Night time photos

[Dimplenose]

We've just purchased tickets for MNSSHP and I was wondering if anyone had any hints for night time photo taking. I have a Canon powershot a1100IS and even though it says it has night time and firework settings I haven't produced anything worthwhile (unless I find somewhere to prop the camera to take the picture.)

Here are some examples of my night time shots

Propped on a wall wasn't too bad



Waiting for Spectromagic




Spectromagic



And some rather disappointing fireworks



Is there anything I can do to get better shots or do I need a better camera?

 

[MightyGitis]

My biggest tip is a tripod. The fireworks and nighttime modes in cameras are designed for stationary cameras on a tripod. Instead of carting a full size one I have one of those ones that look like a three pronged claw and can wrap around things. I've used trash cans. Light poles. Railings.

 

[2Tiggies]

Tripod is the key to low light or night time shots if you can't or don't want to use a flash. Your first photo isn't actually bad at all! Part of your success with this was down to having it completely stable by placing it on something. The self timer can be useful to further minimise shake, but has its own challenges.

The reason your people are blurred in your other photo is because they were moving and the camera's sensor measured the light and left the shutter open longer. This is great if your scene is stationery but not so good if you want the moving subjects in focus. There are a few possible ways to do this, but your camera may have some limitations (I am not familiar with the model you have, although it gets great reviews). You want a higher ISO if you can control this manually so that you can set a faster shutter speed. Or you want to use the flash. The flash is problematic with parades and a no-no for fireworks because it won't have the power to illuminate anything more than a few feet away from you and will 'dull' the lights you are trying to capture.

Does the camera allow you to control any of the settings manually (manual mode)?

My night time shots from MNSSHP last year were taken with a fast lens and manual settings on a DSLR. It was the only way to achieve them, but there are things you can do with a more simple camera - you just need to be realistic about its capabilities and limitations.

 

[2Tiggies]

I've just looked up your camera and gone through the specs. You should have plenty to work with, within reason.

From the specs, it looks like you can manually adjust your ISO which will give you a start. It also appears to have a manual mode and exposure compensation which will all help you. What you want is to let more light into your camera with less ambient light available. You also want a fast shutter speed for keeping moving subjects sharp or a slower one if you deliberately want to blur the motion while keeping stationery objects in focus (tripod, trashcan or other support essential for long exposure). With that said, however, I have never used a tripod for parades and relied solely on my manual settings and a fast lens. I think the tripod the PP was referring to may be the Gorillapod, which you can google to get an idea how it works. Nifty little accessory!

I don't use the auto scene modes as I've had very little success with them, but YMMV and you may find they suit your needs just fine. It all depends what you want.

It's a very impressive little camera, by the way

 

[MightyGitis]

I think the tripod the PP was referring to may be the Gorillapod, which you can google to get an idea how it works. Nifty little accessory!

That's what it is! I'm at work and was trying to think of the name of it.

I also don't tripod the electric parade. I speed up shutter to snap crisper pics of the lights on the floats.

But for fireworks a tripod or REALLY steady hands.

 

[Dimplenose]

Thank you both for your suggestions.

I have seen those little tripods and will look into getting one for myself - are they a standard fitting?

I've not got much clue about how cameras operate but following your comments have looked at my old photos' properties and have found that the night settings have indeed been automatically set to a long exposure but a low ISO setting.

I bought the A1100 because of its great reviews and the fact it has a view finder - very helpful in Florida in August. Most of the time it is a great handbag sized camera but it does not have many manual settings.

Following your comments I have just rummaged through DD's cupboard (she is away at uni) and have unearthed the camera that she inherited from my father a few years ago which is a Canon Powershot SX110IS which has much more scope for manual settings. No viewfinder but I won't have any problems looking at the screen in the evening.

All I need now is an evening out and time to play with it.

Thanks, I'll let you know how I get on.

 

[2Tiggies]

If you can find the user manual or download a copy from online, I recommend taking your camera with the manual and using the two together (not reading and then trying to remember later when you are out taking photos). I am the worst when it comes to reading manuals. With me most issues are an RTFM issue, but I learned fast that knowing your camera, especially in the dark, makes life so much easier. YOu don't always have time to think about what you are doing for more than a few seconds. Often moments for good shots are fleeting and it's all about the timing.

 

[~Piglet~]

On my camera I have a setting called 'hand-held night shot' which gives quite good results - it shoots about 7-8 frames in quick succession and merges them all into one picture, you may have a similar setting on your camera

PS, I miss having a viewfinder too

 

[duffdo]

I used a Sony DSC HX9 on my last trip. It too takes several frames in quick succession to produce a good quality night time picture. It did have two major drawbacks. The first was you had to make sure the camera was very still. A tripod/railing/other stationary object was best, but you could get satisfactory results whilst holding it. The second was the processing time the camera took. Even with a high speed Sony memory stick, this was 3-4 seconds. Not good when you want to take lots of photos. One area where the camera did excel was in its ability to shoot 1080p video at 50fps. This ate memory and battery massively but night time results were good....I did become tired however of carrying what is a fairly bulky compact camera around with me, so instead relied on my iPhone 5s at times. The results were obviously not as good, but using the HDR setting, my photos at night were pleasing and obviously I had the versatility of a more compact device.

 

[Dimplenose]

It is good to hear everyone's tips. I am trying not to buy a new camera if I can help it.

This was supposed to be a "budget trip", well as budget as an onsite stay can be. So I am resisting buying new stuff if I can.

We've already splashed out on MNSSHP tickets so I want to be able to get good pictures of that. I will spend some evenings playing with the camera settings.

 

[2Tiggies]

It is good to hear everyone's tips. I am trying not to buy a new camera if I can help it.

That is probably a wise move, unless you are looking to do some research and commit to experimenting and investing a fair amount of time into mastering some photographic skills and understanding. A better camera does not guarantee better photos. It may only offer you additional features which although they will almost certainly enhance your photos, often won't do so unless you understand why they didn't turn out the way you intended the previous time. It is a bit of a science and I initially shunned all the theory behind it because I was more interested in the creative aspect, until I found out that I was making the same mistakes with an expensive camera than I was with a cheaper one, and had no idea what they were.

I will spend some evenings playing with the camera settings.

This is your winning statement. Understand what your camera is capable of, get to know the controls and settings in the dark (literally) and how, why and when to use what settings. As for what it can't do for you, relax, don't waste time on it and enjoy the evening.

If you post what settings and adjustment options are available when you click into manual mode, I will give you a few pointers of what to focus on (no pun intended).