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Night photography - capturing cityscapes

If you are planning on doing some night photography I have a few planning tips you will need to keep in mind prior to taking your evening shots:
You first want to choose a good viewpoint;
And second, you need either a tripod or a solid base to place your camera on. The viewpoint - this depends a little on the type of shot you are after. My preference is for somewhere that is above the ground (a set of steps, for example), but not always. Sometimes the best shots can be had at ground level.
I recommend a tripod or solid base simply due to the fact that your camera's shutter will be open for several seconds and you definitely want to make sure that your camera is absolutely still during that time.
You will also need to make sure you secure your camera onto the tripod. If you can't find a solid surface to rest your camera on you can always try propping it up with something like a bag or jumper.
Once you have your camera in place you want to set your shutter speed for a few seconds. I would recommend you start with about 15 seconds.
If you are unable to control the shutter speed, set it to "night" mode.
Once you are set up (camera on a solid surface, self timer primed), you are ready to shoot.
First, check your scene. Is everything in it that you wanted to be in it? If you are aiming to get streaking car headlights, is there any traffic around?
Once you have everything in place you can finally press the shutter button.
The self timer should begin to count down. Please note that if you are waiting for something to appear in your scene you need to remember that your shutter speed will have to count down first - time for this.
When the shutter clicks, wait. And wait, and wait . . . until it closes again. Remember that this will be a few seconds.
Then wait some more. Because of the long exposure digital cameras take longer than usual to process the photo, so your preview on your camera's LCD screen may take a while to show up.
This is just my opinion, but here are a couple of things that I think make a good night photography shot:
Neon lights Streaks of car headlights and tail lights Available light For all of these you do need to plan a bit in advance. You want to find an area where you can safely photograph neon lights.
Again, you will want to find your solid spot, or put your camera onto a tripod, and then take a few shots. Since neon lights flash you will want to keep the shutter open for a while in order to catch all the flashes.
For photographing streaks of car headlights and tail lights you will obviously want to find a spot that has a good bit of traffic, but again, be safe in your choice of locations.
A tip is to try and get something in the background as well, usually streaks of light on their own can be somewhat boring!
Then take your shot.
The longer the shutter is open, the more streaks you will capture. And of course, the more traffic there is, the more streaks will appear too!
The available light also has a part to play in making a good night photography shot.
You will find that there are times when a scene looks its best when you set it amongst inky-black skies. By playing around you will also find that there are times when a little light works best, so photos just prior to dark really sets in are worth a try too.
Try both, and see what captures the effect you are after best.
You will find that sometimes a 10 second exposure gets the look you are after. Sometimes you may need up to a minute.
If you practice you will soon get a feel for what you will need for any given situation.

Article Source: http://articles.yournetguru.com

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