Night Photography in Manchester

I like night photography. I have already given one example which also had a dramatic subject, a fire-breather, but the photo on the right is the type of photo that you normally associate with night photography. It was taken from Bridge Street Manchester towards the Cathedral. I didn't know at the time what I was photographing, but I have now been around the building on the Google street view and it is an apartment block.

It makes sense to take photos just after sunset so you get something in the sky but the lights are on and they dominate the picture. You will also know that if you are going to rely on ambient light then either the shutter speed will be slow, or the aperture wide, or both. If the aperture is wide then the depth of focus becomes smaller, and if you want something in focus then you have to rely on slow shutter speeds for this type of photography. Now slow shutter speeds mean camera shake so this is where your tripod comes in. I didn't have a tripod with me so I simply placed my camera on the bridge. It was quite safe. It wasn't windy and wasn't going to blow into the Irwell. There are a lot of places where you can place your camera if you look for them.

If you have the option do put the timer on. My camera has options of 2 or 10 seconds. The latter gives you chance to get in the picture. If you use the 2 second option you get no camera shake at all because you aren't holding it. You aren't even pressing the shutter release. It is a very simple technique and if your camera does not allow you to do this then it may be worth upgrading.

Happy snapping