Lowlight Landscapes

From dull, overcast days to moonlit nights, Chris Rutter explains how your Nikon can produce dramatic images in the most challenging conditions

Even though winter nights are long, don’t be afraid of the dark. Your Nikon is capable of stunning shots long after sunset

While photography is all about the light, this doesn’t mean that you have to wait for bright, sunny days to get out and shoot. Your Nikon is capable of capturing images in almost any lighting conditions, from cloudy overcast days and colourful sunsets, to the ethereal and beautiful world of night photography.

Shooting in low light, and especially at night, presents some unique challenges to your camera skills. At night it can be difficult to simply operate your Nikon in the dark, so you need to be completely familiar with the layout of the buttons on your camera and how to access the main features you will need without relying on being able to see the Nikon’s controls.

You’ll also need to plan shots according to the weather conditions, the phase of the moon, or even the likelihood of seeing the aurora. This planning means that you will have a good idea of the type of conditions that you are likely to encounter, so you can preset many of the main settings on your Nikon before you set out. We will give you some typical settings that you can use for each subject, so you will only have to make minor adjustments while on location. You will also discover which conditions to look out for, and how to deal with the challenges that each situation will present you with. Then, with the required skills at hand, you and your Nikon will be able to transform these lowlight conditions into stunning photo opportunities.