Photography skills of urban night scenes

Lead: Although the night scene and Twilight scenery are fascinating, it is not as simple as imagined to shoot them well, because besides the influence of weather factors, photographers must have extraordinary physical strength and photography-related skills to include all the beautiful scenery in front of them. Below, we will summarize the main shooting skills and precautions of night scenes and twilight problems with actual shooting examples for your reference.

Shooting focus

Exposure balance

Schematic work

As both night scenes and twilight scenes belong to Gao Fancha, it is better to use RAW file format for recording besides paying special attention to the exposure balance of bright and dark parts when shooting, so that even if the settings are wrong, it can be fine-tuned and enhanced later.

Selection of photographic equipment

Because night scenes and twilight scenes belong to low light sources, if you want to take long exposure shots, you must first prepare a stable tripod, otherwise it is easy to take blurred images; As for the combination of pan/tilt, spherical pan/tilt is the first choice, because this type of pan/tilt is not only easy to control, but also helps to quickly grasp the angle, making it easier for you to take pictures and compose pictures.

Tripod, gradient antireflection mirror and cable play are all indispensable auxiliary equipment for shooting night scenes and twilight.

As for the focal length of the lens, the wide-angle end 10- 14mm style is preferred to meet the shooting needs of night scenes and twilight themes.

In addition, it is also an indispensable auxiliary tool, because it can not only effectively avoid the instantaneous vibration when pressing the shutter, but also accurately grasp the required exposure time through the B shutter, fully meeting the creative needs of different environments and shooting themes; As for the gradual reduction lens, it is used for exposure balance.

Basic settings of the camera

In addition to the lowest sensitivity, it is best to turn on the long exposure noise reduction function at the same time, so as to effectively ensure the purity of the picture.

How to set the camera to meet the shooting needs of night scenes and twilight themes? Generally speaking, readers can get satisfactory works in theory as long as they set the shooting turntable in the A-aperture prerequisite mode (F8-F 16) and then reduce the ISO sensitivity (ISO 100-400) for long exposure shooting. As for the M full manual mode, although it is often used to shoot night scenes and twilight themes, it is more suitable for middle and advanced players because of the complete control of aperture and shutter value. In addition, it is worth mentioning that long-term exposure is prone to noise, and it is best to turn on the noise suppression function at the same time when shooting to provide relatively pure image quality; As for the lens, if it is equipped with an anti-shock mechanism, it is best to turn it off, so as to effectively ensure the stability of the picture.

Selection of shooting time period

Generally speaking, using the A-aperture prerequisite mode can meet the shooting needs of most night scenes and twilight scenes.

Knowing the timing of shooting is the first step to achieve a perfect photo.

To shoot a good work, we must choose the right weather and the right time. The so-called good time here is the best time to shoot. For night shooting, 5-7 pm is the best time to shoot night scenes, because the sky is just dark and there is a glimmer of light on the horizon, so the color temperature is the most beautiful at this time. Generally speaking, as long as the visibility of the sky is not too bad, small aperture and long exposure shooting can theoretically shoot high-quality images similar to those on the right. As for shooting the scene in the morning, 4-6 am is more suitable, because it is just dawn and the light is soft, so as long as you master the principle of exposure balance, you should be able to shoot satisfactory works, but because the dew is heavy in the morning, you'd better prepare perfect cold-proof and moisture-proof accessories when you go to avoid catching a cold or even damaging the equipment.

Determine the appropriate aperture value according to different forms of expression.

Use aperture size to express different image artistic conception.

By using the aperture size, various image changes can also be transformed at night. For example, when the aperture is small, because the focusing range is wide, it is easier to take a large-area clear image when it is used for night shooting, and it can also capture the starlight effect from a single light source; As for the larger aperture, because the focus range is relatively small, it is easy for photographers to take blurred images in front or behind, which can make the images present a unique hazy feeling, especially in light. However, it should be noted that the large aperture is not suitable for large-scale shooting, and it is more suitable for sketching or local photography to fully show its charm. Generally speaking, various brands of large aperture lenses are very expensive, but only F 1.8 series lenses are the cheapest, which allows you to enjoy shooting with large aperture lenses at a low price.

Express the concept of photography based on slow shutter.

In addition to the fun of shooting with a large aperture, in fact, a slow shutter can also create a different visual effect. Because the slow shutter can capture the instantaneous light and shadow lines, it can inject a unique vitality into the night scene problem. Take the car track scenes that ordinary players often shoot as an example, which is the expression of slow shutter. Although the shooting skill is not high, it can give the image a completely different visual experience. Generally speaking, to shoot such subjects, the photographer only needs to narrow the aperture to the range of F 1 1-F 16, control the shutter for 4-8 seconds, and then correct the shutter time and speed according to the captured image. However, it should be noted that the light source in the city at night is complex, so it is suggested to use a tapered lens to assist in correction when shooting, so as to effectively avoid local darkening or image appearance.

The charm of overlooking the night scene

Auxiliary accessories can be purchased separately to reduce indoor reflection problems.

Looking down from a height, you can present another beauty of the night scene.

When shooting the night scene, you can shoot the vehicles driving on the road together, which can add a lot of elegance to the general street scene.

Overlooking the night view of the metropolis is also a good subject for framing. Generally speaking, as long as a photographer looks for a building in the city to shoot from top to bottom, he can shoot an image similar to the one below, but it is not as simple as expected to shoot a perfect work, because most buildings can only be shot indoors, so in the shooting process, besides considering the reflection of indoor light sources, he must also take a suitable shooting angle to make the image work perfectly presented. Not only the floor has a certain height, but also the shooting field of vision is not limited, so as long as the shutter time is extended for 2-4 seconds and close to the glass, satisfactory works can be shot theoretically.

Robust trisection method

Using the trisection method for framing composition can make it easier for photographers to grasp the center of gravity of the image.

Whether it is night shooting or dusk shooting, the most difficult place, besides exposure, should be the balance of composition proportion. In fact, for beginners, there is no need to approach a dead end. At first, they only need to know how to master the three-point composition method. In short, the so-called three-point composition method here is to divide the scene into three equal parts before shooting, and then decide the position of the subject. Although seemingly simple, it is a very practical composition rule. Taking the above picture as an example, the photographer must first decide the appearance of the subject, and then decide the placement position. Generally speaking, when shooting similar subjects, the subject is usually placed in the lower position of 1/3, because this will not only make the picture look more stable, but also directly help the overall visual tension.

Multiple exposures and image overlap

Can I use the built-in D7000? Multiple exposures? And then what? Image overlap? Function to increase the fun of shooting night scenes and twilight themes.

In addition to the basic camera settings, readers can also make good use of the built-in functions of the fuselage to increase the richness of images and the fun of shooting, such as the built-in Nikon D7000? Multiple exposures? With what? Image overlap? The function is quite interesting and worth playing! In the former case, multiple exposure shooting can be achieved indirectly by presetting the number of shots (up to three images can be synthesized); As for the latter, it can be used to superimpose and synthesize different images afterwards. Although these two control modes are different, they can both enhance the image and even make the finishing point. What are the effects of applying them to night scenes and twilight themes? Readers can refer to examples.

Application example of image overlapping

Image overlapping application

Final effect

News? In the menu menu? Image overlap? Option, you can load an image for composition (taking fireworks composition as an example). The original failed photo, but after applying the image overlay function, the image effect can be completely new.

Multiple exposure alternate application

HDR is also a multiple exposure.

The multiple exposure function can be used for image creation, and can also indirectly achieve HDR shooting effect. The operation mode is simple. Just set the number of multiple exposure shots first, and then change the exposure value of each image during shooting, so that the camera can automatically help you synthesize a unique HDR night scene and twilight work, but only if it is used with a tripod, otherwise the synthesis effect may not be as ideal as expected.