Shooting in Manual mode at night time

[David]

I have recently been trying to take photos at night on M without a Tripod!... Crazy I know but it is my only option as I haven't got one yet (im working on this)
Usually my settings will be something like:



Flash off - i hate the way this makes my photos turn out
100 ISO
Low aperture
Mentally fiddling with the shutter speed until it is correct


Most of the time I just give up and raise my ISO as I get shots which are blurry from camera shake or too dark, does anyone have any Tips on shooting at night without a tripod? im currently using a canon 450d.

[Haim]

Well, Since you have a 50mm 1.8 i would suggest using ONLY that at night without a tripod.

You will need to upp the iso to a level where your shutter speed is not below say 1/20 or 15th of a second.

Arpeture should be anywhere above f/2 but remember that the depth of feild changes alot at that arpeture so use it accordingly.

[weka2000]

Night photography ...... Aucklands CBD has heaps of light but if you go darker your options are faster glass or highter ISO but tripod is really the best option.

Flash is good but its like everything takes a bit of getting used to. Try strobist for some real good tutorials.

[Moppie]

I have recently been trying to take photos at night on M without a Tripod!... Crazy I know but it is my only option as I haven't got one yet (im working on this)
Usually my settings will be something like:



Flash off - i hate the way this makes my photos turn out
100 ISO
Low aperture
Mentally fiddling with the shutter speed until it is correct


Most of the time I just give up and raise my ISO as I get shots which are blurry from camera shake or too dark, does anyone have any Tips on shooting at night without a tripod? im currently using a canon 450d.



Do you understand the relationships between:
Shutter speed, aperture, ISO and exposure?
Shutter speed and camera subject/movement?
Aperture and depth of field?
ISO and noise?


Any exposure is a compromise of all of the above.

[availablelight]

have u heard of a string monopod? basically you attach a long loop of tough string to the tripod screw under the camera, and put your foot through the bottom of the loop. then stand on the string and pull upwards on the camera, keeping tension on the string while you shoot. obviously the string should be the correct length to be taut when the camera is at eye level, at whatever height you are above the ground (standing or kneeling)

works surprisingly well - certainly loads better than struggling along without anything

otherwise try to lean against walls to brace yourself or place the camera on flat surfaces when you shoot (rubbish bins, fences, car hood, the ground etc)

when shooting at slow shutter speed fully handheld, i always find it helpful to exhale slowly while pressing the shutter. the longest i have handheld a successful shot with no noticable blur was 3 seconds. this was with 18-55mm lens... success rate drops as focal length increases.

also - raise your iso, take a series of shots at different iso ratings and compare them later - you might be surprised what you can get away with

[wirehunt]

Get a wheat bag, sit it atop whatever is handy. Sort what the shutter speed is, frame up and hit the self timer and your flying. If you have a cable release then bulb will work fine and no camera shake.