Shooting at night

[fairy_basslet]

How do you shoot a street scene at night? I am thinking of a fairly deserted street with old fashioned-style street lights. The lights are pretty bright and close together. I really just want the street and the lights, and maybe another shot with a solitary figure under one of the lights.

[Elia]

What camera are you using? If it has a night setting on it use it and a tripod. I have a D70 and I have experimented with the rear flash and slow flash and got good results shooting a beach front scene at night from a pier.

[hgernhardtjr]

You said fairly deserted, so youshould have time to set up your shot. I am assuming you want something a bit nicer than a fast point-and-shoot snapshot. Also assuming no carefully placed flashes and only adigital camera with a fewadjustable features:

Use a Tripod.The small in-camera flash would be almost useless so take several varying long exposures at different speeds (or EV settings if using auto metering mode). If you want the sharpest photo with greatest depth of fieldyou will need to use the smallest aperature, but that means a longer shutter speed and/or higher ISO.

Do not move the tripod or camera. Preview your photos. Chose the bestshot with the best settings, place person in scene and have them hold still, and shoot using same settings. (Even then, I'd do one stop/EV over, and one under just to be sure). The lower the ISO the less grainy the shot will be. Then finally adjust in PhotoShop.

Probably be easier with a dSLR like the Canon 20D and at least one off-camera flash, more difficult with a point-and-shoot, but you should be able to accomplish your goal. Hope this helps.

[fairy_basslet]

Thanks for the tips. I was going to try this weekend, but I don't know about all the rain predicted. I could put my camera in the underwater housing I have and try anyway. Might be cool to have the street wet, like they do when they shoot night scenes in the movies.