Night Masterclass - Step-by-Step Guide for Night-time Photography

Step 1  Choose Your Composition

Arrive at your location while it’s still fairly light to help you easily compose your images. When setting up your camera make sure that your tripod is on secure ground and that it’s not going to move during the long exposure.

Step 2  Shoot RAW

By shooting your images in the Raw format you will be able to apply slight changes to your images at the processing stage. Small adjustments to white balance, exposure and noise can all be applied when converting the Raw files.

Step 3  Set Up Your Camera

Attach your cable release, set your camera to bulb mode and select your aperture. Finally, focus the lens on your subject, and once this is completed remember to switch to manual focusing so that the lens doesn’t start to hunt once it’s dark.

Step 4  Take a Test Shot

Once it’s dark lock open the camera’s shutter using your remote release and begin illuminating your subject by flash or torch light. Remember to take a note of the total exposure time and roughly the amount of light applied to your subject.

Step 5  Review Your Test Shot

Review your test shot and work out what areas need more or less light, as getting the correct exposure involves a little bit of trial and error. Once you have decided on what exposure changes to make, simply re-take the shot and keep reviewing the images until you get a result you are happy with.

Know Before You Go!

As with all paths of photography, half the battle of getting things right is good forward planning. Things to consider before setting out on a night shoot might include the following:

Check the Moon Cycle

The moon will have a dramatic effect on our images. A full moon will cut exposure times and make the sky appear more of a blue colour, almost like it’s daytime; however, it will also reduce the number of visible stars. The moon cycle along with the moonrise and set times can easily be found for most locations on the Internet.

Check the Weather

Keep an eye on the forecast. Clear skies work well for star trails, but don’t ignore cloudy or partly cloudy nights. The conditions to avoid are mist, fog or rain as the water droplets can settle on the lens surface during long exposures and are almost impossible to detect in the dark.

Take a Spare Torch

I often work in remote locations so I always carry a spare torch with me to find my way back to the car, particularly as my main rechargeable torch often runs out of power. I find a spare wind-up torch works well, as you are then not reliant on battery power.

Charge Batteries

Long exposures can quickly drain camera batteries so make sure they are fully charged and that you have a spare.

Light Pollution

While light pollution can mean it’s harder to see as many stars, it can also add some much-needed colour to a sky. Light pollution will have the most dramatic effect on a sky when there is a new moon or the moon is yet to rise.