Tops tips: night photography

Keep steady Always use a tripod or bean bag: low light requires long exposures that will make hand-held photography impossible. Hands-free For the same reason as above, use a cable release to avoid jogging the camera and blurring your shots. Experiment Try out different shutter speed/aperture combinations to control the effects of moving objects. You can get some very interesting and unusual effects. Keep at it Be patient and be prepared to experiment: low light might result in the unexpected. Paint with light Using a hand held light source such as a small torch, or multiple flashes and a very long shutter speed say, 30 seconds, you can get some very interesting things happening. Think about using the colour shift from street lighting or neon signs for creative effect. Take a friend When you're out at night, it's always much better to take a friend along with you for added security and as a possible model. Remember it's dark out ... So take some sort of torch so you can see what you're doing. A head-torch is ideal for changing camera settings in the dark. They're inexpensive and available from any camping shop. Be safe, be seen Wear high visability or cycling vest to make yourself visible to traffic. You don't want to get hit. And finally ... Wrap up warm, take a flask: some of this takes time!