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Photography Question 

Jessica Rae Hardy 		 

How To Capture Night Scenes


I Am Still Confused On How To Get A Good Night Scene...I Really Need Help.


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August 15, 2005

 
- Bob Cournoyer

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  Tripod!
Other than that, what kind of night scene are you talking about?

Bob


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August 15, 2005

 

David A. Bliss 		 
 
 
This was taken while camping, on a night with no moon. The stars were amazing, so I figured I would get some star trails. I set the camera on bulb, and locked the shutter open. I left a flashlight in the tent, and painted the fence with another one. I also popped an off camera flash, to help add some contrast. Shot with a Canon 10D, 20-35mm Canon lens at 20mm, 26 minute exposure, tripod, cable release.


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August 15, 2005

 
- Bob Cournoyer

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  Cool shot, David!!


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August 15, 2005

 

Samuel Smith 		  great idea david,nice


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August 15, 2005

 

David A. Bliss 		  Thanks guys! I have gotten mixed reviews on this one, either really good or ho-hum.

We seem to have lost Jessica!


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August 16, 2005

 

Jessica Rae Hardy 		  Hi David,

Thanks for the tip. I love the shop of the tent under the stars. I wasnt to take a cool shot like that, but what I can't seem to understand is: what is the best shutter speed & f-stop to use??


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August 16, 2005

 

Christopher A. Vedros 		  Jessica,
That really depends on what you are taking a photo of.

If you want to stop the action of something that is moving, or want a sharp picture of a person, you will need to use a shutter speed of about 1/60 or faster, or use a flash.

If you want to take a picture of something that is not moving, or something that is lit up, like a monument or a building with neon signs, then you can turn off the flash and use a tripod with a slower shutter speed. Put your camera in Av or Aperture Priority mode, and select an f-stop of f8 or f10 or higher if you want more depth of field. Check the shutter speed that your camera meter selects. If the slowest speed is blinking (30sec on my camera), then you need to switch to a lower f-stop until you get to a speed the camera can use.

You should use a remote control or cable release to trip the shutter, since pressing the button with your finger can shake the camera. If you don't have one of those, you can use the self-timer on your camera.

Let us know if you have some other specific night scene in mind, and we might have other suggestions.

Chris


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August 17, 2005

 
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