Night time photos

[Bob 38]

There was a display of light at night in the City I took some Photos, nearly all of them came out black. I tried chaging the setting but no luck.

I am using Canon EOS 400D, Lens Canon Zoom 75-300mm.
Any advice will be welcomed now the dark night are here

I am a newby at Digital Photo.

[asysin2leads]

What were your camera settings? Most night light shots will be long exposures. You'll need to turn your camera to "M"anual mode. Turn your iso down to 100. This will help reduce the noise you'll find at a higher iso. Turn your aperture (Av) to say around f8-f11. Set your shutter speed (Tv) to around 10 seconds (10") and adjust from there. Now, here is the MOST important aspect of long exposure shots......TRIPOD. Get a good tripod and a good head. Doesn't have to be a $600 carbon fiber one, but the little thin ones from Walmart might not be the best bet.

Search POTN for "long exposure" and read to your heart's content. There are great long exposure shots around here. Here are some of my long exposure shots.

My Long Exposures (http://photos.7mphotography.com/g/urban_life)

Oh, welcome to POTN.

[Bob 38]

Thank you
asysin2leads I will give it a go to-night

[Mike]

A shutter release cable will help you too and try using the mirror lock up function too (find it in the custom settings) which will help reduce any vibrations caused by the mirror flipping open as the shot is taken (this is only beneficial for tripod+remote release shooting). As you are using a telephoto lens these vibrations would be more exaggerated than if you were using a standard or wide angled lens.

[asysin2leads]

A shutter release cable will help you too and try using the mirror lock up function too (find it in the custom settings) which will help reduce any vibrations caused by the mirror flipping open as the shot is taken (this is only beneficial for tripod+remote release shooting). As you are using a telephoto lens these vibrations would be more exaggerated than if you were using a standard or wide angled lens.

Excellent advice!

[photoman01]

Turn your aperture (Av) to say around f8-f11.

Why not a bigger f stop like f2.8?

[Mike]

Why not a bigger f stop like f2.8?

Well, there are a couple of reasons for using a narrower aperture.

As a tripod and remote release are being used there is little reason to select a fast aperture. The shoot is for night time city-scapes so good front to rear sharpness is what you would be looking for, ie maximising your depth of field. Also, narrow apertures make lights twinkle more.

[photoman01]

Thanks for the information!