Keep Shooting

Fun Nighttime Photography You Can Do.

Just because the sun goes down does not mean that you have to put your camera away, or be limited by a pop up flash or blurry pictures. There is an exciting world of night photography that is open to everyone with any camera that has a manual setting for the shutter and aperture. You don't need to be a camera wizard or have a degree in math. The sole purpose of this site is to show you how you can get some fun nighttime photos. This is a very basic introduction to the fun that is night photography. I have provided many links throughout the site for you to explore as much or as little as you like. Many of the links have amazing photos that you too can do with a little experimentation.

photo of moonlit lake

This photo was taken about two in the morning. With a long enough exposure the moon can light a scene almost as well as the sun during the daytime, though the look is much different.

Keeping it Simple

All the photos I have taken for this site were taken as standard jpeg's and were edited using only Picasa a free photo editing program from Google. There are many ways to take and edit night photos. I have intentionally made it as easy and inexpensive as possible so that you could try it for yourself. If you want to get more involved the web is loaded with fantastic sites for you to explore. Above all experiment! Sometimes it leads to wonderful mistakes.

Develop a Pattern

Shooting at night it is easy to forget some of the basics. For me, it's hard to slow down and take my time. I tend to be more excited and anxious shooting at night. You must check your camera settings, and recheck them often. It's easy to inadvertently change a setting and waste many shots by shooting with the wrong ISO, or white balance. Over time, I have developed a mental list that helps me make the best use of my time when shooting at night.

  1. Check the ISO
  2. Check the white balance
  3. Check the aperture
  4. Check the shutter speed
  5. Check composition
  6. Take 3 - 5 shots at varying exposures
  7. Check the histogram, and LCD

By sticking to this sequence it will become second nature and you will find you will get a higher percentage of "keepers."

Enjoy the Site

Random Thoughts

I think you will find, as I have, that taking pictures after dark will make you a better daylight photographer. Where often people will use auto or program mode for shooting in daylight, shooting after dark will make you think about the relationship of shutter speed and aperture. You will start to find yourself experimenting in manual mode during the daytime rather than just "trusting" your cameras meter.

Cool Links