Before you start shooting night photos, there are the three important things to remember:

• Disable your flash
• Use your tripod
• Use your self-timer

By disabling your flash, you can capture rich color detail and motion will show as a blur. Because you are not using flash, you will be using extremely slow shutter speeds making using a tripod a must. With night photography it is easy to create unwanted camera movement when pressing the shutter button. Prevent this by using your self-timer.

In night photography, you want as much light as possible striking the sensor. Use a wide-open aperture, such as f4, to let in the maximum amount of light and an extremely slow shutter speed anywhere from 2 to 10 seconds depending on how much light is available. If your DSLR has a night-synch mode, try using it. Otherwise, use manual mode. Choose an ISO of 100 or 200. Too high of an ISO coupled with long exposures creates grain and noise.

Optional Assignment: 

Find a brightly lit night scene. A ferris wheel at a county or state fair makes an excellent subject. With your camera mounted on a tripod and your DSLR set at the above settings, practice shooting night scenes from various angles and shutter speeds. Be sure to bring a small flashlight so that you can see your camera controls.

Written by Ron Kness