Night Photography with a Digital Camera

Surfers Paradise from Currumbin
Surfers Paradise from Currumbin
Surfers Paradise from Currumbin

The above image has been captured from the Currumbin beach, looking towards Surfers Paradise, I took this image at the following camera settings:

  • Aperture, f/16,
  • Shutter speed, 30 seconds,
  • 300mm lens,
  • 100 ISO.

The images is a panorama of two images stitched together in Photoshop and it was quite dark when the image was captured. The reason I took the image at such a low shutter speed of 30 seconds, was to create a blurred effect over the water and in the clouds. The camera used was a Nikon D700. The image was taken after dark using a tripod and a remote cable release.

Even during daytime similar images can be captured, using a neutral density filter, so that the shutter speeds can be greatly reduced.

Night time is a great time to catch a panorama image. At this time the lighting is very subdued and even.

Always be prepared to get your camera out at night, with the capabilities of today’s cameras with high ISO, great night images can easily be captured.

The lighting just after dusk is generally excellent for exceptional lighting and sharp images can be obtained by using a tripod and cable release. A tripod was essential for the above image as the exposure was 30 seconds with a long 300mm lens.