You might have read my article on buying a good digital camera and here are two tips for taking photographs at nights, if at all you forget your tripod.
How to check whether you will able to take pictures without shake??
There is something called as shutter speed in camera which decides the of time for shutter to allow light to enter. In low light condition the shutter speed go very low to allow maximum amount of light to enter. This makes camera highly sensitive and small shake will give highly blurred images.
Shutter speed is displayed in the camera as 1/60 or 1/120 or 1/30 or 1/15 …etc etc … (1/60 means 1/60th of a second ). You can see it on your camera LCD. If the shutter speed go below 1/60 i.e ( 1/45 or 1/30 etc) you really need to try hard to prevent camera shake.
Some cameras show shutter speed directly on your camera LCD but some need the picture button to be pressed half ( So that the camera checks the focus to decide the speed ). Once you find out that shutter speed is going less than 1/60, try these :-
1. Use the 2sec Timer
Most of us might have always wondered what the use of a 2 sec timer. Most of the people might not have used it till now . Well !! the main use of this 2 sec timer comes when you take the snaps in low light where camera shake is possible while taking the pressing the picture button. Hence set the camera for 2 sec timer, press the picture button and hold the camera still for 2 secs till the picture is taken . Try to rest your hands on some stable surface to prevent further shake.
2. Try to keep the camera at still surface
If you can find any still surface for example park bench, wide railings etc try to keep it there , and use the timer to take the photograph.
3. Switch to ISO400 or ISO200 and try Using the Continuous picture mode
Don’t switch to more than ISO 400 as photos will be very very grainy and will be of no use .Continuous mode allow camera to take pictures till the picture button is pressed. You can take 15-20 pictures like this and can finally rely that one picture might have come proper. Use this when top two fails as this method will fill your memory card very fast.
Read more about using continuous mode for taking photograph at night.
I always use number 3. And use small f-stops with a tripod will help too.
yeah continous mode is a good option. But selecting the best picture amongst 10-15 pictures sometimes is a hefty task. Also, it will limit the amount of photos you can take , unless you have high memory card.
these are some great tips for us camera users. In the dark i do attempt to keep it still, however i find that my camera is a little weak …
I think the first tip is good for any ocassion. The 2 seconds is necessary to stabilize the camera holding position.
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Hi,Tell us the model. It might be referring to the lock on a door. Make sure the memory card is inserted firmly and all that.
Any photography tips on developing confidence to take shots of public areas?
There are several model cameras that are in the Casio Exilim line. I could not look up the specs to find out what functions it has. Can you change the ISO, shutter speed, aperture? How manual can you make it? How much surface area does your sensor have?
I have the same kind of camera, and I wanted to take pictures of fireworks & family at nighttime on the 4th. I tried to switch the settings to twilight portrait, and the automatic adjuster.
You have already discovered one of the tricks your brain plays on you, and that is white light is very rarely white, which is one reason you have a white balance on most digital cameras.