Thoughts and Pictures on Night Photography: (Canon EOS, lens, digital cameras, cameras)

[Buffalonian4life]

Hi, I myself have been shooting photos in and around my area for quite some time. What is difficult for myself and skills is the night photography sector that I want to get more involved in. Yes I have a good camera and a good lens - Canon EOS 50D with a $700 Image Stabilizer Lens, and yes I put my camera settings at ISO 1600 with Tungsten set as I mess around with different settings with exposure and time. I use a tripod and keep my camera steady, but my main problem is that when I blow my photos up on the big screen, they tend to be very blurry - a shock to me. I usually focus manually, but on other occasions I let the camera do that work. I would appreciate your input greatly if you have any suggestions. Thanks Again!

-B4L


Here are some of my pictures (Buffalo, NY):



































Trust me, I have thrown 1000's of pictures out because I thought they would be clear, only to blow them up and see that they are so blurry your eyes hurt...


(I would love to get these to be mega sized like ranged such as a 30 by 40, but I don't think that these are adequate for such a request).

Thanks again for any information you can provide!

[EinsteinsGhost]

With manual focus, have you tried setting it to infiniti? I will also recommend reducing the ISO, closing the aperture (should help sharpen the pictures) and using timer to take shots.

Good luck! Will look forward to more of your pictures.

[PhotogGal]

That is great advice EnsteinsGhost. You definitely want to reduce the ISO -- especially if you want really large prints. Using the self-timer (or, if you're able, a remote) also helps a great deal. I've started using it even with hand-held shots a lot of the time.

[Buffalonian4life]

Thank you for your advice everyone! I can't wait to get out there at night again. I will certainly take these posts into consideration for future photo shoots.

Thanks again! As more advice is always appreciated!

[roger6087]

From PCPhoto mag July/August 2008

I generally trust my digital cameras for automated exposures, but in a really difficult night shot, I need to expose for the brightly lit areas. It helps to zoom into the subject or even meter with a longer lens and then set the exposure manually. -Gerd Ludwig