Night Photography Settings Guide: Capture Stunning Low-Light Images

Night photography opens creative possibilities impossible during daylight. From glittering cityscapes to star-filled skies, mastering low-light settings transforms your photography.

Essential Equipment

Before diving into settings, ensure you have:

1. Sturdy tripod - Essential for sharp long exposures
2. Remote shutter - Prevents camera shake
3. Fast lens - f/2.8 or wider preferred
4. Flashlight - For light painting and focusing

Recommended: Peak Design Travel Tripod - Compact yet stable

Understanding the Exposure Triangle at Night

ISO

At night, you’ll push ISO higher than during day:

Situation	ISO Range
City lights	800-3200
Moon-lit landscapes	1600-6400
Milky Way	3200-12800
Aurora	1600-6400

Higher ISO means more noise. Modern cameras handle ISO 3200+ remarkably well.

Aperture

For maximum light: Use your widest aperture (f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2.8)

For star points: f/2.8 to f/4 (too wide causes coma at corners)

For cityscapes: f/8 to f/11 (for depth of field and star-bursts from lights)

Shutter Speed

This depends entirely on your subject:

Subject	Shutter Speed
Handheld	1/focal length or faster
Cityscapes	1-30 seconds
Star trails	15-30+ minutes
Milky Way	500 Rule (see below)
Traffic trails	10-30 seconds

The 500 Rule for Stars

To avoid star trails when photographing the Milky Way:

Maximum shutter = 500 ÷ focal length

Examples:

• 24mm lens: 500 ÷ 24 = ~20 seconds
• 14mm lens: 500 ÷ 14 = ~35 seconds
• 50mm lens: 500 ÷ 50 = ~10 seconds

For APS-C sensors, use 333 instead of 500.

Specific Scenarios

City Skylines

Settings:

• ISO: 100-400
• Aperture: f/8-f/11
• Shutter: 10-30 seconds
• White balance: Tungsten or custom

Tips:

• Shoot during blue hour for best results
• Use f/11+ for starburst effects on lights
• Bracket exposures for HDR

Milky Way

Settings:

• ISO: 3200-6400
• Aperture: f/1.4-f/2.8
• Shutter: 15-25 seconds (500 rule)
• White balance: 3500-4500K

Tips:

• Scout locations during day
• Use apps to find Milky Way position
• Focus manually on a bright star
• Shoot during new moon

Light Trails

Settings:

• ISO: 100-400
• Aperture: f/8-f/16
• Shutter: 15-30 seconds
• White balance: Auto or tungsten

Tips:

• Choose locations with curves for dynamic trails
• Stack multiple exposures for more trails
• Use ND filter if ambient light is too bright

Moon Photography

Settings:

• ISO: 100-200
• Aperture: f/8-f/11
• Shutter: 1/125-1/250 (Looney 11 rule)
• White balance: Daylight

Looney 11 Rule: For a full moon, use f/11, ISO 100, and shutter = 1/ISO.

Focusing in the Dark

Autofocus struggles in low light. Solutions:

1. Focus on distant lights - Lock focus on bright point
2. Use live view zoom - Magnify and manual focus
3. Infinity mark - Set lens to infinity (verify with test shot)
4. Flashlight - Illuminate subject, focus, then turn off

Noise Reduction Strategies

In-Camera

• Long exposure NR (subtracts dark frame)
• High ISO NR (smooth shadows)

Post-Processing

• Luminance NR in Lightroom/Camera Raw
• Dedicated software (Topaz DeNoise AI)
• Stacking multiple exposures

Recommended Settings Quick Reference

Scenario	ISO	Aperture	Shutter
Blue hour cityscape	100	f/11	15-30s
Milky Way	3200	f/2.8	20s
Star trails	400	f/4	30min+
Traffic trails	100	f/11	20-30s
Full moon	100	f/11	1/125s
Aurora	1600	f/2.8	5-15s

Practice Exercises

1. Blue hour cityscape - Capture a city during the 30 minutes after sunset
2. Light trail composite - Stack 5 exposures of traffic
3. Star point focus - Practice achieving perfect focus on stars
4. Moon composite - Blend properly exposed moon with landscape

Conclusion

Night photography rewards patience and practice. Start with cityscapes where feedback is immediate, then progress to more challenging subjects like the Milky Way.

Essential gear: A sturdy tripod makes all the difference.

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Questions about night photography? Drop a comment below!