Nikon® D300s: Digital Field Guide

Chapter 11. Night and Low-Light Photography

When the sun sets and the light becomes low, a whole new world of photography opens up. You can capture many aspects and portray the world in a different light, so to speak. Taking photographs in low light brings a whole different set of challenges that are not present when you take pictures during the day. The exposures become significantly longer, making it difficult to handhold your camera and get sharp images. Your first instinct may be to use the flash to add light to the scene, but as soon as you do this, the image loses its nighttime charm.

Almost any type of photography can be accomplished in low light, from landscapes to portraits. Each type of photography has slightly different techniques and accessories, but the goal is the same: to get enough light to make a good exposure and to capture the delicate interplay between light and dark.

Taking photos at night often gives you the most colorful photographs.

How to Photograph at Night and in Low Light

One of the easiest ways to do night photography is simply to grab a tripod and venture out into the night. Set up the camera on the tripod and shoot! The tripod stabilizes your camera so that you don't have to worry about camera shake with long exposures.

You can use the long exposures to create special effects like the streaks of light from moving vehicles. One of my favorite things to do ...