How to Take Better Nighttime Photographs

As a portrait photographer, nighttime can really be a pain to work in. The low light conditions push your gear as well as your creativity to their limits. However, when done correctly, you can get some amazing results even in the dark of night. Professional photographer Ben from Bach Photography demonstrates how you can easily improve your night photography right away using an affordable constant light source:

Ben uses the Yongnuo YN300 constant light, which is actually a video light, as his light source for his portrait shoot. The portable design and the fact that it’s a powerful light make it ideal for lighting subjects in portraits. Let’s be real. The amount of light that’s available during nighttime is in no way sufficient to create good photographs. It’s therefore a great idea to be able to add and move the light around using a portable source.

“One of the things that I really try to do when shooting at night time is not to use the light to overpower any of the natural light that’s going on in the background.”

If you’ve been having trouble getting good results when shooting at nighttime, do not shy away from adding your own light. As Ben demonstrates, just make sure that the light blends in really well with the environment. Otherwise, the image will come out looking unnatural.

Like This Article?

Don't Miss The Next One!

Join over 100,000 photographers of all experience levels who receive our free photography tips and articles to stay current: