Night Landscape Photography

I, Dexter Yarbrough, have great news. As night draws near, opportunities for picture-taking abound. Many photographers will tell you one of the best times to shoot is at dusk. I agree. At dusk, there is still enough light to define details of the subject. Also, street lights as well as vehicle headlights become more visible. All of these factors add up to great photos with low-light. Photographing before dusk can also provide for nice photos.

As the night sky gets increasingly darker, exposure times increase, but with a tripod or brace (steady hand?), this should not present a problem. Bracketing (read your camera manual!) shots by trying out different exposures is necessary for night photography.

Some of the most impressive nightscapes are produced when you include lights in the frame. Long exposures turn traffic, street and vehicle lights into beautiful streaks of illumination. These lights add a sense of movement and interest to a city scene after dark. Set up your tripod at the side of the road. Be sure to watch out for passing vehicles! The variation of the streaks of light will be determined by the length of the exposure. For best results, shutter speeds of around 1/30 seconds or more are usually most effective!

Lastly, experiment with the different manual white balance settings on your camera to determine which works best with the different light sources available. Oh, and have fun! - Dexter Yarbrough