Night time photos help (The Experts Answer!)

[ATSF&DLRR]

I was just wondering what carmera and lens do you use when taking night time photos.
I did little help and ideas to do some photos at night.
1. ISO
2.Speed
3.Aperture
4. What setting do you use. M, A, S, & P
5. Fireworks what is the best way to photographs.

thanks

[Maleficent's Lover]

I would contact DaddyB... he would know all kinds of stuff!

[debijeanm]

DaddyB and RU42 have posted lots of good tips here on VF. I'd suggest that you search the site for info.

[RU42]

Originally Posted by ATSF&DLRR

I was just wondering what carmera and lens do you use when taking night time photos.
I did little help and ideas to do some photos at night.
1. ISO
2.Speed
3.Aperture
4. What setting do you use. M, A, S, & P
5. Fireworks what is the best way to photographs.

thanks

Well, the answer is, there is no answer to that question. Depending on the effect you want to achieve causes all the variables to change.

Example, you can take a photo on Main Street and capture the action or you can leave the lens open longer and get a ghost effect. Daddyb and I have both shot those ways before.

Really, the best answer I can give you is to experiment. Not necessarily at Disneyland but anywhere where there are lights.

If I had to make a guess about my habits I would say I use M more then anything because this easily allows me to adjust my shutter and aperature for whatever effect I want without the camera's computer chip getting in my way.

Remember, nighttime needs longer shutter speeds to get more light but at the same time you introduce wobble. A tripod is needed for most nighttime photogaphy. This would give you the greatest leeway in settings.

Now, if you are looking at dark photography (Pirates, Haunted Mansion, etc) then that is a whole different ball game. The biggest challenge there is that you are always moving and thus you must have a fairly high shutter speed. But then you have less light available to you and pictures will come out dark. For these instances I bought a lens that can go down to 1.4 and I usually have to crank up the ISO quite high; 3000 or so depending on what I plan on doing with the photo. This allows me to use a shutter speed around 100.

Really, the best thing you can do is experiment!

RU

[xfkirsten]

Everything RU42 mentioned is great advice! Experimenting and practice are key.

1. ISO
For most of my nighttime photos without a tripod, I shoot at 1600 ISO to get the lowest shutter speeds. If I have a tripod, I'll drop it down a lot lower, to maybe 400 or so. You want to use the lowest ISO you can get away with to reduce grain.

2. Speed
This varies a lot, depending on what I'm trying to do. If I'm on a moving ride or shooting fast action, it's as fast of a shutter as I can make it to reduce blur. For instance, when I shoot Fantasmic, I'm generally using shutter speeds of around 1/100 sec to 1/200 sec (at ISO 1600 and f/5.6) and there's still pretty icky blur in moments of high motion. If I'm shooting fireworks, I'll make it much longer (and keep it steady!) because it generally makes for more interesting shots. More on that later.

3. Aperture
For night photography, I usually set this as low as I can. Now, if you're using a zoom lens, remember that the more you zoom in, the higher the minimum f-stop becomes, and the longer shutter speed you'll have to have to get the same amount of light. (eg, my 70-300mm is f/4 at 70mm, but f/5.6 at 300mm) Also remember that a larger aperture means a smaller depth of field, so if you have the aperture as wide open as it gets, the foreground or background of your photo may not be in focus!

4. Settings
Most of the time, I use manual settings ("M") for maximum control. The great thing about the camera I use is that it's a quick flip of a dial to change aperture or shutter speeds, and with a bit of practice I can do it in a second without looking. If you're shooting something like Fantasmic, you can meter off the island before the show to get an idea of the settings you'll be using. I usually put it up to ISO 1600, the lowest f-stop possible, and then adjust the shutter speed as needed throughout the show or ride, using the shortest shutter speed I can (meaning less blur) but still getting the necessary light. On the other hand, if I'm shooting fireworks, I'd rather get the longer exposures, so I'll often choose "S" for shutter priority. That way I can set the ISO I want, set the longest shutter speed I can get without blur, and let the camera automatically adjust aperture to match the brightness of the shot.

5. Fireworks
This one definitely takes some practice. My first piece of advice: tripod, tripod, tripod. If you can use a tripod, you can get a much longer shutter speed, and the bursts look fantastic that way. They're a pain in the butt to carry around, yes, but what I've done is rent a locker first thing in the morning (my tripod will fit in a large locker on Main St.) and put my tripod in there, and then pick it up just before I grab my fireworks spot. If you can, using a cable release will also help reduce the jiggling on the camera from bumping it while you hit the shutter, but I've managed to avoid problems with that, so it's not critical. As for settings, like I said, I often use shutter priority instead of manual, since lighting changes so suddenly during fireworks. With a tripod, I'll usually set it at 200 or 400 ISO and a 2-second shutter speed (or more). The camera will adjust the aperture according to the shot, saving you the headache. I also use a manual focus, so that the castle in the foreground doesn't throw off the autofocus (you can play with the focus while waiting for the show to start). This is exactly how I took this batch of shots from Remember. If you don't/can't have a tripod, try to find a way to brace your arm while you hold the camera up, and set the shutter speed as long as you can steadily hold (I have a very steady hand, and the best I can do is about 1/13 sec with a bearable amount of blur).

I'm happy to help with any other questions you have! Feel free to look through those photos of mine, too, - if you hold your mouse over the photo, then click "info" in the little menu that pops up, you can see all the EXIF data and see what settings I used.

[AddictedToDisney]

xfkirsten,

Off-topic but I took a look at your photos from last June and I was there the same time!!! Just wanted to share that, ok back on topic!

Jason

[ttztotdca50]

LOL and another off-topic btw xfkristen those fireworks shots are beautiful!

OK let's REALLY get back on topic now.

[Pirate665]

What type of lense would you recommend using? I have several for my Nikon D-70 and just want to know which one would be best. And thanks for the tripod hint, I'll have to try that when I go.

>Steve

[xfkirsten]

Tanks, everyone! I really had fun taking them. Just wish I still lived close enough to do it more often!

Originally Posted by Pirate665

What type of lense would you recommend using? I have several for my Nikon D-70 and just want to know which one would be best. And thanks for the tripod hint, I'll have to try that when I go.

>Steve

My personal suggestion would be to go with a fairly wide-angle lens, especially if you're up close to the castle. That way you make sure to get everything in the shot. I used about an 18mm lens (plus the 1.6x Cannon crop, so about a 29mm equivalent) and you can see in some of the photos that stuff still gets cut off when I was sitting in the front row. The farther back you move, the longer the lens you can get away with, but you also then have to try and shoot over peoples' heads, which is tough. If you're doing long exposures, you don't need an extremely low f-stop, either - in fact, having the aperture too wide open would probably work against you, since the arrow depth of field could put the castle or fireworks out of focus. So bottom line, I'd say just a wide angle lens.

[DaddyB]

I agree with what Kirsten and RU have to say. In fact I'm glad they said it so I don't have to type it!

No matter what the situation, you have to stay on your toes and look at the shots you're getting as you take them to change the shutter speed and aperture. ...also really knowing the show (whether it's Fireworks, Fantasmic, or the Haunted Mansion) so that you can anticipate what's going to happen next helps A LOT. Sometimes I will ride 6 times in a row to get all the shots I need in a workable state (editing in Photoshop is almost always a must).

Sometimes you have to change the shutter speed on the fly, sometimes you can't change the speed as that would affect the effect you're going after, so you have to change the f/stop... it's all one big adventure!

TRIPOD TRIPOD TRIPOD... and not just some cheapy from kmart unless you plan on buying one of those super small tripods (that only go about 12" high). The better quality tripod you buy, the less vibration you'll get when the camera's sitting on it. I loose and sloppy cheapo tripod extended to it's max height so you can shoot over people's heads is almost worse than no tripod at all!

But this is the great thing about digital... you're not wasting film! The great thing about Disneyland is that you can (almost) always see the show again and it will be almost exactly the same as the last time!

[RU42]

Originally Posted by Pirate665

What type of lense would you recommend using? I have several for my Nikon D-70 and just want to know which one would be best. And thanks for the tripod hint, I'll have to try that when I go.

>Steve

Well, again, there is no clear answer. I carry 3 lens for my D70

Std Telephoto 70-300
Std Regular lens 25-70
Fixed 50 with a low fstop at 1.4

I use that latter lense when there will be movement AND extreme low light. I think daddyb and kirsten also have comparable fixed lenses with low fstop.

Between the other 2 depends on the shot, how close I want to be to the action etc. And as we have all said (I think we all did) Tripod is your friend. And I highly endorse what daddyb said - if you like photography then the quality of your tripod matters as much as the quality of your camera and your lenses.

RU

PS - I am gonna stick this thread since we get this question semi often.

[Pirate665]

So for Remember should I use my fixed 50?

>Steve

[ATSF&DLRR]

What to thank all who answer it will help me and others who love to photography at DL.
I just now looking for a f/2.8 or f/1.8 fixed or short zoom lens that nikon makes can anyone tell me a good place to buy for a good prices??
Again thank for all the infor.
Love those photos.

Dan

[RU42]

If you are looking online the only place I shop is B&H out of New York. You might find something slightly cheaper but not a relaible. I have used B&H for years and they consistently have extremely low prices and excellent service.

There are many disreputable places on the internet, so I always go with someone I know will not steal my money.

RU

[xfkirsten]

Add my vote for B&H as well. I bought my first dSLR from them, and every large camera purchase since then has been from them. Fantastic store with great prices, great service, and a great reputation.