The Humble Street Light

I have actually got used to them now, but the new efficient LED street lights definitely have a calming affect on people. I am wondering if the local carnival will be affected by the new street lights? If you want to remember what the old pink and orange streets lights look like (photographs below), visit Ryde Seafront on the Isle of Wight before they change them... it is a much friendlier atmosphere. These photographs were taken at night with the Nikon D5200 on a mini-tripod resting on the sea wall. If you would like to know the actual camera settings you can see them on my Flickr photostream by clicking here.

Most of the photos were taken with around 1/4 of a second shutter speed and aperture at f5.6. You will find that if you increase the ISO to around 4000 at night, you can still use a reasonably fast shutter speed and not have to worry too much about camera shake. I experimented with the shots of Spinnaker Tower with longer shutter speeds and found the best results came at around 2 seconds exposure. I only had my 18-55mm lens with me and although it does not have much in the way of zooming in on far away objects, I find it very useful for framing a shot where wide angle is more of a priority. If your camera and/or lens has vibration reduction (VR) switch it on, otherwise use a tripod. And if you are lucky enough to have a built in light meter, that usually gives you some idea of the camera settings you will need for correct exposure, or is a good place to begin at least. As a general guide, nice bright shots can be achieved at night by upping your ISO, opening your aperture by using a smaller f stop number, and by decreasing your shutter speed.

Also watch the Youtube video embedded below for more inspirational and influential Inner Vision Photography ideas!


    Click the images to enlarge.               Copyrights © Matt Blythe 2014.