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7 minute read
Mastering Street Photography at Night
Learn to master urban night photography, with advice on optimal settings, lens choice, subject tips and more
The streets offer near-limitless photographic opportunities. With a trained eye, a skilled creative can find a half-decent subject around every corner — whether it’s architecturally focused, pleasingly minimalist, or a thriving depiction of human life.
After the sun has set, however, things change entirely. The streets themselves remain the same, but how they appear on camera and how they’re photographed differ greatly. Here’s how to improve your street photography at night so you can create an exciting twilight aesthetic.
Get a Fast-Aperture Lens
First things first, we need to gather as much light as possible to keep shutter speeds high. And that begins with aperture.
A fast-aperture lens is usually not a consideration when it comes to typical street photography, with image makers rarely opening up beyond F5.6. But for night street photography, lenses as fast as F1.2 can be a huge benefit to the cause.
Preferred focal lengths still apply, and FUJIFILM X Series has many fast wide-angle and standard primes, including XF23mmF1.4 R LM WR and XF35mmF2 R WR. For those who prefer the versatility of a zoom, a number of F2.8 options are available including the XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR, for example.
At faster apertures, depth-of-field is smaller, meaning you cannot achieve sharp focus all the way between foreground and background. So, it’s important to keep this in mind. When focusing on a subject close to the camera, they’ll be set against a blurred background. If you want to retain more visible context in the scene, look for subjects further away. Your depth-of-field will appear greater as your focus point moves further out into a scene; your foreground will still be blurred but to a less noticeable degree.
Photo 2023 © Brandon Ruffin | FUJIFILM GFX50S II and FUJINON GF110mmF2 R LM WR, 1/160 sec at F2, ISO 2000
To see this in action, look at the FUJIFILM focus indicator, located at the bottom of the screen in shooting mode on FUJIFILM X Series cameras. It illustrates available focusing distances, from the lens’s closest capability to infinity. The white line on the scale shows your current focusing distance, while the surrounding blue zone denotes depth-of-field. Try manually focusing in and out and notice how the blue depth-of-field zone aligns with the indicator’s measurements. You’ll see that the same depth-of-field may only cover close-up subjects between 0.1m and 0.5m, but covers more distant subjects between 5m and 10m. This is a matter of perspective.
Given the shallow depth-of-field, autofocus will be beneficial. In the fast-paced street environment, taking seconds to manually focus with precision may mean missed opportunities. Try AF-S for stationary subjects, or AF-C if you’d like to track a subject as it moves through the frame.
Optical and In-Body Stabilisation
Another great way to achieve blur-free low-light photography is with stabilisation. Many X Series cameras feature IBIS – like the FUJIFILM X-S20’s seven-stop benefit – which can be supported further by a lens’s OIS. The impact on an image is huge. Utilising seven stops of IBIS, a still created at 1 sec shutter speed will be roughly as steady as a non-stabilised 1/125 sec frame.
The considerations here are subject matter and battery life. Just because your hands aren’t introducing visible camera shake doesn’t mean the slower shutter won’t still reveal motion blur in the scene itself. Keep an eye on your shutter speed and, if there are any moving elements within your composition, find a way to raise it. Watch your battery, too.
IBIS is an extra function that draws more power, and street photography may well find you far from home. Due to this, we strongly recommend carrying a fully charged spare.
Photo 2023 © Brian Lloyd Duckett | FUJIFILM X-T30 and FUJINON XF56mmF1.2 R, 1/480 sec at F1.2, ISO 4000
Auto ISO
We’d rank auto ISO among the most essential night photography settings. Partly for its ability to keep shutter speed as high as possible, and partly for its ease of use. Just like in the daytime, street photography at night is all about focusing on moments that present themselves — and being able to document them as quickly as possible.
Aperture priority mode is most common in street photography. Rather than setting a fixed ISO and leaving only the shutter speed to vary, both settings can balance the exposure between themselves.
In an X Series camera, navigate to SHOOTING SETTINGS > ISO. Here you’ll find three auto slots. Within each, you can set a default sensitivity, maximum sensitivity, and minimum shutter speed. You may choose, for example, a default sensitivity of ISO 100 and a maximum sensitivity of ISO 6400, along with a minimum shutter speed of 1/60 sec. The camera will stay as close to ISO 100 as possible while maintaining 1/60 sec. ISO will increase up to ISO 6400 as your scene becomes darker, and then eventually shutter speed will drop below 1/60 sec as a last resort.
Default sensitivity can always remain low. For shooting night street photography, set a high maximum sensitivity. Trust us — you’ll need it. You may already be aware that high ISO values introduce a grain-like effect called noise, but FUJIFILM X Series cameras manage this exceptionally well in-camera, and it can be addressed further in editing.
Minimum shutter speed should be based on the fastest-moving subject you plan to photograph. With slow shutter speeds, you’ll capture motion blur.
Photo 2023 © Brian Lloyd Duckett | FUJIFILM X-E4 and FUJINON XF56mmF1.2 R, 1/30 sec at F1.2, ISO 200
Find the Best Urban Night Photography Subjects
What you choose to photograph on the street will come down to personal preference. Maybe you’re drawn to living subjects, less direct signs of human life or street furniture itself. Whatever the case, you can still follow your natural interests at night — what differs is how they appear under the darkness of the moon.
Without natural light, we’re entirely reliant on what’s artificially available. Thankfully, in cities, opportunities are plentiful. Building interiors, streetlights, vehicles and countless other smaller sources should all draw your eye and signal photographic potential.
More often than not, street photographers base their exposure around these highlights at night, leaving many areas of the frame in near-total darkness. This is not just an accommodation but this actually adds the dimension of drama to an image. Remember, areas of light and darkness feed into a composition as much as anything else. The easiest way to drop your exposure quickly is with the exposure compensation dial.
Searching for these pockets of light — like an illuminated doorway — is an obvious approach. But in more evenly lit scenes, prioritising highlights is still a good idea. Gentle catchlights on humans or other key subjects work nicely within an overall low-key scene.
There are new opportunities here, too. Spotlight effect and silhouetting, which would require an incredibly bright light source in ambient daylight, are easily achieved at night. Make use of these techniques while you can. As ever in image making, night street photography is all about exploring and having fun.
Capture the Night with FUJIFILM UK
Mastering street photography at night is a thrilling journey that pushes both you, as the photographer, and your equipment. If you fancy putting these tips into practice, why not come along to an upcoming FUJIFILM School photowalk?
With FUJIFILM X Series cameras and lenses, you have the technology and versatility to capture the essence of the night with exceptional clarity and creativity. Whether you’re experimenting with different lenses, playing with aperture and ISO settings, or exploring the dynamic interplay of light and shadow, night street photography offers a unique canvas for your artistic expression.
Remember, the key to great photography is not just in the gear but in your vision and approach. Embrace the challenge, trust your instincts, and most importantly, enjoy the process of creating stunning night time street imagery that tells a story and evokes emotion.
Compare Night Street Photography Lenses
FUJINON XF16mmF1.4 R WR
FUJINON XF18mmF2 R
FUJINON XF23mmF1.4 R LM WR
FUJINON XF27mmF2.8 R WR
FUJINON XF33mmF1.4 R LM WR
FUJINON XF35mmF2 R WR
