night photo with people and background with D40 Nikon

[roslee7]

last weekend, i took this shoot at esplanade but i am using auto night mode setting on my D40 nikon DSLR camera. I didnt use a tripod coz i did not bring on that day. Can any expert here, advice me how to take a good picture like this? photos of people with the background? I think the picture is overexpose but i am not sure.

http://skitch.com/roslee7/n86gj/dsc-0025

And i have another photo....its a bit blur coz without tripod but i use the auto snapshot mode. can anyone tell me to use shutter or manual mode?
i wanna try and do some research again on this weekend.

http://skitch.com/roslee7/n86g1/dsc-0035

 

[blazer_workz]

last weekend, i took this shoot at esplanade but i am using auto night mode setting on my D40 nikon DSLR camera. I didnt use a tripod coz i did not bring on that day. Can any expert here, advice me how to take a good picture like this? photos of people with the background? I think the picture is overexpose but i am not sure.

http://skitch.com/roslee7/n86gj/dsc-0025

And i have another photo....its a bit blur coz without tripod but i use the auto snapshot mode. can anyone tell me to use shutter or manual mode?
i wanna try and do some research again on this weekend.

http://skitch.com/roslee7/n86g1/dsc-0035

u need a tripod for shots like these..or a fast lens with clean hi-ISO..

for the first shot use of flash is advisable..

2nd shot is blur due to handshake..can try and find temporary supports like trash bins..

Do search the internet to learn more abt relation between aperture, shutter speed and ISO..

 

[kodkod32]

Hi Roslee,

Im a D40 user too and no expert. It would really help to bring a tripod during your nite shoot. If you don't there are some way to improvise. try this

If no tripod???
-Use the lamp post, bench,wall, barrier, railing etc (ensure it is firm) Even your friend shoulder

-Increase your ISO setting. but in P,M,A,S mode only. Auto or scene mode got no control over ISO,manual Flash, etc...Camera is in control.

SOOooooooo Take control my friend!

-If in Manual mode- if no tripod. Increase your ISO to as high as you can bear (1600 would be grainy) perhaps 800. Adjust your shutter speed according to your exposure indicate by your viewfinder's meter. for landscape i would use a smaller aperture (e.g f8 onwards) and for portrait or group pictures i would use lower aperture setting in your D40 18-55mm lens its f3.5 etc........

-Or to keep it simple... just use S mode or Shutter Priorty mode...Just adjust the shutter speed and let the camera worrying about the aperture. In most night scene , the shutter speed would go really low and therefore , a tripod or support would help.

-Using your camera in built flash... thats another way to light up (or paint ) your group picture. Do understand your flash is only good for 4-5metre range. so anything behind the subject would be dark. pending on your shutter speed adjustment.

D40 is quite a smart camera i must say...brilliant colour and user friendly features. but they do have limitations. In the mean time enjoy exploring the camera. try this page.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/NikonD40/page6.asp

Happy shooting!

 

[roslee7]

so when i take a photos of few people and background in the night, i have to on the flash> and what setting

 

[Daoyin]

so when i take a photos of few people and background in the night, i have to on the flash> and what setting

In your D40 flash setting, there is a "slow sync" option. Select this and shoot with aperture mode.

 

[hyori]

In your D40 flash setting, there is a "slow sync" option. Select this and shoot with aperture mode.

wad bout canon?

 

[ianhyk]

In your D40 flash setting, there is a "slow sync" option. Select this and shoot with aperture mode.

I think second curtain flash would help too.. to reduce subject blur..

 

[pooQy]

using flash may render the background darker than the foreground subjects.

If you're using the manual mode, set exposure for the background. Then use the builtin flash to light up the foreground subjects (people). It works better this way.

 

[Simon_84]

TS using the kit lens of d40 ?

for starters, use the P mode at iso 400 or 800, set Fn shortcut button to iso function.
P mode will set aperture to f3.5 at 18mm wide, shutter speed is decided by the cam.

 

[allenleonhart]

erm. hello? first one is handshake blur i can understand. but second one is out of focus. seriously second one is focused on the railings. take a closer look ~.~

night photos i made a few rules for myself. u follow them u shld be able to get decent shots. irregardless of wad camera u use.

rule 1: got tripod use tripod. no tripod use support.

rule 2: flash if ur taking ppl. u can manually offset the heavy white flash by underexposing the image, so that when u flash it is exposed properly. we call this flash compensation.another reason for using flash is tat it freezes the initial action of the ppl. stronger light ur camera senses it faster. go figure out ~.~

rule3: manual focus. all auto focus screws up at night. ur focusing algorithm is based on the amt of light it receives. u will find it easier to focus in bright day light and loads of seeking in the dark. switch to manual focus. (tats y ur second pic out of focus as the camera probably auto focused on the railing due to more light being reflected hence greater details)

rule4: taking ppl, use a shutter speed of 1/60-1/80. this is proven to reduce handshakes most. amd i'm assuming here u know the reciprocal relationship between iso shutter and aperture ~.~

rule5: taking backgrounds,scenery , use smaller aperture like f/8 or even f/32. use a tripod for this as u probably will have shutter speeds of abt 30 secs. i usually use up to a minute btw.

rule6: use the lowest iso u can afford. at all times.

follow them u shldnt screw up ur photos. unless u specifically want certain effects. remember. rules are meant to be broken. its just a simple guide for taking most photos.

hope it helps

ps: i realised there might be a need for further explaination why ur background is darker.

imagine this. ur background provides a little light as compared to the ppl. ur ppl are closer to camera. u got flash. flashlight hits ppl, reflects to camera. flash does not go to ur background.
what this results is

ppl with flash= more light reflected abt the ppl into the camera
background= lesser light into camera

now u know ~.~

reply to pooQy's post

if ur gonna expose the background ur gonna have probably shutter speeds of 1/10? maybe even slower. add a flash in the ppl becomes overexposed. night photography doesnt work this way ~.~

hope this helps