How to Take Photos at Night

Ever tried to take a photograph at night, only to end up with a blurry mess? You can use the flash, but often that destroys the qualities that make a low light shot so atmospheric. The two most important factors that determine proper exposure are aperture and shutter speed.
Aperture is the size of the hole in the lens that opens to light into the camera. Shutter speed is the amount of time the hole stays open. In low light, you need to keep the shutter open for a longer amount of time--so long, in fact, that it is impossible to keep completely still. This can cause the image to smear across the film or digital sensor, but there are ways to avoid this.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. 

   Use a tripod. This is the easiest solution. A good heavy tripod will hold your camera still enough to prevent blurring during those long exposures.

2. 

   Enable your camera's mirror lockup. Part of the internal mechanism of an SLR camera is a mirror that needs to swing up and out of the way of the film or digital sensor when the shutter is tripped. This internal movement can vibrate the camera, but with mirror lockup enabled, the mirror will swing out of the way a few second before the shutter releases, minimizing the vibrations from inside the camera.

3. Use your camera's self-timer. This will prevent any motion that occurs from pushing the shutter button with your hand.

4. Shoot in manual exposure mode when available. Use a long shutter speed, preferably starting at 30 seconds, using a small aperture size.

5. Use the "black hat" method if you are using a point-and-click camera. Using a black hat (or anything that can block the light from getting into your lens) cover the front of the camera for the first few seconds of your exposure. This will let the vibrations subside before you take the hat away and allow the exposure to start.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember that the larger the f-stop number, the smaller the aperture. Start out around f16 and then step up or down from there, depending on whether or not you need more or less light in those 30 seconds. Use the longest time possible and the smallest shutter you can for the most sharp and clear night shots.
• Remember to be careful where you venture in the dark with expensive photo equipment. If possible, take a friend to shoot with you and learn together.

Resources

• Tips on night photography

[inflight]

on 5/21/2009 Good article, I like the attached images. I wonder if you made them?