I wanted to get some tips on taking better night pictures and thought in general we could all benefit from an open discussion.
I recently posted two night pictures and would like some feedback as to how I could have made these pictures better. The idea is moving it from a 4* picture into a 5* picture.
First of all, I think that there is nothing wrong with these two photographs, technically. They are sharp enough to show the detail and illustrate the scenery as it was. Whether they are 4* or 5* is a matter of taste, and everyone would have their own. Since this general urban scene is not particularly dramatic, unique or in fact attractive, the photographs do not 'shock'.
I do not have a golden method to shoot night scenes. Of course the most important factors are that the photo is sharp, correctly exposed, without noise and high ISO granulate. Surely, a tripod is essential to achieve good results with these. If the object is static, I find that the highest exposure (f13+) with longest shutter speed to balance the intake of light produce sharp images of urban scenes. The closest the object, the lower values these two can be, remembering that the lower f values will reduce sharpness of the background.
New digital cameras now come with over ISO6400 as standard, which can capture decent images in low light without the need of a tripod, but depending on the model, the granulate may still be quite visible when using ISO values higher than 800.
However, a good photograph would comply with some ground rules (horizon not splitting the image in equal halves, main objects not exactly central or in the lower right corner, etc) but some of the best ones break them purposely.
Posted: 2008-05-28 16:41:00
I don't see myself as an expert on photography but these pictures look pretty good to me. Hard to imagine that there is anything that you could have done to make them better.
--- The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. ~ St. Augustine
