Whether you are a professional photographer or someone who simply enjoys photography in your spare time, you are sure to enjoy the luxury of being able to capture anything that catches your eye or inspires you. This could be a family holiday abroad, beloved pets, landscapes and scenery, birthday celebrations or memorable days with friends. All you need to do is pick up your camera and snap away; each moment can be captured in photo form. However, this is slightly more difficult if you desire to get those high-quality night shots.

Night shots are stressful for many photographers, regardless of skill level and experience. Not only do you need to ensure that you are using the right camera settings, but you need to make sure that your shots are clear. Getting clear night shots is a balancing act; you need to find the balance between capturing the beauty of nighttime whilst also being able to see what is in the photograph. If you don’t know what you are doing, you could end up with blurry photographs and shots that are too bright or too dark.

 

Top Tips for Photographing The Best Night Shots

A lot goes into photography at night, especially if you are hoping to capture clear images of fireworks and celebrations. This is why it’s important to experiment with the various settings on your camera beforehand, to really familiarise yourself with all of the options. Instead of turning up and shooting, hoping for the best, experimenting allows you to relax, knowing that you are using the ideal settings for your nighttime photography. Of course, there are specific things that you should be doing to capture clear night shots, some of which we have listed below.

 

  • Think About Your Location Beforehand - As you will be photographing in the dark, it’s a good idea to think about your location beforehand. If there are any obstacles or obstructions, consider how you will work around these and whether your shots will be possible from various angles. The more you know about your location, the more prepared you will be.

 

  • Consider Adding More Light - If you are heading to a celebration and are worried about a lack of light, think about ways to maximise the small amount of light there or add artificial light Though this is unlikely to be possible if you are shooting fireworks, it might be an option for an outdoor celebration.

 

  • Lower Your Aperture - In order to capture clear images at night, you need to let in as much light as possible, which means using a lens with a wide aperture. The wider your lens aperture, the more light that can be taken in. You will need a low aperture to capture clear night shots, so set your camera accordingly. For most night shots, the lens aperture must be f.2.8 or more.

 

  • Shoot in RAW - JPEG downgrades an image's quality, which can impact the clarity of your night shots. To avoid this happening, make sure that you are shooting RAW. This is also beneficial when it comes to editing the image afterwards, as the colours are better and clearer if the shot hasn’t been processed by JPEG.

 

  • Lower Your ISO - A lot of people make the mistake of assuming that night photography requires a high ISO, and though this technically does make sense in some ways, it’s actually the opposite. The higher your ISO, the more grainy your shot will be. By lowering your ISO, you are lowering the grain and improving the clarity of the photograph.

 

  • Shoot in Manual Mode - There are undeniable benefits that come with using the automatic settings on your camera, but these are unlikely to work for night shots. Shooting in manual mode gives you full control over what your camera is doing. If something isn’t quite working for you, you can change it. You have free reign over every aspect of your camera when you are shooting in manual mode.

 

  • Use a Tripod - One of the best things you can do when photographing fireworks or celebrations at night is to use a good tripod. Shooting at night requires you to use long shutter speeds, and this could mean keeping the camera very still for eight to ten seconds to let as much light in as possible. This is difficult if you are holding the camera yourself or balancing it on an uneven surface. Having a tripod makes everything a lot easier, as you don’t have to worry about the camera moving and the shot being blurry. You can focus on capturing the perfect image, whilst the tripod focuses on keeping the camera completely still.

 

  • Memorise Your Camera Functions Beforehand - Night photography requires you to work in low light conditions, which means that you are unlikely to have a clear view of all of your camera buttons and dials. You might need to change a setting quickly but find that you are unable to do so because you can’t remember which dial it is. By memorising them beforehand, you don’t need to worry about being unable to change them at a moment’s notice when you are shooting.

 

  • Dress for Night Shot Success - Much of what goes into capturing clear night shots is related to your camera itself, but you should also think about dressing to succeed. If you are outside for a long period of time photographing fireworks, you need to make sure that you are warm and prepared. This means dressing in thin layers - so you can remove or add them as the temperature changes - and wrapping up warm in the winter.

 

At Camera World, we have everything you need to capture flawless night shots. Whether you are photographing fireworks or celebrations, our cameras and accessories provide everything you need to achieve success. To find out more about the best cameras for night photography, get in touch with our helpful team.