How to Photograph a House at Night

It is not neccessary to photograph the whole house in a night picture.

Night photography of buildings is an intriguing endeavor that sometimes yields exciting results, just by the nature of the activity. At night, buildings and residential houses take on a whole new visual form, especially when interior lighting is allowed to perform part of the illumination. Modern cameras and film are becoming more light sensitive, allowing contemporary photographers to create many innovative night images. Also, the digital format has proved to be more light sensitive and produces some extraordinary night pictures.

Things You'll Need

• Digital or 35mm camera Tripod Cable release Tungsten film (for film camera) Flashlight

Instructions

House with Ambient Night Light

1. Walk around the house during the evening hours and decide where you would like to stand when you take your picture. There are many angles to choose from, so take your time.

2. Place the windows within the picture frame for the most striking lighting angle. Light will pour out of the openings, so how you place these visual elements inside the photo could make or break the image.

3. Set up the tripod after you find your vantage point.

4. Double check the equipment (especially the light meter) to make sure everything is in good working order. If using film, make sure the camera is properly loaded and set for the correct film speed.

5. Attach the camera to the top of the tripod and insert the cable release into the camera. The point of attachment is usually at the shutter release button. Some cameras have a timer for 1 to 30 seconds, in which case a cable release is not necessary.

6. Take a light reading of the building. This can be done with either a handheld meter or one that is built into your camera. The light reading gives you two very important bits of information: your lens opening and shutter speed, which is the amount of time the lens is open. Your first exposure should use these two bits of information as the camera setting.

7. Take the picture by releasing the shutter cable or setting the timer.

8. Bracket your pictures by taking the same picture at three different camera settings. Take the first picture with the lens opening and shutter speed calculated by your light meter. Then take two more images with different settings on the camera. One will let in more light and one will let in less light. You can do this by adjusting the lens opening (go one f-stop in each direction) or by either doubling the exposure time or cutting it in half.

Tips & Warnings

• Black and white night images are very dramatic. Long exposures (one hour or more) can be undertaken to establish star trails, circular lines made in the sky by stars due to the natural rotation of the earth. The afterglow of a sunset can be used as a visual element in the picture. The lavender color of the sky can be made to contrast with a house that has much of its artificial lighting turned on. Try to avoid making a set of windows appear like a pair of eyes.

• Get permission to photograph residential houses. Bring along a flashlight to help find your way around in the dark. Photographing a building at night works best on buildings with exterior illumination. Buildings immersed in total darkness cannot be photographed in this manner.

References

• The Inquiry Net: Night Photography
• RL Rouse: Photography at Night
• School of Photography: Introduction to Night Photography