Night Photography Questions

[DTB58]

I have a number of questions about this general topic area, if I may.

I thought I would start out by relating a personal experience so you can get an idea what I am asking. A couple of weeks ago; I was working in a remote area of northern Canada, and one of the guys at a house where I was renting a room came running in to call me. It was just about dark; and there were over two dozen white-tailed deer that had swarmed onto our property for some reason. The guy that called me was right - I would have been interested in photographing some of them, but I have no idea how to take pictures like this of wild life at night. What kind of camera or set up does one need to do this. I am pretty good at getting within 100 - 200 feet of most animals that I want to shoot but the night thing is all a mystery to me.

I am looking for any and all ideas. Thanks, in advance, for your help.

 

[waterbeef]

I believe you 're gonna need THIS:

 

[bratkinson]

The monster lens above is probably too slow for night time shots in remote northern Canada.

One of the critical issues not mentioned is what kind of gear do you have? I'm guessing a basic Canon or Nikon kit with one or two lenses. Most kit lenses are too slow, which will limit your shooting to more brightly lit outdoor areas. Ideally, what is needed is 'fast glass' (f2.8 and wider apertures (smaller f numbers)) and higher ISOs. Adequate lighting is also needed.

Basically, the exposure triangle must be pushed to the limits of what you and your equipment can do. You may find that ISO speeds over 1600 produce a level of noise that even after correction in post, is unacceptable. What that limit is varies by camera and manufacturer. Depending on how fast or slow the subjects are moving, you may get away with shutter speeds as slow as 1/30 (tripod/monopod preferred!) that will stop their motion...as in they're grazing. Ideally, you'll need 1/125th or faster to freeze their motion...and yours, if handheld. And f-stop? As wide as you can get. But recognize, too, that 'kit' zoom lenses go to too-small f-stops (high f-numbers) quite quickly as focal length increases. And shooting 'wide open' limits the depth of field, especially for closer-in critters.

You might want to try a flash unit. But then, you only get one shot before they are gone!

 

[DTB58]

The monster lens above is probably too slow for night time shots in remote northern Canada.

One of the critical issues not mentioned is what kind of gear do you have? I'm guessing a basic Canon or Nikon kit with one or two lenses. Most kit lenses are too slow, which will limit your shooting to more brightly lit outdoor areas. Ideally, what is needed is 'fast glass' (f2.8 and wider apertures (smaller f numbers)) and higher ISOs. Adequate lighting is also needed.

But then, you only get one shot before they are gone!

Yes, you are correct re my equipment; and that is one of the reasons I joined this forum. I intend to do a lot of reading, asking questions, listening etc so that I can make an informed decision as to what to buy. I do want to upgrade; but because the kind of stuff I am looking at is expensive; I am going to take my time and make sure I buy the right stuff.

Can you tell me a little more about the "fast glass" that you mentioned? I really am green with all this stuff right now - but anxious to learn.

 

[DTB58]

I am also wondering if anyone can tell me about other possibilities for night photography, such as infrared or night vision types of cameras? If anyone reading this can mention specic types/models they have experience with, I would appreciate learning more about it.

 

[waterbeef]

Can you tell me a little more about the "fast glass" that you mentioned? I really am green with all this stuff right now - but anxious to learn.

The "fast glass" simply means lens with large aperture like F2.8 or even larger like F1.4.

I am also wondering if anyone can tell me about other possibilities for night photography, such as infrared or night vision types of cameras? If anyone reading this can mention specic types/models they have experience with, I would appreciate learning more about it.

Infrared cameras are usually very expensive since the infrared photosensitive device is far more rare than those installed in normal cameras.

Besides that , infrared cameras are sensitive to surface temperature rather than visible light ,so you can get only B+w or pseudo color photos.

I used to work as an engineer on developing infrared guidance system for military weapons five or six years ago .
At that time one of the games I used to play with my infrared camera is ,touch the backrest of my office chair with my hand for a while then shoot it , hence my handprint with brighter color was shown on the backrest on the monitor.

 

[bratkinson]

The term 'fast glass' refers to the fact that one can use faster shutter speeds and get the same 'amount' of exposure at the sensor. Think of lens aperture (f-stop) as 'hose size' and your goal is to fill a swimming pool (the sensor). Clearly, a garden hose (high f-stop number) would take --forever--(shutter speed) to fill a swimming pool. A fire hose (f1.8, for example), a couple of hours. Hence, the 'fast' moniker. In actuality, the f-stop numbers are the mathmatical ratio of the aperture size to the focal length of the lens. So, for example, a 50mm f2.0 lens aperture would be 50/2.0 = 25mm aperture area size. At f4.0, 12.5mm, etc.

With the general exception of the 50mm f1.8 lenses, and perhaps a few others, lenses that have larger apertures such as f2.8 and lower numbers, get expensive quickly. The reason is that larger diameter lenses including those internal are required and have to be manufactured to higher standards as well. That's why lenses faster than f2.8 are usually 'prime' lenses, having only a fixed focal length. Zoom lenses,owing to the increased number of internal elements (lenses), generally 'max out' at f2.8, as making anything with larger size elements would make them all look like the monster pictured above.

As far as infrared and night vision photography goes, I'll defer to those who have experience at it rather than putting my foot in my mouth.

 

[DTB58]

It is sounding like the 50mm f1.8 lens is a basic item I will need to get - but now, how would I decide on what kind of camera to get to go with it? I mostly enjoy photographing various wild life, birds and scenery. But I am discovering there is a whole new world out there in terms of night photography thereof.

 

[CaptainNapalm]

Unfortunately, taking photos of moving subjects like animals in night (or near night) conditions from a distance is nearly impossible unless you're willing to spend an absurd mountain of money on a capable camera and glass and even then it would take experience to catch such subjects. Your best bet is to get a DSLR camera with a decent lens and invest in a powerful speed light (flash) which will provide you with the light you need to illuminate these deer for the photo. Of course, you'll need to get in close enough for the flash to reach the animals, which may be a challenge in itself.

 

[CaptainNapalm]

It is sounding like the 50mm f1.8 lens is a basic item I will need to get - but now, how would I decide on what kind of camera to get to go with it? I mostly enjoy photographing various wild life, birds and scenery. But I am discovering there is a whole new world out there in terms of night photography thereof.

A f/1.8 lens will not give you the low light performance to catch even slightly moving animals in night conditions unless they're well illuminated by some form of artificial light source (ex. light pole). Not to mention a 50mm lens will likely lack the reach you're looking for to photograph these animals with the detail you might be looking for. The f/1.8 lenses are good for low light performance, but don't expect them to allow you to take photos of moving animals at night.