When night falls a raw, gritty world is revealed. Master photographers from Brassaï to Daidō Moriyama have been drawn to the mystery and drama of the nocturnal landscape. Although, shooting street photography at night is a very different experience from shooting during the day.
When shooting at night, I usually head out around 11pm. But there some points to consider before heading out to shooting at night.
- There is an element of danger. Go out with someone to watch your back or hang with another photographer. People also seem more amenable to being photographed when there are two photographers.
- Travel light. Don’t carry a bag. Use a camera wrist strap to keep things small and tight. Also, don’t forget an extra camera battery and extra batteries for your flash.
- Don’t carry anything or dress in anyway to attract attention. Don’t wear clothing with graphics or logos on them.
- Remember to wear a good pair of shoes. You may be walking a lot!
- Carry some business cards. You never know when you might sell a print of someone you just photographed. My card has minimal personal information — only my name and my street photography website, which has a contact form.
Cameras
The equipment I use are the Sony a7C Camera, 28mm f/2 E-Mount Lens, and a Sony HVL-F20M External Flash. I also like to shoot with my Ricoh GRIII, with a Pentax AF201FG P-TTL flash.
I shoot with the 28mm lens mainly because it’s traditionally used by many street photographers, and it’s what I started out with using the Ricoh GR system. A 28mm lens has more depth of field so your photos are sharp and in-focus. Plus, an added benefit is that at 28mm it makes me get closer to the subject.
Try using the flash, hand-held, to gain control over where the light is coming from. Play around with this to get more dramatic light then you would have with a straight-on flash attached to the camera.
Camera Settings
The key is shutter speed. For any kind of street photography, day or night, your shutter speed needs to be fast enough to capture and freeze motion.
Without Flash
In average dark conditions, start with setting shutter speed to 1/500, aperture at f/2.8, and ISO 2500. In urban areas where I wander at night, there is plenty of ambient light to shoot without a flash. Crank up the ISO, 3500 or higher, this will add grain to give your images a dramatic gritty feel. Many times, I will stake out a spot where the light is good and wait for the actors to step onto my stage.
With Flash
I mainly use flash for close-up street portraiture but I don’t want things to be blown-out. Dial down the flash compensation to less flash output. A place to start for settings while using a flash is shutter speed 1/60, aperture f/3.5, ISO 100. On a typical night I shoot about half with flash and without flash. Using a flash can be quite startling to people, so I typically will ask permission. Try using the flash, hand-held, to gain control over where the light is coming from.
Exert Yourself
The images I have selected for this article reflect several ways of shooting — from close-up street portraiture with flash to big scenes with plenty of action. Don’t be afraid to experiment. I tend to try many different things on any given night.
Give emotional immediacy to images by letting imperfections happen. Blur, light traces, and darkness will reinforce the nighttime realism.
As for your demeanor in the street, play around with two opposite extremes — being a ghost or being a personable, talkative extrovert. I live in Nashville and the late night downtown honky-tonk-party-zone is a gold mine of street shooting. Around midnight, people have loosened up and are more amenable to having their picture taken. Many times, when they will see me with a camera they will yell, “Paparazzi! Take our picture!”
Things to Look for Street Photography at Night:
- Neon lights
- Chaotic action
- Figures in silhouettes
- Reflections
- Interesting weather conditions
- Compelling faces
Safety
Always be aware of your surroundings. Don’t wander into any dead ends or engage with unbalanced people. I travel with a buddy who acts as my bodyguard and, more importantly, is an excellent spotter.
Happy nocturnal shooting!
