Night photography: How to create better images after dark

What you’ll need

A fast lens (with a wide maximum aperture) is invaluable for night-time photography. It allows more light to hit the sensor, helping to keep the ISO down and exposure times shorter. Lenses with apertures of f/2.8 or wider are particularly useful, and wide-angle lenses are a great choice when you want to include more of the landscape or night sky within the frame. A zoom lens will give you more flexibility when composing, while a prime lens will often offer a wider maximum aperture in a smaller, lighter package. Some excellent FX lens options include the NIKKOR Z 14‑24mm f/2.8 S, NIKKOR Z 17‑28mm f/2.8, NIKKOR Z 20mm f/1.8 S, NIKKOR Z 24mm f/1.8 S, NIKKOR Z 26mm f/2.8, NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8, NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.2 S, NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.4 and NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.8 S. For DX cameras, try the NIKKOR Z DX 16‑50mm f/2.8 VR, NIKKOR Z DX 24mm f/1.7 and NIKKOR Z DX MC 35mm f/1.7.

The set-up

Night photography requires patience and precision. When you’re working with longer exposures, you’ll naturally take fewer images, so take some time to properly set up your camera on a sturdy tripod, compose carefully and choose your exposure settings to suit the scene.

As autofocus can sometimes struggle in very low light, be prepared to switch to manual focus if necessary. Magnifying the view on your camera’s display can help you focus on a bright star, distant light or another defined point, and make precise manual adjustments by slowly turning the focus ring until the star looks to be at its sharpest point. If your camera supports focus peaking or Starlight View, these features can also make focusing in the dark easier.

Night scenes can contain very different colour temperatures, from the yellow hue of streetlamps to the cooler tones of moonlight. With this in mind, it’s a good idea to experiment with your camera’s White Balance to help capture the scene’s mood more accurately or create different effects. For example, a cooler White Balance can enhance the ethereal feel of a moonlit landscape or starry sky. Also, capture your images in RAW to give yourself greater flexibility to fine tune the White Balance and colour in post.

Seven night scenes to master

1. The Milky Way

To capture the eternally enigmatic Milky Way, start with an ISO of around 3200 to 6400, adjusting according to your camera, lens and the weather conditions. Pair this with a wide aperture, ideally f/2.8 or wider, to capture as much light as possible. Your shutter speed should be long enough to gather plenty of light, but short enough to keep the stars sharp rather than turning them into trails. Around 8 to 20 seconds is a useful starting range, but the ideal exposure will depend on your focal length and camera.

For a more accurate guide, use the NPF rule, which estimates the longest shutter speed you can use before the stars begin to blur. It takes into account your focal length, aperture and camera sensor. You don’t need to calculate it manually: apps such as PhotoPills can work out the recommended exposure time for your specific Nikon camera and NIKKOR lens.

Read all about astrophotographer Angel Fux’s experience of capturing the Milky Way in Peru here.

2. Star trails 

Star trails capture the apparent movement of the night sky as the Earth rotates. You can create them with one long exposure, but stacking a sequence of shorter exposures in post gives you greater control, can help to reduce noise and makes it easier to remove frames spoiled by things such as satellites, airplanes or stray lights.

Set your camera on a sturdy tripod and start with a wide aperture, a moderate ISO and a shutter speed of around 20 to 30 seconds per frame. Take a few test images and adjust your exposure to suit the conditions. Then use Interval Timer Shooting to capture a sequence automatically, with as little time between the frames as possible. At 30 seconds per frame, around 120 images will give you roughly one hour of exposure time – perfect for shorter, subtler trails, while doubling or quadrupling this number will create increasingly dramatic trails.

Where you point the camera also changes the effect. In the Northern Hemisphere, compose towards Polaris for classic circular trails or towards the celestial equator (the imaginary line across the sky directly above the Earth’s equator) for longer, more sweeping ones. Apps such as PhotoPills can help you locate both and also preview how your trails will look before you start.

3. Moody street scenes

Nothing says ‘moody’ quite as well as a night street scene besieged by atmospheric conditions such as mist, fog, rain or snow. Diffused streetlights and pools of light can add layers of depth, mystery and story.

For a static scene, set your camera on a tripod, use a low ISO and choose an aperture of around f/5.6 to f/8. Adjust your shutter speed to suit the available light. Watch out for bright streetlights and illuminated signs, as these can easily lose highlight detail. If you’re capturing handheld or want to freeze people moving through the scene, open the aperture wider and increase the ISO so that you can use a faster shutter speed.

Get even more creative in the city at night with these top tips.

4. Northern lights

As beautiful as they are fleeting, the northern lights are one of the most elusive subjects in night photography. If you are fortunate enough to witness them, start with a wide aperture of around f/1.2 to f/2.8, an ISO of 1600 to 6400 and a shutter speed of roughly 2 to 20 seconds, but adjust these as the display changes.

Generally speaking, for a fainter, slower-moving aurora, opt for a longer exposure. For brighter, faster-moving displays, use a shorter shutter speed to preserve the lights’ shape and detail. Preparation is key, so check the Kp index before heading out. This measures geomagnetic activity and can give you an indication of how strong and widespread the aurora may be. Then give the lights plenty of space to move through your frame.

For more on photographing the northern lights check out this article, plus this guide.

5. Light trails 

Capturing light trails of moving vehicles can add energy and movement to a night scene. Start with a long exposure of around 15 to 30 seconds, a starting aperture of around f/8 and a low ISO, then adjust your settings depending on the available light and speed of the traffic. A tripod is essential here. Before you begin, try focusing manually on a fixed point in the scene.

Look for roads, bends and junctions to create strong leading lines through the frame, and position yourself somewhere safe with a clear view of the traffic. Elevated points, such as bridges or rooftops, can offer great vantage points. Experiment with different shutter speeds, too. Shorter exposures create brighter, more defined streaks, while longer ones allow the trails to sweep further through the scene.

Discover our advanced guide on mastering light trails right here.

6. Painting with light

You can also use this same technique and settings to ‘paint with light’. Simply compose your scene on a tripod, starting with a shutter speed of around 15 to 30 seconds, an aperture between f/5.6 and f11 and a low ISO. Then trigger the shutter remotely, using the SnapBridge app or the self-timer to avoid shake. Next, move into the frame and use a torch, LED or coloured light source to draw patterns in the air while facing the camera. Keep moving while you work and wear dark clothing to reduce the chance of appearing in the final image.

7. Moonlit landscapes

Moonlight can truly transform even the most familiar of landscapes, but balancing a bright moon with a much darker foreground can be tricky. If the moon is lighting the scene rather than appearing prominently in the frame, start with a low to moderate ISO, an aperture of around f/4 to f/8 and a shutter speed of several seconds. Then adjust your settings according to the brightness of the moonlight. If you want to make the moon a stronger feature of the image, switch to a telephoto lens to make it appear larger in the frame, while a wide-angle lens will keep it smaller and place more emphasis on the landscape.

If you want to retain detail in the moon, you may need to bracket your exposures or capture the moon and foreground separately, as exposing for the landscape can easily cause the moon to lose detail. You’ll also need a much shorter shutter speed to keep it sharp.

Clear skies and a bright moon can provide plenty of natural illumination, while a moon that is lower in the sky can create longer, more dramatic shadows and add texture to the landscape.

Want even more know-how on taking great pictures of the moon? Just click here.