City Light Shots

[ml69]

I'm kinda new to Photography. I've been taking pictures with my Nikon D40 for awhile now. And I'm wonder how to take "City Light Shots" something like http://din.myweb.hinet.net/csyj001.jpg or like http://farm1.static.flickr.com/151/343731312_c9c04e4c71.jpg.

I wanna know how to take pics like that.

 

[sapper6fd]

High shutter speeds and a good vantage point it looks like.

 

[LaFoto]

Well, for photography of the kind you definitely need a tripod.

Attach your camera to the tripod.
Set it to a smaller aperture. Definitely not wide open. Starting with f8 ... or smaller, like f11 or f16.

This means your camera will require long exposure times.
Depending on how many lights you get, it can mean you have to expose for 15 or 20 seconds...

This once again means that a remote cable release would be a good thing.
That, or you set your camera on timer, so in the moment the shutter opens NOTHING can make the camera move, not even the tiniest bit. Not even the tip of your finger releasing the shutter!

And a hint on the side: the best time for night photography is late dusk, when the sky still has some colour and some detail.

 

[LoveLea]

those pictures took my breath away !!!

 

[myfotoguy]

LaFoto made some great suggestions!

Also, start with Matrix metering, and be prepared to dial in negative exposure compensation. Since the camera sees all the darkness, it may try to over-compensate.

If the scene has an area with something very bright, you may need to spot meter off that (and still may need some negative exposure compensation).

If your camera has mirror-up, use it (the D40 doesn't, but others reading this their camera might).

Try different heights. For example, if you are on the shore of a river, with a bridge in the frame, various heights will make very different look and feel for the final shot.

If your camera has Long Exp NR, you can use that set to on to reduce any noise generated from the long exposure. Some folks prefer to turn it off and adjust any noise that was created using software such as Noise Ninja, or similar. If your shot is 8 seconds, be aware that the NR function will process your shot after the exposure for roughly 8 seconds too.

Consider what to include in the frame with a bit of thought. It's an easy mistake to finally get your opportunity and start setting up and take your shots with excitement and forget about composition. Try different focal lengths including and excluding things to see what looks best for the final image.

Enjoy, and share some of your results!!