Taking Photo's at night around the camp sight with a Cannon SLR

You have to use a tripod. Set camera on 'P' program and play with ISO 400 200 or 800 don't use 1600 because it reduces photo quality. If you do not have a tripod set camera on something stable at the right height. The manual is very helpful, just practice.
Robert

Hi Greendog

I agree, as I have a 550D as well, and for such a photo you need a Tripod, with ISO setting at 400 or 800, no higher. The 18 - 135 mm lens sounds okay for the photo, though I have invested in five different lenses so far, and a great Manfrotto Tripod which really helps for stability.

Cheers

Hey Greendog

You will definitely require a tripod. As suggested you can set the camera to P and let it do its thing.

It just depends on what effect you are after for the photo.

For the fire the higher the ISO the faster the shutter speed will be (in P), and hence the crisper/sharper the flames will be. A lower ISO (in P) will result in a softer more flowing image.

For the fire you can use TV mode (shutter priority) to experiment with your photos by changing the shutter speed and looking at the different results achieved.

For you camp picture I would aim for a long exposure again by selecting a long shutter speed 5 seconds or longer ( as long as their isn't a lot of movement in the camp) this will give you a nice clear image and allow the camera to draw in all available light.

With photography their is about 10 different ways of achieving similar results and every one has different preferences, just experiment and have fun with it.

The three settings to get your head around are;

ISO (sensitivity to light) the lower the number (100) the better quality the image will be. A higher number will allow a higher shutter speed/smaller apertures but the photos will be noisier/grainier.

Shutter speed, allows you to control movement, a fast shutter speed will capture moving objects and freeze them with all detail, as slow one will allow some blur and softening of the image as well as movement within the picture (useful for nice effects with water falls etc).


Aperture: this essentially controls depth of field or how much is in focus. A higher number (smaller aperture) such as f22 will allow every thing in the photo to be in focus. A larger aperture (Smaller number f3.5, - f5.6) will allow the subject in the foreground to be in focus and every thing else to be blurry (good for portraits or when the background isn't the best)

This is just some general info for you as stated their are many ways to achieve the results you are after. Once you get your head around it you will know what to do to get what you want.

Also keep an eye on what the camera does in P mode as you will then get a feel for the settings required for different light etc.


Regards

Jason.

Greendog,

As already said, you really need a tripod and preferably a cable shutter release (or use the time delayed shutter) to achieve the stability you need for night shots. Any digital camera will produce a noisy picture at high speed (ASA) settings, so I prefer a long time exposure at no more than 200 ASA. I find a combination of available light plus flash works well. The first picture below uses only firelight, and points to a problem that often emerges - your subjects MUST remain still and MUST NOT have a torch! The second image uses mainly firelight but with flash. Both were taken at 400 ASA, f2.8 for 8 seconds using a Panasonic FZ50.

Image Could Not Be Found

Image Could Not Be Found


Suggest lots of experimenting - thanks to digital cameras it's no longer expensive to simply play.

Cheers

John

Howdy Greendog, experiment, experiment, experiment. There is no perfect settings for these type of pics, just try and see.

Cheers

Check out the photo by Mick O in this thread ......classic

Thread 82176

Greendog,

As others have said use a tripod and play with the ISO. I'd also suggest a remote control cable as it reduces camera shake. It is possible to get one quite cheaply. I use one for instances where the aperture will be open for longer than normal.

I think Canon's are good cameras. I had a a film version SLR and used the lenses from it on my digital version. (Actually I still have it.)

Enjoy.

Cheers,
Di

Thank you every one for replying to my post,ive hardly put the camera down since iv brought it,sounds like im going to have alot of fun learning to get those perfect shots.thanks again cheers GD

Greendog,

You have received some good advice and have also got yourself a good camera.

Just a couple of things that I have found when using my Canon SLR.
When taking shots around the camp fire at night is to set the camera to "Flash Off".

The other thing that I do is when I am taking photos of landscapes is to set the camera to A-DEP. This will keep the foreground in focus as well as the background.

Wayne

For night time shots, i go wild and switch to the scary M setting :) In many cases, a second or two either way doesn't affect the shot, and with a remote control, tripod, locking the ISO and setting the shutter speed to B (bulb) it is much easier to capture a dozen shots with various settings.

I noticed an interesting photo in Kerry W's Blog which shows another effect obtained from the humble campfire:



Don't be afraid to experiment by holding something black (or possibly your hand) in front of the lense to hide obvious bright sections eg campfire then removing it before the exposure is finished. This may help to obtain a better overall exposure in the scene.

Hope to see some great night time shots in your blog soon GD :)

Andrew