So you want to take photos at night? Some of the most amazing photos are taken after dark - but chances are if you don't know a few tricks you'll end up with blurry photos, something dark and dull looking, a bright bit of flash in the foreground, or something so grainy that it's almost un-usable. Unfortunately this is also a time when automatic settings and program modes on cameras often fail, or are simply a poor substitute for dialing in the right settings on a camera with decent manual controls.

So how is it done? HDR? Photoshop? Nope, most of what it takes to make a great night-time photo happens at the time you press the button. This guide will help you get stunning professional-looking results! The following tips are aimed at providing a guide to taking long-exposure photos at night on a camera with manual settings.

I use an Olympus Digital SLR, however the following tips apply equally to a Canon, Nikon or Sony camera. For a quick guide on the settings I use with an Olympus E-System DSLR, click the link.

Timing

When it comes to nighttime photography, for me the word "night" is often a bit of a misnomer. When I'm taking pictures at night, I often see photographers strolling up to a similar vantage point with tripods and cameras, just as I'm packing up and going home.

For me the best results will often be achieved in the twilight period - after the sun has gone down, but before the light has disappeared completely from the sky. That way you get the best of nicely lit buildings as well as color in the sky. You also get detail in the unlit part where sometimes there would otherwise be darkness. If you're lucky you might also get some spectacular red, orange or purple colour in the sky. Images taken at the right time tend to avoid a horrible orange/yellow cast resulting from tungsten lighting, particularly in any clouds as a result of light pollution, and large grainy patches from noise in unlit parts of a scene.

Of course if your aim is to record star trails, you'll probably want to start much later, find a location as far away from city lights as possible and stack several exposures for best results.

Camera Support

Using a tripod or other camera support is essential if you want to achieve a long exposure image that isn't blurry. If you don't have a tripod, good results can sometimes be achieved with a small beanbag resting on a suitable surface, or on on occasion when I went out unprepared I ended up using the camera resting on a wall. A tripod is much easier and worth the investment.

If you're buying one, make sure its sturdy enough so that it doesn't move through vibration when you're using it. Its also important to get a good quality head that is designed to properly support the weight you're putting on it. Cheap plastic tripods are almost invariably a waste of money and aren't sturdy enough for a DSLR. Wherever possible, have any Center column down to minimise vibration - for this reason its good to get a tripod that reaches eye level with the center column down. Fortunately if you have an Olympus DSLR with an articulating LCD or even one with out, using a smaller tripod isn't actually that much more of a strain, because you can comfortably see the LCD from a distance.

Shutter release

There's no point in using camera support if you then move the camera while pressing the shutter. Alternatives to pressing the shutter include:

• remote shutter releases - either via cable or infa-red
• Timer delay - usually there's a 2 or 12 second option
• Mirror lock-up. Some D-SLR cameras have an option to have the mirror lock up for a number of seconds prior to opening the shutter. This also reduces vibration from mirror-slap.

Mode

I tend to use manual (M) exposure mode when taking shots at night. This is because I frequently end up taking panorama shots to be stitched together, particularly in a skyline type situation. One downside is that you need to be aware that as the light level drops, the exposure level will drop correspondingly, and you'll quickly end up with underexposed images unless you decrease the shutter speed accordingly. An alternative is to shoot in aperture priority (A) and dial in around +1 exposure compensation.

I always shoot in RAW - at nighttime this is even more useful, given the difficulty involved with getting a decent white balance reading. Often you end up having to juggle light from different sources - ambient light as well as street an city lights with different color temperatures. In my view this is easiest in post-processing.

Exposure

How much light an image receives will depend on three factors: The ISO setting, the shutter speed and the aperture. To increase the exposure, you need to either increase the time that the shutter is open for, select a larger aperture (lower number) or use a higher ISO. For long exposure shots (which is what this article is about) increase the exposure by keeping the shutter open longer.

Don't rely on your LCD preview to gauge how bright your image is. Because your ambient light is low, this will normally look brighter than it actually is on the LCD. You may find that you have underexposed images when you look at them back on the computer. Instead learn to read your histogram (if your camera has one) or set the camera's metering to over-expose by 1 to 2 stops (+1 to +2)

ISO sensitivity

Generally increasing the ISO will result in more sensor noise. if your camera is securely supported, reduce the ISO to its optimum setting - usually ISO 100 (or often 200 on Nikon & Sony DSLRs).

Noise

Long exposures can introduce both regular noise ("random noise") particularly in dark parts of the image and a second type of noise also known as "hot pixels" or "fixed noise". This is especially true when taking exposures of several seconds and in hot environments. The problem is more pronounced in earlier cameras with CCD sensors or at particularly long exposures.

1. Dark Frame Subtraction:

   Many D-SLRs have a setting where the camera takes a second exposure of equal length with the shutter closed and subtracts any hot pixels from the first frame automatically. This will eliminate or at least reduce the visibility of hot pixels.

   An alternative approach that can be used is to create your own dark frame reference image to be subtracted manually in post processing using the same exposure time as the initial image. This is especially useful if you want to make Panorama images at night, or if you're stacking multiple exposures.

2. Random Noise

   This can be dealt with either by normal noise filters such as Noise Ninja, Neat Image or through the RAW converter you use. An alternative approach is to use exposure stacking of 2 identical images.

Exposure Stacking

This is a technique that can be handy for several reasons:

1. blending several "identical" images can eliminate random noise in an image without loss of detail
2. In situations where you want to record star trails it may be beneficial to reduce the level of light pollution from artificial light
3. For particularly long exposures, taking several shorter images with a single dark frame will reduce the total time it takes to record an image.
4. In situations where the dynamic range is greater than that able to be recorded, exposures can be bracketed and merged

"Chimping"

Chimping (ie. checking the camera LCD after every shot) is quite useful, especially seeing as it lets you get an idea of how light trails or water looks in the final image. You do however need to be aware that the image looks brighter in the LCD at night - unless the image looks too bright at night, its probably underexposed which will lead to excessive noise if brightened in post-processing.

Water...

looks fantastic at night with reflections. Depending on the exposure, you can make rough water look foggy, or as smooth as a mirror.

People

You can make people who are walking through a photo disappear. This is particularly true of those who are wearing dark colors and don't stop. Others may take on the appearance of ghosts.

Charge your batteries

Long exposures drain your camera batteries far quicker than short ones, so if you don't charge the battery, you'll seriously limit the number of shots you take.

Experiment

With light trails, bursts of flash and images where there are no lights at all. A long enough exposure can turn a desert by night into a bright scene with lots of star trails.

1. Panoramas

   While you've got the tripod out, its a perfect time to make a panorama image. Just make sure the camera is on "M" for manual, and that images overlap by about 25%.