Tips to shoot at night

[Photofan#1]

Hi Guys
I am new to photography and have just bot a NIkon D40X SLR . I am really having great fun with it . I was just in Bahamas with my family and clicked some great pics . Somehow I had a a great view from my hotel room of the water and Atlantis hotel which looked great at night with all the lights .

I increased my ISO to 800 and clicked some pics but they were really fuzzy . I know I had to use a tripod but I didnt take one with me .

I am going to Las Vegas next week and was hoping to get some help to take some good night shots there

You input and Suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

Sam Master
Houston, TX

[bigjon0107]

What do you mean by "fuzzy"? Was the subject/picture blurred or was the image grainy? If you could post a picture, it would really help us be able to pin-point the problem.

-Jon

[arcproducts]

Definitely will need a tripod. With it, you definitely will be able to bring your ISO back down to maybe even 100. I do that - -

By having your camera set at iso800 it will cause the photos to end up with alot of graininess. So the lower the number the better - generally speaking. Watch the video below and in the second half he talks about iso alot......

A real fun bonus with shooting at night with a tripod - - with a long exposure like 20 or 30 seconds or more...... is that the people walking in front of your camera just 'disappear' .... they just don't register in the shot since they are moving. If you have not done that yet, you will see - - it is fun the first time you do that.

Bring a small flashlight with you, so you can see camera gear when needed.

Also - - try doing some fun stuff - - while camera is on tripod - set on timer or using cable release while shutter is open try zooming lens in or out...... woo hoo go wild. (he gives examples of this too)

Twilight is also an awesome time to shoot .....the colors you get will suprise you.

Scope out some locations that you think you will like so you can be at the right place at the right time.

Here is a quick video tuturial - - check it out..... http://www.radiantvista.com/archive/video_tutorials/2/ he starts out with some tripod basics and moves up from there. even shows a scene from Las Vegas.

Read up on your camera manual to make sure you are familiar with necessary settings etc.

Well I rambled enough....... need to let others have a chance to speak....... hee hee

[bradh]

I think the most important thing (on top of reading these guidelines/tips on how to get started) is to keep going out and just playing around - try new things, slightly adjust things that work well, things like that.

This will make you more familiar with how the camera and the settings actually work and you will be more comfortable with and probably recall them better at a later time. I do this a lot when I think of some new/fun style of shooting something, even if I don't plan on using it in the future... I just go out and test a lot of settings.

Also remember, being digital, when you are done and the photos are on your PC you can view the details of the image by right clicking the file, Properties, Summary and choose Advanced. So when you review your photos and see something that turned out great, check out the exact specs you shot the photo.

/ramble

[Digital Daddy]

All good advice. I would add to Brads suggestion of reviewing your settings on the photos that worked to also review the ones that didn't. You will soon be able to see the relationship between iso, aperature, and shutter speed, and just as important the EFFECT (blurred background, movement,ect.) each has on your photo. Won't be long and you will be able to shift these settings around to achieve your vision. Very important...get a tripod.

[Photofan#1]

Originally Posted by bigjon0107

What do you mean by "fuzzy"? Was the subject/picture blurred or was the image grainy? If you could post a picture, it would really help us be able to pin-point the problem.

-Jon

The pic was Blurred . Ihave attached the pic. for you to view

Thanks alot

[Gordon]

That's a good example of camera shake (and is quite cool as a result)

Night photography pretty much requires a tripod for crisp results (or very high ISO/ very wide open apertures)

So tripod, remote release, or timer, etc

You can also get away with using things like walls, bean bags etc to support the camera. Trick is not to be hand holding it, if you can avoid it.

[Photofan#1]

Originally Posted by Gordon

That's a good example of camera shake (and is quite cool as a result)

Night photography pretty much requires a tripod for crisp results (or very high ISO/ very wide open apertures)

So tripod, remote release, or timer, etc

You can also get away with using things like walls, bean bags etc to support the camera. Trick is not to be hand holding it, if you can avoid it.

Thanks

[L Stegall]

Sam,

Night shooting is one of my favorite things to do. As Gordon said, a tripod and cable release are the keys. With those, you can easily shoot at a much lower ISO - in fact, I typically shoot at ISO 100. Also, I really prefer shooting just before the sky is black. I think the deep blue is usually more interesting. Here's some samples I've shot recently just before dark. All shot using a tripod and cable release, at ISO 100. Typically, that means an exposure of 20 to 30 seconds.

Vegas should be a great place for night photography. Have fun.

[johnastovall]

I'll be the contratrian here, and say I don't like using a tripod unless absolutely needed for DOF with an ultra wide or doing HDR at night.

I go for High ISO and very fast lenses. You can see the results here.

http://www.texasphotoforum.com/galle...ry.php?cat=885

http://www.texasphotoforum.com/galle...ry.php?cat=705

[Trinitee]

MMMmmmmmm Casa Rio!!! One of my favorite places to eat in SA

[Gordon]

Originally Posted by johnastovall

I'll be the contratrian here, and say I don't like using a tripod unless absolutely needed for DOF with an ultra wide or doing HDR at night.

I go for High ISO and very fast lenses. You can see the results here.

I'd tend not to recommend that approach for a Nikon camera though. I mostly use high ISO and fast lenses myself, too.

[txphotog]

For night photography with slower lenses a tripod is a must. On the Nikon I would avoid any ISO above 800. Anything above that will be noisy.

[Photofan#1]

Originally Posted by arcproducts

Definitely will need a tripod. With it, you definitely will be able to bring your ISO back down to maybe even 100. I do that - -

By having your camera set at iso800 it will cause the photos to end up with alot of graininess. So the lower the number the better - generally speaking. Watch the video below and in the second half he talks about iso alot......

A real fun bonus with shooting at night with a tripod - - with a long exposure like 20 or 30 seconds or more...... is that the people walking in front of your camera just 'disappear' .... they just don't register in the shot since they are moving. If you have not done that yet, you will see - - it is fun the first time you do that.

Bring a small flashlight with you, so you can see camera gear when needed.

Also - - try doing some fun stuff - - while camera is on tripod - set on timer or using cable release while shutter is open try zooming lens in or out...... woo hoo go wild. (he gives examples of this too)

Twilight is also an awesome time to shoot .....the colors you get will suprise you.

Scope out some locations that you think you will like so you can be at the right place at the right time.

Here is a quick video tuturial - - check it out..... http://www.radiantvista.com/archive/video_tutorials/2/ he starts out with some tripod basics and moves up from there. even shows a scene from Las Vegas.

Read up on your camera manual to make sure you are familiar with necessary settings etc.

Well I rambled enough....... need to let others have a chance to speak....... hee hee

Thanks alot for the link . It has been really helpful . Appreciate it

[arcproducts]

Thought I would share a few of my photos from vegas taken in April...... That is one awesome town for photographing...... oh yeah, if you have the opportunity during the day, take a drive out to RED ROCK ... it is about 35 min west of town. Attached a photo from there so you can see. It is a 13 mile meandering drive through this beautiful red rock canyon. Take a picnic lunch if you want. Lots of peaceful places to pull over and enjoy the scenery.

Lisa, I agree, I love the twilight time to shoot. WONDERFUL and DRAMATIC looking skies... I have included a sample shot of one of those too...... if I did my posting correctly, it should be the last shot, and it was done in The Woodlands.

Sam - - you might want to consider joining one of the many photo clubs in Houston. We have 2 clubs in the woodlands..... great way to grab LOTS of photography info from fellow photographers....there are others around town too.

http://www.woodlandsphoto.org

http://twumc.org/ministries/speciali...orgcameraclub/