where there’s smoke there’s forum fire
Like me, I am sure there are a lot of you out there who loves night/low light photography, so what is your favourite equipment, and what technique would you care share or give to encourage the intrest of those now starting out, or just to get them interested in another aspect of photography.
your favourite:
lens
fx / dx
camera
tripod
scene : city, neon, landscapes, moon/astro, moving objects [cars etc.]
b/w sepia colour
technique
front curtain/rear curtain
flash type
flash technique.
my favorite camera for night photography has to be the d3000 with 35mm 1.8g and 18-55mmm vr. that's the perfect combination.
1.8 such a large aperture will let in more light and faster shutter speed. i shoot night scenery such as landscape, therefore i never have to use flash. i dont like shooting flash at night, it just ruin the picture.
a tripod is a must if you want sharp images. i like my iso low as possible if iam leaving shutter speed open longer. especailly at night, you will notice grain if you crank up the iso, therefore if tripod being used, no need for high iso.
b/w night photography tend to turned out very good, i like it more than colour. that's just me
what's front and rear curtain? never heard of that.
My D90 - Tripod - Pan and rotating head - Wireless remote - Low ISO
The Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 for super wide skyscraper shots.
Or I'll use any one of my primes (35, 50, 85 and 90mm) for a super sharp image.
If you only have VR lenses, ensure you turn it off.
Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8
Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8
Nikkor 35mm f/1.8
Nikkor 50mm f/1.8
Nikkor 85mm f/1.8
Tamron 90mm f/2.8
Regulator, I've always loved your work. Thanks for sharing so much of it around the forum.
Rear curtain sync lets you expose the scene and then fire the flash just before closing the shutter (hence, rear curtain). It makes any motion from long shutter speeds look more natural with the blur trails behind the object exposed by the flash.
I like to use my 35mm f1.8, a tripod, and a the ML-L3 infrared remote control. Also, when i use anything that has VR on it, i turn that off.
Hi guys, just coming back to you regarding comments a few of you have made concerning VR. Why is it necessary to turn it off for long exposures? I can obviously imagine that it is not needed when using a stationary tripod, and that by turning it on in such circumstances would only serve to drain the camera batteries, but what is the image quality related reason for turning it off? Is it that the lens tries to make minute adjustments even if none are necessary?
SkintBrit said:
Hi guys, just coming back to you regarding comments a few of you have made concerning VR. Why is it necessary to turn it off for long exposures? I can obviously imagine that it is not needed when using a stationary tripod, and that by turning it on in such circumstances would only serve to drain the camera batteries, but what is the image quality related reason for turning it off? Is it that the lens tries to make minute adjustments even if none are necessary?
yes.
I would turn off VR, even if only to save the batteries. There's nothing like a few 20 minute exposures to drain your camera's batteries.
Tips for Long-Exposure Photography:
1. Use a sturdy tripod, one rated for the weight of your camera and lens (over-rated is better).
2. If your camera has a mirror lock-up feature (many lower-end, and even mid-range bodies don't), frame your shot, then lock-up your mirror prior to tripping your shutter.
3. Buy the wireless remote release (typically, not that expensive) made for your Nikon body, and use it to trip your shutter remotely.
4. If you don't have the wireless remote, you can also use your self-timer to trip your shutter.
5. Weight the center post of your tripod with a shotbag or sandbag for increased stability. While video tripods sometimes have a hook for this purpose, you'll probably have to jerry-rig something for your still tripod.
6. Shield your camera from wind using an 18" x 24" solid or piece of Foamcore (or whatever's handy), to eliminate shake if shooting under windy conditions.
7. If using a VR lens on a tripod, turn VR off. If using a VR lens on a monopod, turn VR on.
Sample Images:
No tripod or monopod was handy for the image below, so I rested my camera on a handrail, and steadied the shot as best I could:
AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.8; ISO 640; f/1.8 @ 1/25th second.
For the photo below, again, no tripod or monopod, so I cranked the ISO to make up for it (not recommended).
AF Nikkor 35mm f/2.0D; ISO 2000; f/2.0 @ 1/200th second.
Finally, this time I brought a tripod--my tripod legs were splayed wildly over this stairwell at LAX to get the angle shown below. And, because I had a tripod, I was able to shoot at ISO 100, and stop-down all the way to f/11 for this eight-second exposure:
Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 DX; ISO 100; f/11 @ 8.0 seconds.
Regulator75 said:
My D90 - Tripod - Pan and rotating head - Wireless remote - Low ISOThe Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 for super wide skyscraper shots.
Or I'll use any one of my primes (35, 50, 85 and 90mm) for a super sharp image.
If you only have VR lenses, ensure you turn it off.
Reg: I'm always amazed at the clarity, contrast, and sharpness of your images! It's as if you have zero atmospheric haze to shoot through. Are the night skies where you live particularly free from smog, atmospheric haze, and humidity? Any other techniques you care to share?
studio460 said:
Reg: I'm always amazed at the clarity, contrast, and sharpness of your images! It's as if you have zero atmospheric haze to shoot through. Are the night skies where you live particularly free from smog, atmospheric haze, and humidity? Any other techniques you care to share?
Thanks! It's the cool, clean Canadian air. :)
It's very dry in Calgary and the sky just goes on forever.
Out of curiousity, what post-processing for noise reduction do people typically use for night skies? LR3 or something different.
Regulator75 said:
Thanks! It's the cool, clean Canadian air. :)
It's very dry in Calgary and the sky just goes on forever.
Oh, thanks! I thought it was some secret, awesome technique you had! I thought this whole time I just sucked!
The Man From Mandrem said:
Out of curiousity, what post-processing for noise reduction do people typically use for night skies? LR3 or something different.
I, personally, haven't played with any NR yet, so I've typically shot without it, and performed no NR in post. The nice thing about shooting on a tripod, is that you can afford the long exposures required by low ISOs, and can just as easily shoot at ISO 100 as you can at any other ISO.
Nikon D7000 High-ISO Night Exterior:
Just shot this tonight--again, I had no tripod with me. I just looked at this in Photoshop at 100%--there's surprisingly little noise for such a high ISO (see second image, below). I would say, for certain scenes, ISO 2000 on a D7000 is actually acceptable. Probably good enough for even a 16" x 20" print.
One glaring flaw in this photo, however, is the huge amount of apparent chromatic aberration on the words, "The Cape," on the foreground billboard. But, this is actually an artifact due to overexposure--the signage is very hot, compared with the light level on the street (I took the signs down a bit in post).
Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, California.
Nikon D7000
ISO 2000; 105mm; f/2.0 @ 1/320th
100% crop:
Nikon D7000 @ ISO 2000; above image at 100%: 800 x 645 pixel-for-pixel crop.
Captured as "large," "fine," jpg.
In-camera long exposure NR = "off."
In-camera high ISO NR = "low."
No noise reduction applied in post.
On my D90 I do all handheld at Iso 1250, Aperture f2.8 or faster, SS from anywhere between 1/125th to 1/20th, no NR, no flash, raw. In darker situations I may go up to ISO 1600. My D200 however never goes over ASA 800.
I like this thread! I hope more than just me and Regulator (as gorgeous as his pictures are) post some night photos and NR tips!
Hi,
This is a very nostalgic topic for me. I got a lot of my pictures from the night time from either going to/from work assignments either at the papers I was working for, or in the military jobs I had.
I always had a camera (or six or seven) and made pictures I found interesting, and tried to make them in the camera.
One of my teachers - and more of a contemporary, Jerry Ulesmann - did his work using multiple enlargers in the darkroom. But I have always preferred color unless it was my work to do it in B&W.
One technique then was to roll a series of 'moon' pictures in a film of 36 and then re-expose the film (if you had a Nikon with pin accurate registration - I did) and you knew where the moons were exposed by grid on the film.
In Fort Benning, GA, we had Physical Training close to the Airborne Towers at the main Fort (way before sun up). ;-)
I used to go there a couple of hours and scout locations for shots and other activities for the days ahead.
Here's a shot that was used in one of the Army's publications. I don't remember which, _Infantry_ Magazine, I think, although there were several for the military I was shooting for at that time. It's a picture of one of the practice jump towers at dawn, with a moon 'patched in', pre-dating Photoshop by 20 years or so.
It's a pretty awful homemade dub of a dub. I don't have the original. It was a long time ago. I don't recall if it was printed in color.
My best,
Mike
That is impressive for ISO 2000, studio.
Mike, very cool double exposure 'composite'.
I switched from film to digital not too long ago and to me the low light possibilities of the D700 are just amazing. I try to use as low ISO as possible (mainly because I still in the process of learning to use this camera to its full possibilities). This one is taken with ISO 800, Nikkor 105 mm f/2.5 AI-S, 1/8s. I did not have any tripod but I used one of the lanterns as support (pressed the camera against it). NR settings of the camera are default, no NR in post.
I like that shot Correlli, nice colour. Shame you didn't have a DX like a D90 to replicate your settings on and compare images.
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