The time of day before the velvet night sets in and after the sunset is a great time for photographers. Capture the amazing scenery of light at amusement parks or illumination of the city with your camera. This article will tell you how a professional photographer would use the EOS 100D, a DSLR camera with great low-light capability and tonal expression. Learn the techniques for fine shots of nightscapes. (Reported by: Yurika Kadoi)

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EF-S10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM/ FL: 22mm/ Manual exposure (5 sec., f/11)/ ISO 100/ WB: Auto

Attractions at an amusement park are captured at a slow shutter speed. I adjusted the speed and selected a long exposure time to create multiple trails of light in the image.

Technique 1: Expressing Light Trails with a Slow Shutter Speed

Predict movements to capture light trails

With a tripod, you can set a long exposure time to create amazing effects that are not visible to our eyes. One such example is light trails captured with a slow shutter speed. The headlights of cars and other moving lights leave trails, while those of buildings stay still, creating an interesting world which only night photography can offer. An important point is to decide when to release the shutter. You should compose the shot beforehand by considering how the sources of the light trails would move, and the shutter must be released at the moment they reach the predetermined point. The shutter speed needs to be fine-tuned according to the movement of the subject, so you are recommended to try several speeds before deciding on the one to use.

Preventing Camera Shake with Tripod and Remote Switch

Challenge manual exposure

After familiarizing yourself with the operation of the EOS 100D, you are encouraged to take up the challenge of photographing nightscapes. Many people seem to think that capturing night shots is not an easy task. In fact, it is not as difficult as you may think once you have grasped the key points. Before shooting, have a tripod and remote switch ready so that you can steady your camera and release the shutter gently without causing camera shake. The EOS 100D offers the [Handheld Night Scene] mode, which does not require a tripod. However, in order to capture scenes beautifully with little noise, you are advised to have a tripod and a remote switch ready. Another point is to check the shooting location before it gets dark. The recommended settings for the camera are the Aperture-priority AE mode and manual exposure. Users tend to avoid using manual exposure as they find it difficult to handle. However, this exposure mode is ideal for nightscapes as there is little fluctuation in the surrounding brightness at night. If you are using a tripod, use ISO 100 or 200 and an aperture setting of f/8 as the basis, and adjust the exposure level by tweaking the shutter speed.

Technique 2: Emphasizing Night Views with the [16:9] Aspect Ratio

EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM/ FL: 24mm/ Manual exposure (6 sec., f/8)/ ISO 200/ WB: Auto

For this distant view of Yokohama, I selected the aspect ratio of [16:9] to crop away a part of the dark heavy sky on top, thereby stressing the night view and the couple.

Cropping the dark sky

After sunset, the sky becomes very dark. Avoid having the dark sky occupy a large part of the composition, as doing so can cause the colourful atmosphere of the night view to be compromised. An effective method in this case is to change the aspect ratio. For a horizontally-oriented image, selecting [16:9] crops away a part of the indistinct sky at the top and the dark ground at the bottom. The top and bottom parts are masked on the Live View image, allowing you to check the composition before taking a shot.

Technique 3: [Daylight] white balance adds a warm touch

Try different white balance settings

The impression of a night photo can be controlled by adjusting the colour tone. To reproduce the actual colours faithfully, select the [Auto] white balance option. However, if your intention is to express the atmosphere of the place, try using a different white balance setting. Choosing [Daylight] enhances the orange tone and adds warmth to the image, while [Tungsten light] is recommended if you want to emphasize the cool ambience of blue and white tones.