Night Photography Guide
Camera Settings for Night Photography
Night photography is about capturing enough light in very dark conditions. The exposure triangle (aperture, shutter speed, ISO) all push toward their extremes. Aperture: Use the widest aperture your lens offers (lowest f-number). f/1.8 or f/2.8 lets in the most light. Lenses wider than f/2.8 are ideal for night work. Shutter speed: This varies by subject. For stationary subjects (buildings, landscapes), 1-30 seconds is common. For stars, use the 500 rule (500 / focal length = max seconds before star trails). For light trails, 10-30 seconds captures traffic streaks. ISO: Start at 800-1600 for cityscapes. Push to 3200-6400 for star photography. Modern cameras handle high ISO noise well, and noise can be cleaned in editing. Always shoot RAW at night. RAW files capture more shadow detail and give you much more flexibility to recover underexposed areas in editing.
Set to manual mode
Night photography needs full manual control. Auto mode won't produce the results you want.
Open the aperture wide
Set to the lowest f-number your lens allows: f/1.8, f/2.8, or as wide as possible.
Use a tripod
Non-negotiable. Even a 1-second exposure will blur handheld. Any tripod works.
Use a timer or remote
Set a 2-second timer to avoid camera shake from pressing the shutter button.
Phone Night Mode Tips
Modern phones have impressive Night Mode capabilities that take multiple frames over several seconds and computationally merge them into a sharp, bright result. Night Mode activates automatically in low light on most phones. On iPhone, the moon icon appears in the camera app. On Samsung and Pixel, it may activate automatically or be available in the shooting modes menu. The exposure time (3-10 seconds) is displayed on screen. During this time, you must keep the phone completely still. Bracing against a wall, resting on a table, or using a phone tripod produces dramatically better results than handheld. For street and city Night Mode shots, the phone handles most settings automatically. For starry skies, some phones have a dedicated Astrophotography mode (Pixel) or you'll need a third-party app with manual controls. Night Mode works best when there's some ambient light: streetlights, building lights, twilight. In complete darkness, even Night Mode struggles.
Stabilize the phone
Rest on a surface, lean against a wall, or use a phone tripod. Steady = sharp.
Let Night Mode do its thing
Don't move until the capture timer completes. 3-10 seconds of stability.
Avoid mixing modes
Don't use portrait mode at night. Let Night Mode handle the processing. Some phones combine them, but results vary.
City Night Photography
Cities at night offer incredible photographic opportunities: neon signs, reflections on wet streets, illuminated skylines, and the energy of nightlife. Blue hour (20-30 minutes after sunset) is the sweet spot for cityscapes. The sky retains deep blue color while city lights are on. Pure black sky with city lights is less interesting than the blue-black gradient of blue hour. Wet streets after rain are a night photographer's dream. Reflections double the light, add color, and create a cinematic, moody atmosphere. Even a light mist enhances the look. Look for contrasts: warm neon against cool blue sky, bright windows in dark buildings, illuminated signs against shadowy streets. Night photography is about light and its absence.
Scout during the day
Find your vantage point and composition during daylight. Return at blue hour (30 min after sunset).
Shoot at blue hour
You have about 20-30 minutes. The sky transitions from blue to black. Shoot quickly.
Look for reflections
Puddles, wet pavement, glass facades, and rivers reflect city lights beautifully at night.
Star and Milky Way Photography
Photographing stars and the Milky Way requires dark skies, the right settings, and clear weather. The results are some of the most spectacular images you can capture. Location matters most. Get at least 30 miles from city lights. Use a light pollution map (lightpollutionmap.info) to find dark sky areas near you. National parks and rural areas are ideal. Timing: the Milky Way core is best visible from March through October in the Northern Hemisphere. New moon phases provide the darkest skies. Use a stargazing app to find the Milky Way's position. Settings: f/2.8 or wider, 15-25 seconds (use the 500 rule), ISO 3200-6400. Focus manually to infinity by focusing on a bright star using live view zoomed in. Include an interesting foreground: a mountain, tree, building, or person with a headlamp. Stars alone are impressive but a foreground element creates a complete composition.
Find dark skies
Use lightpollutionmap.info to locate areas with minimal light pollution near you.
Set wide, bright, long
Widest aperture, 15-25 second shutter (500 rule), ISO 3200-6400. Manual focus on a bright star.
Include a foreground
Trees, mountains, buildings, or a person with a light adds depth and scale to the star field.
Take many shots
Stack multiple frames in post for cleaner results with less noise. 10-20 frames stacked dramatically reduces grain.
Light Trails
Light trails from moving cars, buses, and bikes create dynamic streaks of color through your nighttime cityscape. They're one of the easiest and most impressive night photography techniques. Find a location with steady traffic flow: a busy intersection, highway overpass, or bridge with traffic below. Set up your tripod with a view that includes the road and some interesting background (buildings, skyline). Settings: f/8-f/11 (narrow aperture for sharpness), 10-30 second exposure, ISO 100-400. The narrow aperture and low ISO are possible because you want a long exposure to capture the moving lights. Time your exposure to capture complete light trails. Watch the traffic pattern and start the exposure as a wave of cars approaches. Use bulb mode for exposures longer than 30 seconds to capture multiple waves of traffic.
Find a traffic-heavy location
Bridges, overpasses, busy intersections, and curved roads produce the best light trail compositions.
Set a long exposure
f/8-f/11, 15-30 seconds, ISO 100-200. Use a remote shutter or 2-second timer.
Time with traffic
Start the exposure as cars approach. Longer exposure = more trails. Experiment with different durations.
Editing Night Photos
Night photos often need significant editing. Underexposure, noise, and color cast issues are common even with good technique. Noise reduction is the most common need. 'Remove the grain and noise while keeping details sharp' cleans up high-ISO images. The AI balances noise reduction against detail preservation. Color correction fixes the mixed lighting common at night: 'correct the orange streetlight color cast' or 'make the sky look more natural blue'. Night scenes often have conflicting color temperatures from different light sources. Brightening shadow details: 'brighten the building in the shadows while keeping the sky dark' recovers detail lost in underexposure without washing out the night atmosphere.
Reduce noise
'Remove the grain and noise from this night photo while keeping details sharp.'
Fix color casts
'Correct the orange color cast from streetlights' or 'make the colors more natural.'
Recover shadow details
'Brighten the dark areas while preserving the night atmosphere.'
Frequently Asked Questions
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