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Night Phototaking Tips for Poi |
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Tip 3: Play with the Aperture
In addition to shutter speed (which determines exposure time), you can play around with the aperture size of your digital camera. A wide-open aperture, of course, can reduce the exposure time needed to get a picture. If you want to leave the shutter open for a very long time--say, 30 seconds to get long light trails--it's a good idea to shoot with a small aperture so you don't overexpose any stationary light sources in your scene. If you want to avoid motion in your scene, though, go for a short shutter speed and a big aperture.
Tip 4: How to Use the Flash
As a general rule, I turn the flash off when taking night photos. There are some exceptions though – one specific example I can think of is trying to shoot a subject in the foreground, with fire poi motion trails in the background. In this case, bring along an external flash unit and shine it on your subject manually. Set a long exposure, and then have your subject wait until the picture is taken. Position your subject in the foreground, and start exposing the picture. Flash your subject manually, and have him or her continue to stand in place until the exposure ends.
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