10 Frequently Asked Questions about Shooting Night Scenes

Lead: The scenery at night/in the morning is quite charming. In order to shoot an ideal work, a photographer should not only meet the gods, but also have certain skills to master the exposure balance. More importantly, you must have extraordinary physical strength and patience to travel around the mountains and cover all the beautiful scenery in front of you!

Q 1 0Frequently Asked Questions about Shooting Night Scenes Q1:What homework should I do before shooting to reduce the chance of catching turtles?

A: Mastering the weather is the primary task, so the interpretation of meteorological information is very important for morning twilight/night scene photography. Many experienced players have invested a lot of enthusiasm in this aspect to analyze the probability of appearing in the scene and avoid returning in vain. The average player may not understand the radar echo map, but he can still grasp the basic wind direction and visibility information, especially the visibility is not positively related to good weather, so he must use this to judge the appropriate shooting location so as not to run all the way in vain. For example, the Yuanshan Scenic Area usually takes photos through the medium and long focal length. At this time, the visibility should be above 18km to get a pure image. On the contrary, it is suggested to find another shooting location and find scenery suitable for close-up shooting (such as Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Rainbow Bridge).

Q2: What shooting equipment should I prepare? How to choose the lens?

A: The low light/night scene is shot under low light source, and in order to ensure that the image will not shake when exposed for a long time, a stable tripod is essential, and a spherical tripod is the best for Yuntai, and it is convenient and flexible to adjust the composition. In addition, for the sake of clear pictures, it is recommended to carry a wired release with you. With the help of cable release, the instantaneous vibration caused by pressing the shutter can be effectively avoided. Others, such as ND filter, gradient filter or black card, are carried according to personal shooting needs. The part of the lens is basically a wide-angle lens, but in some specific environments, it is necessary to use the medium and long focal length to obtain the ideal image effect.

▲ For equipment preparation, tripod and pay-off are essential. In addition, some scenes need to remember to bring a flashlight because there is no lighting equipment.

▲ The choice of lens is mainly wide-angle focal length, and medium-long focal length lens may be used according to the shooting scene.

Q3: Which shooting mode is better, AV mode or M full manual mode?

A: Unless the light source in the shooting environment is complicated, the AV aperture prerequisite mode can meet most shooting needs. As long as the aperture size and brightness are set first (ISO 100-400 can be adjusted flexibly), the camera will automatically adjust the shutter speed, and then just fine-tune the brightness or exposure compensation according to the shooting results, and you can get quite ideal night shots. If faced with a complex light source environment, readers are advised to switch to M full manual shooting mode, first set the aperture and brightness values, and then adjust the shutter speed through the exposure meter, or directly preview the exposure status through LiveView in real time, and then complete shooting settings.

▲ Generally speaking, the prerequisite application mode of AV aperture can meet the shooting needs of most morning/night scenes.

▲ Setting the minimum ISO brightness and turning on the long exposure noise reduction function can effectively ensure the purity of the picture.

▲ Setting the mirror lock can also reduce the vibration when the shutter is pressed.

Q4: Why is the brightness of sunrise or dusk different from that seen by naked eyes?

Answer: Because the photosensitive element of the camera can't fully display the dynamic range seen by naked eyes, in the face of Gao Fancha environment with backlight in the morning and evening, if the sky is exposed normally, the scenery will be too dark, otherwise the scenery will be exposed normally and the sky will be overexposed. Therefore, it is a key to accurately control the exposure balance. There are three methods: using gradient subtracter, dithering black card and HDR. Using gradient antireflection mirror is the most labor-saving way, but the quality of the lens is much worse, which was introduced in detail in the last unit (P.078). Black card shaking is to achieve exposure balance through the concept of segmented exposure, which needs constant practice to be handy. HDR is to synthesize multiple photos of different exposure value to obtain a wide dynamic range.

Q5: What is the segmented exposure mentioned above?

A: Take the most common two-zone exposure as an example. The so-called segmented exposure means that when shooting, the bright areas (sky) of the picture are blocked in front of the camera with black cards, and the dark areas (scenery) are exposed first. When the dark part is close to enough exposure, quickly pull out the black card and let the bright part start exposure to achieve the purpose of exposure balance. Therefore, the player must first obtain the exposure time of the bright part and the dark part, before starting the segmented exposure. Generally speaking, the order is usually to cover the bright part and expose the dark part first. Of course, you can also expose the whole picture first, cover the bright part after the exposure time expires, and continuously expose the dark part. In fact, the exposure sequence is not absolute, it depends entirely on the preferences and habits of players.

Q6: Are there any established composition rules for shooting night scenes in the morning and evening?

A: The quality of a composition is actually quite subjective, and everyone has different feelings about "beauty". If you have no confidence in your own judgment, you can refer to several common composition rules, such as three-point composition and tic-tac-toe composition. With the auxiliary grid of EOS 100D, if the main body is arranged in a proper position, as long as the vertical level of the picture is mastered, most of them can get good image effects. But before the composition, what is more important is actually the judgment of framing, looking for suitable foreground and background to enhance the tension of the picture, which angle can best present the characteristics of the subject, and where there is no clutter interference. ....................................................................................................................

▲ In addition to mastering the vertical level of the picture, it is also necessary to find a suitable foreground and background to enhance the tension of the picture.

▲ Simple three-point composition method can achieve good results, making it easy for viewers to grasp the center of gravity of the image.

Q7: What are the elements of a wonderful night scene?

A: As mentioned above, good weather coordination, mastery of exposure balance, and judgment of framing and composition are all essential elements for the brilliance of twilight/night scene. However, if you don't arrive at the right place at the right time, even if you have the strength to shoot wonderful works, it is still useless. As far as night shooting is concerned, the best shooting time is about 10 to 15 minutes after sunset. There is still a glimmer of light on the horizon, and the color temperature is the most beautiful now. The sapphire blue sky and the light landscape are a beautiful night scene. As for the appropriate location, it will test the endurance of the player's "card position", especially the popular shooting spots. Readers are advised to arrive 1 2 hours earlier than the shooting time to ensure the best shooting field of vision.

▲ The same scene has a night scene with blue screen color temperature blessing, which is even more dazzling.

Q8: How to shoot the effect of outstanding stars? Why do some star-awning effects look different?

A: The canopy effect depends on the size of the aperture. Basically, as long as the aperture is reduced to about F8, the star cover can be presented in the image. Generally speaking, the standard action of shooting night scenes is to narrow the aperture and lower the ISO, and then shoot on a tripod. Aperture reduction is mainly to get enough depth of field, and point light sources will become stars. The shape of the star awn is actually related to the aperture structure in the lens, so different lenses will have different star awn performances, and even how small the aperture is depends on the lens structure. The quality of the star depends on personal preference, but the usual criterion is not only the number, but also whether the tip will split, which is often one of the pointers for players who like to shoot twilight/night scenes to evaluate the lens.

▲ The star-studded effect is a night scene element that many people like.

▲ Different shots present different stars.

Q9: How to present beautiful images of cars and railways when shooting city night scenes?

A: As long as the exposure time is extended, a gorgeous image of the train track can be presented. In order to achieve this goal, small aperture and low ISO are the basic settings. The aperture determines the thickness of the rail, and the shutter determines the trajectory of the traffic. The balance between the two will affect the image effect. In addition to the control of aperture and shutter, another key point is the timing of shutter. Attention should be paid to the conversion of light signal and the change of traffic flow, especially the shooting time of color temperature blue screen is limited, so you should grasp the shutter every time. In addition, readers can also try to increase the number of cars and tracks by overlapping pictures, or present a picture of cars and tracks intertwined to make the night view of cars and tracks more exciting.

▲ Long exposure can leave beautiful rail images on the screen.

Q 10: Can there be any changes in the image of the night scene in the morning and evening, and how to add personal creativity?

A: The changed part can start from the color temperature. Through the cooperation of EOS 100D's white balance shift/surround exposure function, we can create pictures with different colors, which increases the possibility and interest of many creations. In addition, you can also try the "exposure zoom" technique. When you rotate the zoom ring during a long exposure, the picture will become a dynamic image with linear diffusion due to different focal lengths during the exposure. Similarly, you can also try to change the focus ring during the exposure process to create an image effect with both reality and reality. Another way to play is to use fancy black cards, and the fuzzy light source will change with the shape of holes in the black cards, making a completely different night scene.

▲ Turn the focus ring during the exposure process to present another look of the night scene.