Good Morning, Everyone! Fall is beginning to show up a little bit in Georgia and I know you all are beginning to enjoy its effects as well. This challenge is all about Night Photography, one of my favorite things to try! I will be adding fresh photos as the challenge progresses, but I sure wouldn't mind seeing some Fall photos, especially those of you who live in those northern states where Fall is so spectacular. I look forward to seeing your photos!

Here are some things to remember when shooting at night by professional photographer, Jim Hamel:

Proper settings will always depend on the situation. Nevertheless, there are some ways you should bias your settings when shooting at night. Here are a few:

Aperture: Open up your aperture more at night than you would during the day (i.e., use a lower f/number). Most night photographs tend to be of shots on a narrower plane than shots during the day. Further, the background and sky will be black anyway and you will not need as large a depth of field. The larger aperture also has the benefit of letting more light into the camera.
ISO: Keep your ISO setting as low as you can. Night photography always means there will be dark areas in your pictures, and these dark areas inevitably lead to digital noise. Raising the ISO will compound the problem.
Shutter speed: Whereas shutter speed might be the first exposure setting you worry about during the day, it should generally be the last one you think about at night. Since you will be shooting from a tripod, you can let the shutter stay open as long as you need. If you have traffic (streaking lights), a fountain, or running water in your picture, the longer shutter speed will actually benefit your pictures anyway. The only exception is high winds, or other instability impacting your rig.

Good Morning, Everyone! Fall is beginning to show up a little bit in Georgia and I know you all are beginning to enjoy its effects as well. This challenge is all about Night Photography, one of my favorite things to try! I will be adding fresh photos as the challenge progresses, but I sure wouldn't mind seeing some Fall photos, especially those of you who live in those northern states where Fall is so spectacular. I look forward to seeing your photos!

Here are some things to remember when shooting at night by professional photographer, Jim Hamel:

Proper settings will always depend on the situation. Nevertheless, there are some ways you should bias your settings when shooting at night. Here are a few:

Aperture: Open up your aperture more at night than you would during the day (i.e., use a lower f/number). Most night photographs tend to be of shots on a narrower plane than shots during the day. Further, the background and sky will be black anyway and you will not need as large a depth of field. The larger aperture also has the benefit of letting more light into the camera.
ISO: Keep your ISO setting as low as you can. Night photography always means there will be dark areas in your pictures, and these dark areas inevitably lead to digital noise. Raising the ISO will compound the problem.
Shutter speed: Whereas shutter speed might be the first exposure setting you worry about during the day, it should generally be the last one you think about at night. Since you will be shooting from a tripod, you can let the shutter stay open as long as you need. If you have traffic (streaking lights), a fountain, or running water in your picture, the longer shutter speed will actually benefit your pictures anyway. The only exception is high winds, or other instability impacting your rig.