Night photography

Not all subjects lend themselves well to night photography. In general, you need at least one light source in the image in order to get an interesting photo. Street lights, car lights and office towers all make good subjects to start with, as they provide a very obvious point of interest in the image. The moon and stars are also good subjects, but they require more knowledge to capture well. Astrophotography is another world entirely :)

The first thing you think of when you mention night photography (besides the camera, of course) is the tripod. It will hold the camera still and therefore prevent blurry photos, as long as the subject is also static.

A good companion to the tripod is the remote shutter release. It will allow you to take the picture without touching the camera, thus avoiding vibrations. In the absence of such a trigger, it is possible to use the camera's self-timer, but this comes with some limitations (for example, it becomes impossible to trigger exactly at the desired moment, unless you have an impeccable sense of timing. My hat is off to you if you can predict the future like that).

As for the camera itself, there are a few features that can be useful. First, the self-timer is a standard feature, present on... probably all modern cameras, including phones. Combined with the tripod, it will allow you to take sharp pictures of static subjects.

Second, manual and semi-automatic modes can be very useful for getting the desired exposure and effects (like light trails). A fully automatic camera will be more difficult to manipulate to get the shot you want, unless perhaps it has a night shot mode. If your camera can shoot in RAW, you will also have much more latitude in post-production (I'll come back to this in a moment).

Third, if you have a reflex or a hybrid, you can change lenses. A lens with a large aperture allows more light to enter the camera, thus reducing exposure times. In the absence of a tripod, it can be very useful, as can stabilization. Whether it is in the lens, in the body or in both at the same time, it will reduce the vibrations of the camera, which will sometimes make it possible to make clear photos in low light if one is not too boosted on caffeine :)

Let's talk post-prod now!

There are many ways to process night photos. I have a slight preference for black and white, unless my subject has enough interesting colors to keep them, but it remains a personal preference :) I also like to increase the contrast in order to bring out the lights in a darker environment. The eye then becomes very attracted to the subject. On the other hand, it is also possible to reduce the contrast in order to keep as much detail as possible in the picture (it is easier on a RAW file, which contains quite a bit more detail than a JPG). Moreover, if you keep the colors in the picture, you have to pay attention to the white balance ! Many lights used at night are yellow. The choice to keep this tint or to whiten it is entirely up to you, depending on the mood you want to give to the image.

Obviously, night photography is a vast subject! So, if we haven't answered your questions here, don't hesitate to contact our advisors by email, by phone, on social networks or in store. It will be our pleasure to discuss with you about anything related to photography.