Night Photography Street Style

5 tips to better results when shooting night street photography

Many of us immediately think about tripods, shutter release cords, and all of the usual low light and long exposure gear when talking about night photography. Nothing wrong with that, but for a more street-style night photography approach, the good news is we may not need more than a camera and a couple of lenses. Actually, one lens can be enough.

Night images usually show a completely different look and mood compared to the same subject photographed in the daytime. When we decrease ambient light and increment artificial light, we are increasing the mystery element. All those shadows and sharp highlights can do a great job on the way your images will look.

If we approach a photography night out the same way we do to a daytime photo walk, only adopting a couple of different settings to face the low and artificial light with confidence, we’ll have some fun and end up with a few fantastic Images.

So, what should we do to make it work at night without a bunch of gear?

1. Increase ISO

Increasing ISO must be an absolute necessity for night street photography. To guaranty a fast enough shutter speed, to avoid motion blur, we need to increase ISO. How much should we increase ISO? Ideally, not that much to keep our images with low noise, but it all depends on the amount of available light and how fast your lenses are.

2. Use fast lenses

Fast lenses will allow more light to reach the sensor. Usually, prime lenses are the best choice since they tend to be faster with a maximum aperture between f:1.2 and f:2.0. Zoom lenses, despite the great versatility in daylight situations, require extremely high ISO values to photograph handheld in the street at night.

Modern cameras can do a great job of keeping low levels of noise with extremely high ISO, so if a zoom lens is your only option, at least give it a try. The grainy aspect of high ISO noise in night street photography can be a fantastic look for your pictures, especially in black and white.

3. Use light wisely

When choosing your subjects, think about how the light will show them. Search for brighter lit areas and spend some time looking for what works best. Placing yourself in the shadowed spots and shooting into the light can help pass unnoticed, and have your subjects with great light. Shop windows, brightly lit buses, or trams, along with city areas with good public lightning, can be great options for fantastic images.

Summertime always brings more people out at night, and in some areas, the local festivals and festivities are an excellent option for amazing pictures. Roam around for a while to get acquainted with the area and choose a few good shooting spots and subjects before taking pictures.

4. Leave the flash at home

If you want to blend and pass unnoticed, do yourself a favor and not use a flash. Although you can use the flash out at night if you know what you’re doing, achieving excellent results can be difficult for someone trying to blend and capture life as it is in the streets.

5. Security first

Last but not least, safety is vital for a successful night out. Avoid isolated areas and do not venture to city areas you don’t know. Keep your gear safely inside your gear bag and avoid all sorts of flashing logos on cameras and straps. If in doubt, book a photo walk with a local photographer or a local camera club if available. Actually if your traveling and don’t know the area well a photo walk in your first few days may help you better and, faster understand the city and get all kind of local advice.

If you’re in Lisbon and willing to go on a night photo walk, take a look at our  Lisbon Night Photography Walk, or get in touch as we have a daily schedule for open groups of up to 6 people or private sessions on request.

Now, just go out, shoot and have fun.