Capture Better Night Time Holiday Shots With Samsung

Image by David Clapp

Next time you're heading out for an evening meal or a just an evening out taking in the sights and sounds of your destination on holiday, make sure you have your camera with you as the night time can provide some excellent photographic opportunities. 

Don't forget about your composition

When photographing surroundings and your family in a new destination you can feel rushed into snapping images which you'll get home and regret you didn't take more time to get the shot to look right. Look at the background of your shot and the surrounding area. Will the shot look better if you include more of the surroundings with a wider lens or will zooming into a tighter crop work better? Locals milling around in the background can add to a shot but beware that wandering tourists have a tendency to step into the image at the wrong time so be patient and take several shots to choose from later. 

Think about your exposure

When the sun goes down the light changes in two ways; firstly the exposure time required increases and secondly the colour of the light becomes warmer. Let's first look at the exposure. In low light the shutter speed that's necessary to ensure a good exposure will usually be too long to avoid camera shake when hand holding the camera. Using a tripod enables you to shoot at these long exposure times of between 1/15sec and several seconds or even minutes. If you don't have a tripod you can usually find a wall, lamppost or tree to support the camera, which can help considerably. Or you can try switching to a higher ISO as most cameras now cope well in the higher ranges. This means that in low light situations, such as shooting your holiday surroundings in the evening, you can achieve images with minimal noise or blurring. If you want to be in the images too it might be an idea to set the camera on a tripod or wide all and use the auto times as not only will this allow you to also be in the images, it'll get rid of any camera shake caused by pressing the trigger, too. 

Take care of your kit

If we're being honest, it's probably best to save the balancing the camera on a wall trick for when it's quiet. Sometimes when on holiday it can get crowded and if you're in any doubt towards the safety of yourself, your family or your kit while photographing, find another place to photograph. Always keep your camera around your neck or safely tucked away in its bag when not in use and wrap your foot around the strap/keep it on the table when sitting down. 

What to capture

If you're heading somewhere hot this summer, take a walk around your resort town if it's safe to do so. Spanish, French and Italian towns have a quaint charm that can make for some excellent night time holiday images. Sometimes, popular destinations have an 'old district', head there for more traditional architecture and maybe even a feature piece such as a church or town hall to make a great background for your portraits.