James Abbott reveals the secrets behind capturing awe-inspiring landscape and city images in low-light and night-time conditions

James Abbott

USE YOUR FREE TIPS CARD!

The days may be short and the nights long, but rather than throwing in the photographic towel when the light begins to fade, think of the coming of dusk as a long list of opportunities that could easily keep you shooting until sunrise. Low-light conditions can bring normally mundane scenes bursting to life – and with the sun setting earlier in the day than in other seasons, you don’t have to wait until the middle of the night to take advantage of darkness.

The idea of waiting for light levels to drop may sound counterintuitive when photography is all about recording light, but with the more extreme camera settings you need to use in these conditions – such as long exposures or high-ISO and wide apertures – you’ll quickly find that there’s much more available light that makes creative photography possible. Whether you’re shooting landscapes, cityscapes or interiors, the necessary techniques remain the same and interconnected, so we’re going to take a look at everything you need to know to capture your most creative low-light images to date.

PRO SHOT Cobbolds Point

This long-exposure shot was taken at the end of ‘the blue hour’ and just before the sun reached the horizon, which resulted in the purple tones in the sky. With light levels as low as this, it was possible to achieve a 30-second exposure to smooth the water.

PRO ADVICE Natural long exposures

Shooting before sunrise, after sunset or at night results in naturally long exposures that can extend from several seconds to minutes in duration. This can produce the ethereal look of a 10-stop filter shot, without the need for the filter or to calculate exposure.

FIVE KIT ESSENTIALS FOR LOW-LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY

1 TRIPOD

A tripod is essential for keeping your camera supported and still during long exposures. Carbon-fibre models such as the Vanguard Veo 3+ 263CB are lighter and stronger than their aluminium counterparts. This model comes with an accessory mount, and one leg converts to a monopod.

2 SHUTTER REMOTE 

Whether they’re cabled or wireless, shutter remotes are essential for triggering the shot without touching the camera, which can cause camera shake. You can use the camera selftimer, but that means there’ll be a delay, which can make it difficult to time shots precisely.

3 FAST LENSES

With a large maximum aperture of around f/1.8, ‘fast’ lenses are ideal for handheld shooting in low light and at night. Opening up the aperture by a few stops will mean a shallow depth of field, but it could be the difference between shooting at ISO 3,200 rather than 12,800.

4 NATURAL NIGHT FILTER 

Night filters from NiSi UK are colourcorrective filters that balance against warm ambient lighting, for neutral results in-camera. These filters are available in screw-in and 100mm types, and can be used for both astrophotography and cityscape photography.