Night (dusk) photography

[AltezzaGirl]

Hi all,

Im trying to do some night shots of a city skyline at dusk. Would it be reasonable for me to aim for a crisp clear result and good focus of the lights/lit signs using my 55-250mm IS kit lens? Or would that be too much to ask from this lens?

[AltezzaGirl]

I can give you some examples of what I did so far... not clear enough for my liking, not sure if it's my lens or just bad technique?
Port:
http://i26.tinypic.com/14ahmyf.jpg

City Skyline:
http://i29.tinypic.com/30aqkbl.jpg

[crashthenet44]

What technique did you use? Both look like they're suffering from motion blur. You had to of shot using a tripod. Did you use a cable release and/or mirror lockup?

[Todd Lambert]

Yep, tripod is a must. Also, despite what you think, you actually want the lowest ISO.

Most skyline type shots you'll use something like ƒ11 or more, so you're most likely going to be needing to use the Bulb setting rather than the max 30-sec that other modes offer. Because of this, using the timer is not the best way to go, and you'll want a remote trigger/cable release to trip the shutter open and closed in Bulb mode. Start about 30 sec, see how that does and then go up in time from there.


For focusing, focus on something far away, then turn the lens to MF.

[AltezzaGirl]

I didnt use a tripod, this was only my first attempt at photography at this time of day/night so I didnt have it with me. So yes its most likely motion blur. I will have to get a remote or something and muck around a bit more with settings. Thanks for replying :)

[McBride61]

Aside from tripods I normally will try to set my camera on something and use something else to prop up to the angle that I like then set the 10 second timer on the camera and walk away and pray lol seems to work ok.

[Tbirder]

I will have to get a remote or something and muck around a bit more with settings. Thanks for replying :)

Hi fellow kiwi, as an Aucklander I recognised the locations straight away (:

I use a tripod, but no need for a remote - just use the camera's self timer.

[duntov]

If you are handholding you can bump up your ISO until you get an acceptable shutter speed. May be a little more noisy but at least you can get the shot.

[bjannsen]

Dusk shots can be beautiful - I love them. But you only have about 15 or 20 minutes to take them before the sky turns too dark. Your first shots (in that 20 minute window) will often be around 10-15 seconds long. Your last ones (when the last bit of blue is left in the sky) could be 30 seconds to several minutes long.

Tripod is a total Must Have. I know you can obtain a proper exposure at iso 3200 and f4.0 by hand-held, but it wouldn't even be close to the sharp rich color of a tripod shot at iso 100 and f8 or f11.

As others have suggested a remote shutter release is a good idea. This way you can be watching the scene and snap the shot exactly when you want to (instead of waiting for the 2-second timer). It's amazing how many things can fly into your scene in that 2-second period of time.

Your kit lens will do fine - no special or particular lens is required. Set your scene and focus about 1/3 to halfway into it. That's a good rule of thumb, but for the most accurate focusing - especially where there is foreground material, you should read up on hyper-focal and depth of field. This calculator can help too:

http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

Have fun!