shooting skills Get set up to shoot with moonlight
make the most of a full moon and head out at night for beautiful landscape photos
01 Bring a sturdy tripod Other than your camera, a good tripod is the most essential piece of kit for nighttime shooting. When near water like this, make sure the legs have a firm footing, and if your tripod has spiked feet then consider using them to anchor it in place.
02 Focus with a torch A head torch is vital for night-time shoots. Apart from the obvious benefit of being able to navigate rough terrain in the dark, you can shine the torch on foreground objects to aid focusing. And if you’re in a creative mood you could light paint with it.
03 check light Pollution Light pollution is common near built-up areas. The reflected tungsten glow in the clouds can sometimes be unsightly, but not always; here we think the orange sky adds to the image. So look out for light pollution, but don’t always avoid it.
04 use a cable release Your Canon has a max shutter length of 30 secs, anything longer requires Bulb mode – where the shutter stays open as long as the button is engaged. A remote release is essential for locking open the shutter, and a stopwatch is handy to time the exposure.
05 cover the viewfinder During a long exposure light can leak in through the viewfinder; it usually appears as a purple ‘fog’ at the centre of the frame. Cover the viewfinder before taking the shot. Few things are as annoying as finding your eight-minute exposure is fogged!
06 the waiting game With exposures lasting several minutes, a night-time shoot means lots of waiting around. Be prepared with warm clothes, a camping chair and a flask of something hot. If you have a second camera, you can set up another shot while you’re waiting.