Technical basics:
Before we go into the use of aperture, shutter speed or ISO value, it is important to know all the other properties of your camera beforehand and to adapt them to the subject of night photography. This is the only way to get the correct results and, if necessary, to adjust them afterwards on your home computer.
Therefore, we will first explain to you the right choice of resolution, file format, white balance and other technical properties, and then go into the shutter speed, aperture and ISO value.
You don't want to read a lot and get started right away? Then stick to these values at the beginning. Then you can refine the settings by trying them out.
ISO 100, aperture f8.0, exposure time 4 seconds, focus on the autofocus on the light source, then switch to manual focus, take photos in RAW format, set white balance to automatic, deactivate the image stabilizer, use a tripod or hang up the camera anywhere.
The resolution:
It is advisable to set the maximum resolution available on your camera. In the subsequent image processing, you have more leeway to crop the image section again and also get the best possible image quality that the image sensor of your camera can deliver.
High resolution photos can be easily scaled down without losing quality. However, enlarging a picture that is too small is always associated with a loss of quality.
Since taking pictures with high resolution inevitably leads to a larger volume of data for the pictures taken, you should use a sufficiently large memory card. Your camera shows you on the display how many pictures fit on this memory card in the resolution you have set. A picture in RAW format and with full resolution is usually around 20-25 MB in size.
The file format:
Most cameras have several file formats to choose from. So you can choose in which format and in which quality your photos are saved on the memory card. As a rule, the JPG and RAW formats are available as file formats.
RAW or JPG?
The JPG format is a universal image format that can be read by almost all end devices. It is thus possible to transfer the finished photos directly to a television, computer or smartphone without any further conversion and to view them or even to print them out on a photo printer in the shop.
In the JPG format you can still select the desired recording quality. There is the possibility of changing the resolution and thus the number of pixels as well as adjusting the image quality. We generally recommend that you always choose the maximum available resolution. A very big disadvantage of the JPG format is the compression of the image. Because a JPG photo is immediately compressed in your camera in order to reduce the storage requirement and the file size. This compression varies depending on the resolution and image quality set. It is entirely possible to take good night shots in JPG file format and to use them directly, for example to have them printed. Post-processing is only possible to a limited extent in JPG format.
Our experience in night photography shows from the start that the RAW file format gives you far more possibilities and joy in photography, as there is always something to correct for most photos. While a JPG image represents a completely developed image, in which subsequent adjustment by means of image processing is always associated with a loss of quality, a RAW image actually represents a digital negative that contains the digitized information of the individual pixels. Various color information such as white balance, contrast, saturation and much more can be adjusted and recalculated without loss. In addition, RAW images have a higher color depth, which allows the brightness or exposure to be adjusted to a certain extent.
A disadvantage of the RAW file format is that this format can usually only be read by special RAW converters and then has to be converted to a universal format such as JPG or TIF. In addition, the data volume of a photo in RAW format is considerably larger than that of a JPG recording, since with a RAW all image information is saved as raw data in order to be able to adapt it later without loss.
Both formats therefore have their advantages and disadvantages. Despite the many advantages of a JPG file format, we have only used the RAW format from the start. Because even with a perfectly exposed image, in our opinion there are always some points that could have been done better or differently in retrospect. With a RAW, you then have the option of adjusting various settings using the RAW converter as if you were still there, without having to accept any loss of quality. In the next paragraph you will find out what possibilities the RAW converter offers you.
The RAW converter:
In order to be able to edit a RAW on the PC, you need an image editing program that supports a RAW converter. In addition to the CameraRAW converter for Adobe Photoshop, which supports all common camera manufacturers, Adobe Lightroom has established itself as a universal program for editing RAW files.
Among other things, white balance, hue, highlights, shadows, dynamics, saturation and much more can be adjusted without loss in the RAW converter. However, the RAW format is not a panacea. If the photographed photos are blurred or out of focus, the RAW converter can no longer correct these properties either. It is therefore no longer possible in the RAW converter to change the depth of field, to completely remove motion blur and to correct areas that are too bright or too dark and in which there is no longer any image information. A pure white or black area in the photo has no image information. These areas would only fray when darkened or lightened, but would still remain white or black.
Therefore, always take the best possible photos on site and always provide the RAW converter with an image that is easy to use. Incidentally, a RAW converter works nondestructively, which means that the setting values you have entered can be undone or changed at any time. Only when you transfer the image to Photoshop and export it as JPG or another format will these settings be applied to the desired image. The original RAW file is always retained. In addition, an additional file is often created in which the individual work steps and settings are written in order to be able to adapt them again and again for the RAW file.
The white balance:
Since light has many different colors, you have to tell your camera to which color temperature, which is measured in the unit Kelvin, the camera should match the colors of your image. Because a camera does not know which light color makes a white surface really appear white. It can measure it automatically, but this measurement is not always correct, especially in difficult lighting conditions. This process of adapting the color temperature to the ambient light is called white balance. It describes the possibility of taking a motif in the colors that should correspond to the natural visual impression. A low Kelvin value of 1500 stands for very red light, while a high Kelvin value of 10000 Kelvin stands for extremely blue light.
Different light sources therefore have different color temperatures. The morning or evening sun, for example, has a warm color temperature of 5000 Kelvin. The bluish mood shortly before sunrise or after sunset, also known as the blue hour, has a cool color temperature of 9,000–12,000 Kelvin.
In order to compensate for these different color temperatures and to make a white surface really white, it is important to neutralize the color temperature of the subject using the white balance. For example, if you set the white balance to a warm color temperature of 2800 Kelvin, the camera tries to adapt the areas in the image that are supposed to be too red to the natural visual impression and give the image a bluish tint. If you set a cool color temperature of 10,000 Kelvin, for example, the camera tries to adapt the supposedly too cool colors in your picture and gives the picture a red cast.
To start with, you are well advised to use the automatic white balance. If you take photos in RAW format, you can also change the white balance later on the computer.
So if you want to further strengthen the blue mood of the blue hour, you should choose a low value for the white balance. On the other hand, if you want to enhance the warm colors of a sunset, you should choose a higher value for the color temperature.
Are you unsure which value to set? Then do as we did and let the camera do this. In the automatic white balance AWB, the camera automatically sets the correct white balance for each individual shot. However, if you don't like it and you take photos in RAW format, you can easily set the white balance to the value you want in the RAW converter afterwards. You can easily choose the right mood for your photo on the screen.
The mirror lock-up:
If you take photos with a single-lens reflex camera, it has a movable mirror that can reflect light rays through the lens via the mirror into the viewfinder - so you can see your subject in the viewfinder. When the shutter release is pressed, the mirror folds up and the light rays reach the sensor previously released by the shutter, in order to expose it after the shutter speed you have set. However, the mirror that flips up when the shutter release is pressed can cause the slightest vibration in the camera housing. In unfavorable cases, this can lead to blurring of the image.
Mirror lock-up eliminates this problem by, if activated, flips the mirror up when the shutter button is pressed for the first time. The exposure does not begin until you press the shutter release button again. Some cameras also automatically wait a short time and then automatically start exposing the image, which is why the shutter release only needs to be pressed once. This setting is not required, it can also be done without mirror lock-up. But if you want to get the maximum sharpness out of your photo and want to eliminate all possible disturbing factors, you should activate the mirror lock-up.
Despite everything, your photo is not in focus? Mirror lock-up can tickle the last bit of sharpness in your photo. But turn them off after your nightly photo tour. You don't need it during the day and then it is very annoying.
Note: With the newer mirrorless system cameras, the mirror does not have to be folded up, as these no longer have a mirror and the image is usually transmitted directly to a display installed in the viewfinder.
The noise reduction:
If your camera has noise suppression or noise reduction, this should be activated for longer exposure times. It should be noted, however, that the noise reduction with most cameras takes just as much time as the previous exposure of the picture. The camera creates a black exposure that lasts for the set shutter speed in order to remove any sensor noise or so-called hot pixels that provide incorrect information.
So if you take a long exposure that lasts 15 minutes, for example, the camera then needs another 15 minutes for noise reduction and cannot be used for further recordings during this time. If you want to take photos with a longer exposure time one after the other, you would have to deactivate the noise reduction to avoid the long pauses between the shots.
Tip: If you take a star trail picture from several exposures, it is advisable to deactivate the noise reduction. Since the noise suppression always lasts as long as the exposure before, annoying gaps would arise between the individual shots.
It is therefore necessary to decide, depending on the subject, whether noise suppression is helpful or even a hindrance. If you take photos in RAW format, noise reduction is also possible retrospectively on your home computer using the RAW converter. In our opinion, however, you will achieve the best results in removing the image noise with additional software such as "Noiseware", which removes the image noise from a photo specifically for preset scenarios or image styles without losing image information or details.
Noise reduction built into the camera usually takes a lot of time. If you have them, it makes sense to use them. But we always use the software solution and subsequently remove noise from our photos on the computer. The Photoshop plug-in "Noiseware" is very suitable for this.
The flash:
There is a clear rule in the field of night photography: flash is taboo! Because contrary to what you might expect, using a flash in night photography turns out to be a major disadvantage.
In night photography, the distances between the camera and the buildings or objects are far too great for the flash to be of any use. Furthermore, the flash illuminates close objects more strongly than distant ones, which is why the foreground is often much too bright, while the background sinks almost completely into black.
However, the use of a flash is not strictly prohibited. Sometimes you can also deliberately break rules in order to get your desired result or to make a motif more exciting. With the help of a flash, you can freeze a wide variety of movements during a long exposure. We will explain more about this in the following chapters.
Flash light at night? No! Be sure to keep your hands off the camera flash.
The image stabilizer:
Many camera manufacturers equip their cameras or lenses with image stabilizers in order to avoid or reduce blurring of the image due to blurring. Depending on the model or manufacturer, image stabilizers are installed directly on the image sensor or in the lens. An image stabilizer located in the lens compensates for any camera shake that occurs through movably mounted lens elements. A stabilizer built into the camera usually compensates for the movements by gently moving the sensor.
An image stabilizer is very useful for most subjects in photography. It enables the exposure time to be kept relatively short even in adverse lighting conditions. It is then still possible for you to take photos with your free hand.
In night photography, exposure times are usually so long that every image stabilizer reaches its limits. Therefore, you should definitely use a tripod. Note, however, that the image stabilizer is deactivated when using a tripod. Because your camera is already fixed on the tripod, so that no more movements have to be compensated.
From time to time, however, the image stabilizer tries to compensate for movements that do not exist. For example, when a car drives through the picture, the water moves or the clouds move across the sky.
You will then recognize this problem in your photos. It is noticeable in a gentle blurring. In order to avoid such blurring from the outset, it is best to always leave the image stabilizer deactivated when using a tripod.
As soon as you use a tripod, you should definitely deactivate the image stabilizer.
So if you want to further strengthen the blue mood of the blue hour, you should choose a low value for the white balance. On the other hand, if you want to enhance the warm colors of a sunset, you should choose a higher value for the color temperature.
Are you unsure which value to set? Then do as we did and let the camera do this. In the automatic white balance AWB, the camera automatically sets the correct white balance for each individual shot. However, if you don't like it and you take photos in RAW format, you can easily set the white balance to the value you want in the RAW converter afterwards. You can easily choose the right mood for your photo on the screen.
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