How to Photograph Dew at Night

Dew can add a touch of flair to a photograph.

Taking photographs at night requires a little more work than just pushing a button to take a picture. Even advanced digital cameras often can’t self-adjust to take good pictures in extremely low light. If you want to take a picture of a dew-laden blade of grass, or any dew-covered structure, you not only need to adjust your camera, but also wait for the right night when dew will form.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Camera Flashlight Small tripod

1. Wait until there is a night when the humidity is high. High humidity makes it much more likely that dew will form. Once the sun has gone down and the air starts to cool, go outside every so often and run your hand through the grass to check for dew. Once dew has formed on the grass, you can start taking pictures. Any object, like a car or glass, will have dew on it if the grass does, since those objects cool faster than the grass.

2. Set up your tripod so that it is close to the level of the object and dew that you are taking a picture of. Connect your camera to the tripod and make sure it is secure and stable.

3. Change the camera’s shutter speed to around two or three seconds. Different cameras will have different methods of adjusting the shutter speed, so check your manual or your manufacturer’s online instructions. If your first few pictures come out dark, adjust the shutter speed even higher, to 10 or 20 seconds.

4. Turn off any vibration reduction and auto-focusing features. These are normally controlled by a switch on the lens itself. Since you are on a tripod, the vibration reduction may actually make the image worse.

5. Twist the focusing ring on the lens until the dew is visible. If there is not enough light to see the dew at all, turn on your flashlight to focus the camera at the dew. Turn off your flashlight before continuing.

6. Press the button on top of the camera to take the picture. Do not touch the camera while the shutter is open. When you hear the shutter click closed, check out the picture on the LCD. Adjust the shutter speed as necessary, increase it if the picture is too dark, and decrease it if the picture is too light.

Tips & Warnings

• If using a film camera, take several photos, adjusting the shutter speed at each photo. If you are using a camera that does not allow you to lengthen the shutter speed, such as a disposable or cell-phone camera, then you will have to use a light to illuminate the dew in order for the picture to come out. You can also wait until morning and take the picture in natural light. Some cameras don't have a setting for shutter speed, the shutter stays open as long as the trigger button is depressed. For these cameras, you will need a cable release, since you can't keep your finger on the button without moving the camera slightly.

References

• Weather Questions: How Does Dew Form?
• Basic Digital Photography: How to Take Better Night Photos
• DSLR Tips: How to Take Photos at Night

Resources

• Dan Heller Photography: Long Exposures