How do you take a decent nighttime picture?

Question

How do you take a good picture at night (of the stars, moon, etc...)

Also, are there any cameras that are specifically good for this?

Answer one part, both parts, whatever you know helps. Thanks!

Answer 1

you will need a camera that will allow you to control the shutter. the longer you can leave the shutter open the better your photos will be . the reason is that you need to let more light into the camera since it is so dark out

Answer 2

SLR's are better for this because they give you more control of your camera settings.  Use a tripod and a trigger.  Motion can be caused by something as simple as you pressing the button on the camera.  Manual settings are best for varied effects.  Best bet is to break out the instruction booklet that came with your camera because all cameras are slightly different.  And if you have the time and passion for it, perhaps consider taking a photography class at your local community college to get more familiar with your camera and its abilities.

Answer 3

The only thing I want to add to the excellent answers is that many night shots (especially stuff like cityscapes and the like) are actually taken during twilight, while there is still a little bit of light in the sky. A pure black sky is usually a boring background. You can easily apply this to photographing the moon, and get a nice exposure with blue and other colors complementing and adding interest to the moon. Hopefully, you'll add some foreground interest, too, like a silhouetted cactus, or the tops of a tree line or something of the sort.

Answer 4

The best kind of cameras for night photography would be an SLR.  You want it to be adjustable and have a lens that lets in more light than a tiny point and shoot.

When you photograph the moon and stars, you need to keep a few things in mind.  First, a camera wants to average the scene and give you the equivalent to an 18% gray scene.  Night scenes are darker than that, so you will need to do your settings keeping it dark.  The moon is an exception.  It's on a dark background, but it's actually quite bright.  Just keep in mind the moon is actually a sunlit scene.

Also keep in mind the moon and stars move fairly quickly across the sky, so you wouldn't use a long shutter speed, unless you want to make star trails by deliberately blurring them.

It's best to have a tripod in any case.  Keep your ISO low, so you won't have too much noise in your image.  Stay in an area that doesn't have a lot of ambient light from streetlights, car headlights, porch lights, etc.  That can mess up your exposure.  Experiment with different settings until you get something you like.  

The type of lens will depend on what you want.  For just the moon, a telephoto is good.  You can use a fish-eye or other wide angle for a wide starry scene.  Really, any lens can get a good night scene picture.

Answer 5

there are settings on certain digital cameras where u can choose a background that gives u the flash for certain place settings of where ur taking pictures. there should be one for nighttime