"Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst."
-Henri Cartier-Bresson
As is the case with most hobbies and pastimes, it takes a while to become better and see a difference in your abilities when learning photography. Nonetheless, the best thing that a beginner photographer can do is go out and take pictures right away. By frequently practising and trying new things, an amateur photographer gets to use their newly-acquired tips and develop their unique style.
Also, since photography is a layered discipline with many things to learn, the field of photography is often divided into subgenres to make it easier for learners to pick up new things and try out different settings or functions of their camera such as the shutter speed, the aperture, and the focus of the lens.
Without further ado, in today's article, we shall discuss the important aspect of night photography and how it can be mastered by star photographers. So, let's see how the city pictures at night of London to the stars of the Milky Way galaxy can be captured!
What is Night Photography?
Before discussing how a person can improve their ability to take pictures in the dark, let's define the term "night photography." Nighttime photography refers to taking pictures outside at night when things are dark, and it usually occurs between dusk and dawn when there is no natural light from the sun. The evening is the focus of a photograph in night photography and the different settings of a camera or iPhone are used to make images shine within a matter of seconds.
Also, pictures that are taken indoors during the nighttime hours cannot be referred to as "night photography" since the entire purpose of good night photos is to capture scenes outdoors such as streets, skylines, and phenomena of nature such as shooting stars, faraway planets of the Milky Way, the moon, the aurora borealis, or some creatures that appear only when the sun has disappeared for the night.
Pictures of the night are an essential aspect of photography that is necessary and quite breathtaking. But, why specialise and learn more about nighttime photos? Is it worth it? Read the following subheading to find out.
Why Take Pictures at Night?
With so much going on during the day that is worth shooting, some people might wonder why beginners want to learn more about taking good night photos. Nonetheless, with the right camera equipment that features the correct ISO value, shutter speed, and exposure, night pictures can be successful. The following reasons show us all why we should set our next photoshoot in the nighttime:
- Get a Different Perspective: while there are beautiful monuments such as the London Bridge, scenes of nature like the morning sky, and gorgeous buildings during the day, sometimes you get a different perspective when you take a night shot of the same thing. Well-lit areas and places of interest in London become more dramatic and the subject is made to glow.
- Hone Your Skills: photography is an art, and artists never create masterpieces if they constantly stay in their comfort zone. Therefore, beginner photographers get better at using their cameras by adjusting their settings and experimenting with taking photographs in the dark. Those who can capture memorable images in the evening can certainly set the tone for a perfect image during the day.
- Fits Your Lifestyle: the majority of us have jobs that require us to be at our office for most of the day, which means that by the time we get home, have dinner, and are ready to take pictures, it's already dark. So, night photography fits with the schedule of most working adults and is a great time to explore the way your camera device takes a photo. Great use of time for aspiring photographers!
Are you ready to take on night photography or evening-time photos? We sure hope so since many streets and trails of London, or any other UK-based city, is much superior to capture at nighttime!
What are the Best Cameras for Night Photography?
While some cameras work like swiss-army knives and can perform brilliantly under all circumstances, it's important to state that certain cameras are best suited for evening time photos since they boast special functions such as the right focus, perfect shutter speed, and an outstanding lens that makes images of a bridge, a statue, a person, the stars, or a historic building pop!
If beginners wish to focus on taking city pictures at night, they are wise to purchase a camera that specialises in it from the start.
Without further delay, the following are some of the best cameras for taking pictures in the dark:
- Sony A7sII: known by many photography experts, the Sony A7sII is the undisputed king of nighttime photography since it captures low-light images better than any other camera on the market. In addition, it's mirrorless, lightweight, compact, and has a low megapixel count with a large sensor for the perfect shot!
- Nikon Z6: a relatively new release, the Nikon Z6 is mirrorless and perfect for individuals who want to participate in landscape night photography to capture the sky, a night star, or a brilliant moon. The wide-angle and low-light features make the Nikon Z6 an ideal camera to bring into the darkness with you to get a night shot.
- Canon 6D MKII: a highly recommended camera from Canon, the 6D MKII is very easy to learn how to use and boasts features such as the Canon Natural White balance, a great battery life, and a mid-range megapixel count.
The previously three mentioned options are a fantastic place to start when shopping for nighttime cameras that are just perfect for night photography. We highly recommend asking experts at your local photography or electronics shop for more details and practical advice on how to capture the perfect evening images without unwanted light.
What are the Best Tips for Taking Good Night Photos?
When taking pictures at night, certain things to keep in mind will make the experience so much more enjoyable. Such as? We recommend taking a few seconds to read the list below that mentions six of the best tips for beginner night photographers:
- Know Your Location: depending on where you live in London, the night is a time when shifty characters appear and the weather drops down. Therefore, for safety reasons, it's a good idea to know the location where you would like to take your photographs before you end up getting lost in the dark and freaking out from hearing a sketchy noise!
- Ask Yourself Questions: in addition to scouting the location, it's necessary to ask yourself questions to prepare for your nighttime photography. You might need to take a second and ponder questions such as, how do I maximise the light I have around me? Which angle looks best? Will I need special camera equipment such as a better lens with a distinct aperture? What's the weather going to be like? Will a distracting noise prevent me from taking the best images? By being focused, you'll be preparing yourself for great shots that you'll be proud to show off.
- Adjust the Camera to Manual Mode: while you might think that as a beginner taking pictures in automatic mode is the best, that's not always the case with night photography. How's that? When shooting in the dark, you want as much control of your camera as possible and that means changing the settings and using manual mode when taking a photograph.
- Shoot with RAW: night pictures need to be of supreme quality when taken so that they can be tweaked in the editing process; therefore, it's inevitable that photographers stick with RAW since JPEG night shots downgrade the quality of images. In addition, RAW pictures of the night allow for colours within the photograph to be adjusted within post-processing.
- Bring Your Tripod: it's no surprise that nighttime photography requires long exposures that are at least ten seconds long to absorb plenty of light from the environment around them as possible. Therefore, use a tripod to keep things straight and not too shaky. With a tripod, the focus of the photos that you're taking of the stars in the Milky Way will shine brighter!
- Keep the ISO Low: some amateur photographers might conclude that working with low light at night would require a high ISO setting, but that's not the case. The higher the ISO setting is, the more grainy your nighttime photographs will become. So, it's in the best interest of your work to keep the ISO as low as possible. To get comfortable with your camera, try taking a few pictures with varying ISO settings.
Though it's a truthful fact that there are plenty of other suggestions to help you improve your night photography, you'll be hard-pressed to find some as effective as the previously mentioned ones; so use them right away!
Can I Learn to Take Pictures of Night with a Tutor?
Whether you want to take pictures during the day or at night, you'll need some practical help to improve your abilities as an amateur photographer. To improve the quality of evening-time photos and night pictures, it's worth mentioning that there is a secret weapon. Which is? A personal photography tutor.
Private night photography instructors are fantastic since they offer students personalised lessons at affordable prices. They provide useful tips to their pupils on how to get the right shot. Also, it's possible to find schedules that can be flexible to work with the needs of every person. Sounds great, but where does a person find a photography tutor in towns and cities across the United Kingdom? Superprof.
With over 17 million tutors worldwide working for the Superprof community instructing 1000+ academic disciplines and topics of interest, Superprof is a mainstay in the private education industry. As a result, photography students have the choice between taking lessons in-person or online with qualified instructors with years of experience and accreditations to back up their skills.
According to our website, more than 300 Superprofs are ready to conduct photography courses across the United Kingdom. It's worth highlighting that, in most cases, the first lesson is always 100% free of charge. So, for what are you waiting? Start learning with a Superprof today!
In conclusion, night photography is a worthy endeavour since it catches moments in the darkness that are truly memorable.
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