Conquering a night shoot can be very challenging for beginners. Even some of those who have been dabbling with photography for a while still have issues when doing shoots at night. Despite the challenges that night-time shooting poses though, the beautiful – even magical – images that can only be produced during night shoots are worth it for lots of people.

One great tip for successful night photography is to treat it as a challenge. When you face challenges, you should always approach it logically and take the time needed to work on your preparations.

To help you get ready for your first (or second or third) foray into night photography, here are a few tried and tested tactics for conquering a night shoot.

1. Pick a good location.

Not all locations are created equal. Make sure that you do your research in advance and look for nights with great lighting or interesting architecture. Places with bodies of water are great for night shoots because they create interesting light reflections. If you’re shooting car light trails, check which spots give you a great view of busy roads. In many cases, the location can make or break your photos.

2. Gear up.

Getting better gear will definitely cost you money, but they will also improve your night shots by a wide margin. Some of the most important camera accessories to get are: fast lenses, a sturdy tripod, wide angle lenses for night-time landscapes and cityscapes, a lens hood to reduce lens flares, and a flashlight to make focusing easier or to bring certain things into the foreground.

You don’t have to break the bank to get great gear either. You can buy one thing at a time and slowly build up your arsenal or buy second-hand from trusted sellers or friends.

3. Bring a tripod.

A tripod is an essential part of your night shoot, and it’s not just for long-exposure shots as well. Without one, you’ll find it very difficult to hold still long enough to produce sharp images or to capture shots from certain angles. Wherever you’re shooting, always, always bring a tripod with you.

4. Don’t touch that shutter release button!

Camera shake as a result of touching the camera as you take the shot is inevitable if you don’t have some sort of remote shutter release accessory or application. Newer camera models with WiFi, Bluetooth or NFC connectivity usually have mobile camera apps that allow remote shutter release at a certain distance. If your camera doesn’t come with one, consider buying a separate remote shutter release accessory.

5. Avoid the maximum and minimum apertures of your lenses.

Most, if not all lenses, don’t produce the best shots at their maximum or minimum aperture. While you can get away with this in regular daytime shots, shooting in special conditions like at night will expose these issues. To get the sharpest, least noisy images, it’s advisable to stick to the “sweet spot” – around f/8.to f/16.

6. Use the manual mode.

Shooting in manual mode allows you more freedom over the camera settings. This means that you can fiddle with the controls to create the best shots. Remember, the automatic modes in your camera aren’t really geared for night photography. You have to do some trial and error to get the best settings for beautifully sharp images.

7. Shoot RAW.

Shooting RAW is always advisable if you want to get maximum control over your images during post processing, but for night photography, it’s definitely a must. In many cases, you might find that you missed a few things during the actual shoot. By shooting in RAW, you can eventually change the exposure or the white balance in your images using a photo editing software to enhance the pictures you have taken.

Shooting at night doesn’t have to be scary. By preparing beforehand (researching camera settings, assembling a good gear, and picking out a good spot), you’re sure to produce amazing night shots.

Guest post by:  George Finlayson