West 38s Night Photography Tips
Welcome to the West 38 photography blog. West 38 knows that photography, like most art forms, is about constantly developing your skills and pushing your creative boundaries. Here, we share beginner night photography tips so that you can nail shots almost every time. Read on to find out more.
SHOOT IN RAW. If you aren’t already recording your images in RAW format, then now’s a good time to start. RAW is a lossless format which means you’ll be able to extract more detail later in post-processing. Canon users: Go to the “settings” menu then click “quality” and choose “RAW”. Nikon users: Go to “shooting” menu then click “image quality” and choose RAW, then go to “image size” and choose “large”.
MANUAL FOCUS. Even pro-quality cameras can have trouble automatically focusing in very low light situations. So look for the focus switch labeled “AF/MF” on the side of your lens and move it to “MF”. Now you can turn the focus ring until the desired portion of the scene is in focus. Because your subject may be far away or dimly lit, it’s best to use “live view” mode (your camera’s LCD screen) to see more detail. Modern DSLRs will allow you to zoom in multiple times which is the key to ensure tack sharp night photos. Canon users: more details on “live view” Nikon users: more details on “preview zoom”
TURN OFF IMAGE STABILISATION. If your lens supports “vibration control” or “image stabilisation”, then turn it off when using a tripod. While it can be very handy for hand-held shooting, it will only add minute movements of its own.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT WHITE BALANCE. If you’re shooting in RAW and the white balance is off, you can usually recover that in post-processing. But why make more work for yourself? Changing the white balance from “auto” to “sunlight” will produce true colors for most night cityscapes.
REMOVE UV FILTER. If you’ve attached a UV filter to your lens, you should remove it for night photography. The additional surfaces can cause refractions from moonlight, streetlights and illuminated signage. A lens hood is an alternative way to protect your lens, and in addition, keeps out unwanted stray light.
USE WIDE-ANGLE LENS. If your night scene needs more action or feels underwhelming, try using a wide-angle lens. A wider field of view will capture more of the scene and create a different effect.
FIND YOUR LENS SWEET SPOT.
Each lens is different, but most achieve maximum sharpness in their aperture mid-range. An easy rule of thumb is 2.5 to 3 stops from the maximum aperture. Here are a few typical situations: Maximum f/1.4 = sweet spot between f/2.8 and f/4 Maximum f/2.8 = sweet spot between f/5.6 and f/8 Maximum f/3.5 = sweet spot between f/8 and f/11
These tips are just the beginning of mastering night photography. I hope you’ve found them useful and will feel more confident next time you step outside to capture our beautiful world, day or night.
West 38 is a photographic studio in the heart of NYC dedicated to working with and helping those looking to break into the talent and model industry. Our goal is to support, advise and instill confidence in everyone who visits us. Contact West 38 on their official website here and like the official West 38 facebook page here and keep up to date with the latest photography tips and tricks.
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