How to take AWESOME night photos WITHOUT a tripod

Step 3 Pick your ponies, and brag to the local photo developer

Load all the images into your computer, and start looking at them one at a time. If it is blurry, get rid of it. Throw it out NOW.

This alone should pare your 300 photos down to about 50-100 photos.

Next, go through the photos zoomed in a little (NOT zoomed in at pixel level though) and look for only "The Best" ones. In other words, if you don't say "wow!" when you look at the photo because it is still a tiny bit blurry, or it is too dark or something, then get rid of it.

This second culling by saving only the best photos will further reduce your pool to probably 20-50 photos.

Now, look at these remaining pictures one at a time, and pick your top few pics, throwing the others out.

After you do this, then look at the "info" part on each photo and rename the pictures to the settings for ISO and shutter speed, just like I have done with all the photos for this instructable.

Now, all that is left to do, is burn these pics to a disc and run around your neigborhood getting reprints made at any local photo counters and compare the results. I took my pics to a high-end camera store in my city that prints photos called Rockbrook Photo, Wal-Mart, Target and Walgreens and made 8x10s of all 4 of my favorite photos. The prices ranged from $5.99 at the fancy camera shop to $2.50 at Walgreens. Results: #1 is Walgreens, a close #2 is Wal-Mart, and nobody believed me when I told them I shot the night pictures on a digital camera without a tripod.

Now because of this experiment I now know exactly what settings to use on my camera next time I see a great night shot. But REMEMBER: with these settings you still have to use continuous shutter mode and be sure to take a good 5-15 shots at this setting because most of them will be blurry, but not all of them.

Now go forth tonight, take pictures of your boring-old skyline, and then make the counter people drool at your local photomats when you tell them you shot those beautiful night shots with your normal digital camera without a tripod. AND, vote for this instructable so I can win the laser-carver thingee! AND AND, post your cool night-pics as a comment to this instructable so I can justify to my family that the time I am spending making instructables is making a difference in people's lives, albeit, unknown stranger-people that are also shunning their family.

(sample photo set at 400 ISO and 1/10 of a second, no tripod)

Comments

[thesparine]

Hi, here is a quick follow up... I went to China and took a few night photos using this technique. The first two pictures are without a tripod, and the third one is with a tripod, and to me they look the same, especially when printed out.

[mareksokal]

advantages to tripod: you can leave your shutter open as long as you like... just sayin! 

[swklee]

Thanks..this is great.I'm using a canon A400 for making reports,and since I'm having it all alone,might as well learn to make full use of it.There's so much setting and for me I can't understand much of it. This sure brightens up my day....oh...my nights haha..

[Velotrash Industries]

excellent stuff.

[rcalmeida]

Dude thank you so much for this Instructable! As photohontis said, the "real talk" just worked great. I hope you win that laser thing!

[photohontis]

I enjoyed reading your "instructable". Thank you for using real talk so I could understand what you were talking about. I will put your advice to good use!!!

[hooaww555]

great instructable - I liked it better than the pictures. It definitely inspired me to grab my camera and run outside and take pictures, darnit it's daylight outside.

[TriadX1]

Good instructable. I have used a similar technique and have good luck. BTW, I assume your are in Omaha. I am in Omaha too...

[cybergaar]

Great Instructable. Could pass for 35mm. Hope you win the laser cutter thingie!

[thesparine]

Thanks man. I hope I win it too!