash shoots a burst of light out of your camera and works most effectively when your subject is within a few feet. If your subject is a long way away, your small flash unit will never reach it effectively.
Nighttime photography requires a little extra work out of you and your digital camera. To prevent against mistakes and increase the chance of a spectacular shot, it may be necessary to take the same picture multiple times, adjusting your camera settings slightly to help ensure at least one picture will come out well. The digital camera manual must be studied, as many high-end cameras contain automatic features to help take better photos. And, a natural tendency most people have to use flash must be avoided. By heeding this advice, you can learn to take spectacular nighttime photos.
Look forward to article III in this series in the near future!
Copyright 2005 Andrew Malek.
Andrew Malek is the owner of the MalekTips computer and technology help site at nighttime mode. Visit his digital camera page at nighttime mode for hundreds of more digital photography tips.
shuttle from O'Hare Bingham .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareFor years I wondered how big the bucks were that... Read More
STAY CONNECTED WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS.Making your own digital photo... Read More
If you're like me, you have hundreds of photographs sitting... Read More
Digital cameras are available in several price ranges today. They... Read More
George Eastman, founder of Kodak is world renowned today. Digital... Read More
Saturate yourself with your subject and the camera will all... Read More
That's right, you go through all the trouble of making... Read More
The digital camera being a fantastic and technologically advanced device... Read More
Reflected Light Readings for Film and Digital ImagesIn order to... Read More
So you have rushed out into the malls in a... Read More
You may have already started to make money from your... Read More
Looking at the most intricate details of the digital camera... Read More
Before you rush into buying your digital camera this holiday... Read More
Why is a 3 megapixel camera better than a 1... Read More
Every Mom wants to take great photos of their babies... Read More
Getting the most out of your digital video camera can... Read More
In the age of home phones and 8x10's we all... Read More
Outdoor photographers shoot year round. That includes the hot summer.... Read More
There are also some excellent online courses available and some... Read More
How many of the birthday party pictures you've seen are... Read More
The digital camera is essentially a computer-based device, whose core... Read More
Too many people have the idea that being paid to... Read More
Photography is a diversified field of creating a spectral variety... Read More
Get a good face shot: Use Higher quality cameras at... Read More
The most important part of buying a digital camera is... Read More
Mishawaka limo O'Hare ..Sometimes, usual photographs look so common and boring. Converting your... Read More
About Personalized Photo Calendars:Photo Calendars are 12-month, wall-hanging calendars that... Read More
The warm feelings are flowing all around when the pet... Read More
Your first thought when you read "Alligator Farm" might be... Read More
Choosing the right digital camera for general use can be... Read More
I've been practising wildlife photography on safari for over twenty... Read More
Sony was the first company to introduce digital cameras into... Read More
Digital photography promises much. Store your photographs on your computer,... Read More
Let's start there (but not spend too much time on... Read More
I love panoramas. There's something very appealing about their shape.... Read More
Imagine being able to frame all your own photographs just... Read More
Night photographs express a special something that cannot be seen... Read More
Love is in the air at the Venice Rookery. The... Read More
Almost any shot will look better if you take two... Read More
The digital camera is not meant only for capturing images... Read More
STAY CONNECTED WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS.Making your own digital photo... Read More
Wholesale disposable cameras are disposable cameras bought in quantity. Bulk... Read More
Dots Per Inch is a useful measure of relative resolution.... Read More
Too many people have the idea that being paid to... Read More
Quite often I will have clients bring in old photographs... Read More
Almost all of us will have seen this particular photographic... Read More
Like many people who've made the switch from film cameras... Read More
Underwater digital cameras are fun and easy to use under... Read More
Started in a single-room by three Japanese men in the... Read More
I once heard a lady say to a photographer that... Read More
Photography |