Taking high-quality night photographs requires more than simply pointing a camera at the city lights. There are several important techniques, and these are some of the things I teach in my night photography workshops.
I cannot explain every camera setting in this article, but I would like to introduce one of the most important techniques: focusing.
When I photograph cityscapes at night, I usually use manual focus instead of autofocus. I carefully focus on my subject using my own eyes rather than letting the camera decide. For me, this is one of the most important steps in creating sharp and high-quality photographs.
Today’s cameras have very good autofocus, and it works well in many situations. It is especially useful for sports photography or moving subjects where speed is important.
However, night photography is different. Because the surroundings are dark, autofocus may not always focus on exactly the point you want. If your goal is simply to enjoy taking night photos, autofocus is often good enough. But if you want to create high-quality photographic work, learning how to use manual focus is a skill worth practicing.
There are also several other important camera settings that are unique to night photography. They are quite different from the settings used during the daytime when there is plenty of light.
Before autofocus became common, photographers had to focus every image with their own eyes and hands. I think this helped them understand photography more deeply.
Even today, I believe manual focus is an important technique for photographers who enjoy photographing cityscapes, architecture, and portraits. Together with the right camera settings, careful composition, and post-processing in Lightroom, it can help you create photographs with excellent image quality.
Of course, camera settings alone are not enough. Choosing the right location for your camera and finding the best angle are just as important. Sometimes moving your tripod only a few steps can completely change the final photograph.
