City Night Photography

Why should you stop taking pictures when the sun goes down, night photography is great with outstanding results.  It is not to difficult with some tips and practice you can capture night time city images that you can be proud of.

You do not need any special equipment, a camera and a tripod at a minimum.  When taking night time pictures there is a couple of things to keep in mind.  First a good viewpoint and second, a tripod or sturdy base for the camera.

The contrast between the lights of the city and darkness can sometimes your camera's light meter.  Place your camera's light meter to spot metering and choose a mid toned area for a balanced shot.

To take a photograph of a cityscape during the evening, place the camera on a tripod and turn the mode dial to Aperture Priority (AP) or Aperture Variable (AV) mode;  use an aperture of f/8 and upwards.  You can create a starburst effect on sharp lights at around f/16.  Use the camera's self-timer or a cable release to take the photo.  The best times to shot is around golden or blue hour, the first hour before sunrise and the last hour after sunset.

Bridges that are lit up at night look stunning when photographed well.  Once again place your camera on a tripod and position it so that the bridge, water and any buildings can be seen, for an interesting foreground and background.  Set the mode dial to AP/AV, and choose an aperture of f/16 or more.  Try to get a long exposure shutter speed of 1-30 seconds to make a silky water effect.

The variety of light sources can make an interesting color effect for images taken at night.  For warmer colors set the White Balance to Daylight and to Tungsten for cooler colors.

Know your gear, as it will be dark be sure to know how to operate your camera in minimum light.  Some cameras have better autofocusing than others and can operate in dim light.  Know how to switch your camera to manual focus if the autofocus can not operate at low light.

As for safety, shoot in groups or with at least one other person.  Scout out your areas during the day to get an idea of what the layout is going to be like.

Weather is another consideration to take in account.  Taking pictures after a downpour will leave the roads wet and create beautiful reflections of light, puddles also provide an interesting perspective.