One of the more challenging subjects in photography is inarguably night photography. Scott Anderson, also know as ScottA on ViewBug, is a landscape and nature photographer who spends many nights out in the dark with his camera pointed towards the horizon, capturing the distant mesmerizing space. He shared with us his Top 7 Night Photography Tips for getting amazing shots of the night sky.
1. Tripod: Do not skimp here!
A well-made solid Tripod with no movement is essential for nighttime photography. I do not even step around my Tripod during exposures.
2. Cable Release.
Manual or electronic is ok. I prefer no battery as they will die when most needed, and sometimes quickly depending on how cold it is.
3. Subject, Settings and Controls.
It is crucial during nighttime photography to know and understand your subject and settings as well as, the controls that you will be using on your camera. A headlamp is useful, but annoying and will compromise your night vision.
4. Location, Location, Location.
Search out your location in the daytime. Find areas that will give you dark skies with no light pollution, a good field of view, and a foreground subject to compose with. Look for safety concerns for example, cliffs, ridges, and unstable ice will look different at night, and your depth perception will change. It is easy to step wrong and end up taking a fall.
5. Focus.
Know where the focus is for each lens that you will use. Pre-determine this during the daylight hours. You may want to mark your lens with a little fingernail polish to easily find at night.
6. Stars.
Wide-angle lenses are better at keeping the stars from walking, due to the rotation of the earth. The more magnified the glass, the more magnified the apparent star movement. I use a 12mm as well as a 10.5 fisheye. After all we are shooting the sky lets get it all in there!
7. Have Fun!
Night time photography is a great time to pull out your flashlight and play with light painting! Most of all be safe, have fun and share your photos!
To see more beautiful photos taken by Scott visit his profile.
