5 pro tips for night photography

Taking a great photo at night or in low light conditions can be very tricky. While we were enjoying the sights of Sydney’s festival of light Vivid Sydney, we got to talk to some pro photographers about their top tricks for taking ace night shots.

Mrs Romance has always loved photography. I think that’s pretty clear from the shots she publishes here on MrAndMrsRomance.com.

I’ve been with her on a few shoots she’s done. It’s so interesting all the things you have to consider behind the scenes to get that master shot you’ve got in your head.

With night photography, things are even more challenging. It’s surprising how much your eye can see that no camera could ever pick up. Your brain also filters out so much extraneous information that an objective camera lens can’t.

Shooting in the dark is one of Mrs Romance’s favourite things to do. Playing with the light and the shadows – she says it’s not just about photographing what you can see as much as what you can’t. Muy profundo!

She loves learning new tricks to improve her night photography, so when we got to chat to some incredible photographers at Vivid Sydney, she was in her element.

Here are the top tips from 5 top shutter junkies:

5 top photographers share their favourite night shot tips

Lauren Bath

Travel photographer, professional Instagrammer and social media influencer.

Lauren’s top tips:

“When shooting fireworks or fast moving light installations you need a fast shutter speed to capture the action instead of blurring it out.

“To achieve faster shutter speeds at night time you’ll need to open your aperture and increase your ISO. I was finding ISO 1600, f2.8 and 1/4 second was about perfect for the projections on the Opera House.”

Lauren Bath

W: laurenbath.com
Ig: @laurenepbath

Rob Mulally

Travel and lifestyle photographer, and Instagrammer.

Rob’s top tips:

“Look for natural surfaces and reflective surfaces to bring your night shot alive. Shoot from different heights other than eye height. Everyone sees at eye level so everything else is interesting.”

Rob Mulally

Ig: @robmulally

Mark Cushway

Published iPhone photographer and Instagrammer. Black and white, and minimalist photographer.

Mark’s top tips:

“Recently I’ve only been using my iPhone 5s. Unless you want your photos to be poster size, you don’t necessarily need anything else.

“I use either the native camera app on my iPhone or Procamera 8. This gives you the unique ability to move the focus point and exposure point independently on your shot, which makes shooting at night much easier and more flexible. You can also adjust the ISO of your phone camera with this app.”

Mark Cushway

W: MarkCushway.com.au
Ig: @mark_pc http://instagram.com/mark_pc

Luke Tscharke

Landscape and natural world photographer.

Luke’s top tips:

“Adjust your shutter speed for moving lights. I normally shoot on a tripod but if you don’t have one, play around and take 20 shots; you’ll get one that’s not too blurry. Shoot at 1/60 second for handheld night shots.”

Another cool effect Luke told us about is to use your zoom to create a laser beam effect. Set your shutter to about a 1-second exposure, take the shot then zoom all the way in or out. Try both for different effects.

Luke Tscharke

W: LukeTscharke.com
Ig: @tscharke

Steve Casey

Landscape and long-exposure photographer.

Steve’s top tips:

“Make sure you use a tripod for long shutter speeds. To create a starburst effect on lights, use a very high aperture (F8+) and slow your shutter speed right down.”

Steve Casey

W: StephenCaseyPhotography.com.au
Ig: shirty_i_am

Make sure you check these guys out on Instagram and have a look a their site galleries too. Really amazing, inspiring photography.

Do you have any tips for shooting in low light? What’s your favourite type of photography? Tell us in the comments!