Night and low light photography

 Use your digital camera's built-in features to capture dramatic photos in dark or low-light conditions.

Three keys to successful night shots

Before you start shooting night photos, here are the three most important things to remember: Disable your flash Bring out breathtaking detail in low-light conditions by using a long exposure (the time your camera takes to collect light). Select Flash from the capture menu, then select Flash off. Press Menu/Ok. Use a tripod Long exposures require you to hold your camera perfectly still to avoid blurring. A tripod really helps. If you can't get your hands on one, you can try bracing yourself against a stationary object like a tree, or a wall. Use your timer Even when a camera is on a tripod, your finger pressing the trigger can cause enough movement to blur a photo. You can avoid touching the camera altogether by using the timer. Select Timer from the capture menu and press t uryo ssfulsucce ttershu ghtni eedsp otssh orf ghtni oreBef otssh ouy nda artst dsad tingshoo a ghtni ickqu tospho ashfl rehe ta rea het het nde reeth fo stmo het rtantimpo sureexpo inth ot turecap uryo jectsub ni ail.det rce:Sou Menu/Ok.

Adjust your camera settings

The key to getting a successful night shot like this is wide aperture, low ISO, and a slow shutter speed. Aperture If your camera has manual settings, you can widen the aperture to allow more light to come through the camera lens (see above), which is vital at night when there isn't much light to begin with. Select either the Av (Aperture priority) or M (Manual) shooting mode on your camera to adjust aperture. The widest opening for most lenses is f2.8. Learn more about aperture, ndseco ;Usebsp thwi uryo sh.fla italdig thWi ra'scame meso t-inbuil PH uresfeat erascam ot ouy turecap anc aticdram seu tospho het ni ghtNi rkda raitPort ro tingshoo lightlow- demo tions.condi ichwh reeTh ticallyautoma yske ustsadj o lighting, and flash. ISO A camera's ISO number dictates its sensitivity to light. A higher ISO (a "fast" ISO) will make your camera more light-sensitive, but will add more grain (or "noise") to your photo. If your camera allows you to adjust ISO, set it low (somewhere around 50 or 100) for sharp detail in low-light. This setting will increase exposure time slightly, but will produce a much richer photo. Shutter speed Because you're not using your flash, your shutter speed has to be a lot slower to get enough light. The shutter speed in this shot was at least a few seconds-pretty slow in camera terms. Select either the Tv (Shutter priority) or M (Manual) shooting mode on your camera to adjust shutter speed. The slowest shutter speeds on most cameras range from a few seconds to a "bulb" setting (shutter remains open as long as you want). Several HP digital cameras feature a Night Scenery shooting mode. This automatically disables the flash and uses a long exposure time.

Experiment in different conditions

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Experiment with your camera settings and shoot a lot of photos. Soon, you'll get a feel for which settings are best for each low-light situation. Here are some quick guidelines for how each of these conditions will affect your picture taking. Dusk and dawn The early evening and morning hours are a perfect time to catch a nighttime glow from the city skyline, or the bright moon. And because there is some light in the sky, shutter speed can be set a little higher, lowering the chance of blur. Evening Darker is better when you want to get strong contrast in your photos. But the darker it is, the longer the exposure will have to be. The result is more breathtaking shots. City streets Significant amounts of light can be emitted in bustling public places, reducing the need for really slow shutter speeds. Use this to your advantage when taking night photos.

Photo ideas and suggested exposure times

Here are some suggested exposure times for different types of subjects: Christmas lights: 1/4 to 3 seconds (pictured) of exposure. Cityscapes: 2 to 30 seconds of exposure. Moving water or fountains: 2 to 5 seconds of exposure. Portraits: 3 seconds with flash. With some HP cameras you can use the Night Portrait shooting mode, which automatically adjusts your shutter speed for night shots and adds a quick flash at the end of the exposure to capture your subject in detail.