STREET PHOTOGRAPHY AT NIGHT: 3 TIPS FOR STREET PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE DARK

Night is my favorite time to do street photography at night. Cityscapes are illuminated with a myriad of interesting and colorful light sources, such as street lamps, neon signs, shop windows, car lights and outdoor bulbs. People wear their favorite clothes. The milder scenes, if taken during the day, can suddenly turn into disturbing or fascinating scenes at night.

Here are 10 tips for doing street photography at night, which might make you decide to start your next photography session at dusk, rather than ending it.

Before starting, however, I recommend you take a look at our guide to street photography, an article in which we have gathered all our experience, from the equipment to buy to the best techniques for an impactful street photography.

To block movement during the day, I prefer to use a shutter speed of 1 / 320s, with 1 / 160s as the maximum allowed lower threshold.

At night, this changes. In brighter areas, you will be able to photograph at 1 / 250s, but more often than not it will be better to use a shutter speed halfway between 1 / 160s and 1 / 60s. To do this, you need to have: steady hands, a wide angle focal length and be able to stand completely still for freehand photography with a speed of about 1 / 60s. With a little practice it can be done.

A wide angle is strictly necessary for this type of photography, because the greater the focal length, With a 28mm or 35mm lens (up to 50mm) it becomes much easier to photograph handheld with slower shutter speeds.

It will also help to use a fixed focal length lens, such as a 35mm f / 2 lens. You can shoot at f / 4 in brighter areas, but being able to shoot at f / 2.8, f / 2, or even f / 1.8 greatly increases your opportunities.