night photography in RAW

BODY OF MESSAGE: OK, I'm a photojounalism major in NH, and I am, as part of my classes required to take an

independent study with a topic of my choice. So I decided to make my project a collection of night exposures. But

now, I have gotten in way over my head. I have a Canon 40D, multiple lenses, but am having a hard time producing

quality images. I just haven't been able to figure out the combination of settings to produce quality images. Please

help! My images are coming out grainy and blown out or far too dark, even with bracketing!

The worse technique is hand holding with high ISO, e.g., ISO 1600 or 3200. Try ISO 100, tripod, cable release and RAW. If

it's an fairly well lit street scene you may only need one exposure and can add NR to taste in DPP prior to conversion. If

there is an extreme range from deep shadows to brilliant HLs you should consider shooting 2 exposures: one optimized for

HLs and another for shadows. Combine the two in PS layers and blend and mask to taste.

 

Also realize Evaluative metering often overexposes night scenes, making them look more like daytime, so you usually

need to dial back the exposure. I often ignore the meter entirely and estimate exposure based on experience. Most basic

photo primers have tables for with suggested exposures for night shooting and are a good place to start.

That's why you are taking a class. You are learning how to produce quality images. In your case you are learning to

produce quality images at night. So what are the four variables that you can control in an image? You have 1) aperture,

2) shutter speed, 3) ISO sensitivity and 4) focus.

 

If your aperture is too big your image quality decrease. If your shutter speed is too slow your image quality decrease. If

your ISO is too high your image quality decrease. If your focus is not on your subject your image quality decrease.

 

Now figure out how to balance all these factors in a given situation and create an image that is high quality.

 

If you have no light you will not be able to create any images. So what happens when you have low light?

 

1) Find more light. Use artificial light to enhance your image.

2) Use a tripod, so you can slow down your shutter speed.

3) Use a remote trigger or your camera timer, so you don't shake your camera.

4) Get faster lenses with wider aperture. So you can let in more light.

5) Get a camera that can contain noise so you can shoot with higher ISO.

6) Do some post processing to enhance your image.

7) Learn how to do HDR on photoshop so you can get back the dynamic range.

 

Go out and learn.

you can do without the remote trigger by doing, time delay, 2 seconds is usually sufficient. I do have a remote trigger but not necessary to buy, if you are on a tight budget. use manual settings, set the ISO to 100 or less, set the camera to bracketing, if on time delay it will probably do the bracketed shots automatically, don't know what camera you have.

Are you using a fast lens? What are the subjects of your photos?

You have posted three threads in three days on this same topic. Did you not like or understand the answers you got so far?

Night photography of *what*? Buildings, trees, stars, people?

 

Do the elements in your pictures move? If so, crank up the ISO to what you need, and learn to live with the noise. Use a fast lens to get a more accurate focus. Probably think in terms of B&W, rather than color (which will reduce noise somewhat). If it's within your resources, beg, borrow, or rent a camera with very high sensitivity and low noise, like a Nikon D3.

 

If all your elements are stationary, then it's all quite easy: Use a tripod. Shoot at ISO 100. Use a moderate aperture (e.g. f/8) and whatever shutter speed you need. Use mirror lockup and the self-timer (or cable release). Make sure dark frames are enabled for longer exposures. (Or shoot film, making sure to allow for reciprocity failure.)

I'm still trying to figure out why, as a photojournalism major, you've not actually talked to any of your professors about this problem.

Another option is the mirror lock up:

 

http://www.photo.net/learn/nature/mlu

This is also posted in two other forums and this guy ignores the answers there too. So, don't be a tool for Will -- I figured out night & street photography when I was a tyro in high school (using FILM, not instant feedback digital). ---> I'd suggest changing your major.

<p>Tripod, MLU (though it may be less important here than elsewhere), remote release.

 

<p>Generally use f/8 as a starting point.

 

<p>Be SURE to use the long exposure noise reduction feature on your camera. It takes a second "black frame" exposure

which uses to subtract noise from the image - and you will have noise if you don't do this.

 

<p>Don't judge exposure by what the scene looks like in the LCD. DO judge exposure by looking at the histogram display.

 

<p>Take a look at The Nocturnes website - lots of great resources: <a

href="http://www.thenocturnes.com/">http://www.thenocturnes.com/</a>

 

<p>Dan

"My images are coming out grainy and blown out or far too dark, even with bracketing"

 

I took a course in Night/Flash photography a couple of years ago and never had a problem with noise. The reason, I put the camera on Manual ISO 100/200 instead of 'P' automatic and used a tripod and shutter release.

 

I'm not sure what type of camera you are using, but a digital camera should makes things easier. The problem with using 'P" automatic is that the camera is going to try to adjust a night scene so that it looks like a day-time scene. Not only that, but the halogen and tungsten street lamps can play havoc on your film/sensor.

 

I would stay as far away from any strong lights unless they are in the background. Filters are another problem. If you have a UV filter, or any other type of filter on the lens, take it off because no matter how good or how expensive, you are still going to get ghost in the picture. Get yourself a good hand-held light meter and bracket is my advice.

If you are using a DSLR (rather than film, though we could discuss it there also) you will generally want the capture to be

brighter than the scene actually looks - e.g. like a daylight scene. (That's why I earlier wrote to trust the histogram, not

the appearance of the image of the scene in the LCD.)

 

If your capture is predominantly very dark then you _will_ have additional noise problem and quite possibly banding

issues as well. It makes a lot more sense to capture an image the produces a balanced histogram - even if it looks

awfully bright in the LCD - and then reduce the brightness to whatever level you actually want in post-processing.

 

A trick for getting exposure: But the fastest lens you own on the camera, say an f/1.4 lens. Set the ISO as high as it can

go, 1600 or higher if possible. Let the camera make an exposure in aV mode. Work from there to get a good histogram

exposure. It will look pathetically bad - noise will be terrible. But you won't keep this image - it is just your exposure test.

 

Set the lens back to your desired aperture - likely around f/8 in most cases. Set your ISO back to a much lower value -

100 is usually right. Now do a bit of math to figure out how long the exposure needs to be based on the starting point you

got at high ISO and f/1.4.

 

DO use the long exposure noise reduction feature. I've done enough night photography to know the result of not using it.

You will not like what you get without it. You'll see a bunch of hot pixels; a few pure white and other bright blue, green, or

red.

 

Dan

 

(Who knows that things are a bit different with film...)

Really not much info, 40d many lenses. images of what, flash or not? handheld or tripod? SAMPLES? many here are willing to help but its easy to bark up the wrong tree..:)

grainy could underexposure, long exp as pointed by Dan, bad PP etc. Is this in line with PJ as working with flash or are you not sure where to start.

 

come back soon :)

"I'm not sure what type of camera you are using..."

 

You need to read the question -- OP dude uses a 40D and has already disappeared from PN.

 

He hasn't visited or spammed the Beginners forum yet where this question would be acceptable.