Night Photography

Snowy Night
Originally uploaded by MichSt.

Night is a great time to go out shooting if you can brave it. One local who seems particularly adept at the stuff is Mario Q, aka MichSt on Flickr. Digital cameras are great for night photography because they don't have the exposure problems film does with long shutter speeds. One thing you have to watch out for is added noise, or speckled grain, in the photo when taking a long exposure. Winter is great for night photography too because of the way the snow reflects light, providing for a nice division between ground and sky.

Advice for newbies to night photography? Get some gloves, a tripod, some extra batteries (the cold kills 'em) and let 'er rip. Use the self-timer to avoid camera shake if you can, and take a couple exposures for each shot. What looks great in camera may not when you get indoors. And trust me, when you get back inside you won't want to go out again.