When the sun goes down and the city lights flicker on, everything just… changes. The mood shifts. The streets start to glow, familiar scenes get a totally different vibe. And personally, I feel way more free to find interesting compositions.

But shooting at night isn’t exactly easy, especially if you want your shots to actually look decent. So this post is a breakdown of how I handle night photography when I’m out doing handheld street work. No tripods, no fluff, just the settings and habits that help me stay in the moment and still come home with shots I’m happy with.

FijiFilm XF23mm f2 - shot at F/2.8, SS: 1/50sec, ISO: 1600

Shutter speed

Shutter speed is the first thing that comes to mind when people think about shooting at nigh. It controls how long your camera’s sensor is exposed to light, and whether you get a clean freeze-frame or a blurry mess.

At night, longer shutter speeds help bring in more light, but the trade-off is motion blur. Sometimes that blur is cool, like light trails or a bit of movement in a busy street, but other times, you just want things to be frozen and sharp.

I usually stick to something between 1/50 and 1/150. That keeps things frozen enough if someone’s walking through the frame or if I’m slightly moving myself. If I want a bit of motion or a creative effect, I’ll drop it down to something like 1/4 to 1/30.

To make things simple, I shoot with auto ISO and set a minimum shutter speed of 1/150. That way I’m not constantly fiddling with settings while trying to react to the scene. If I want to get experimental, I just override it on the fly. Also, I’m not scared of bumping ISO 6400? Fine by me. Yeah, there’s noise, but honestly, a strong photo with grain is still a strong photo. A clean but boring image? Not really worth keeping.

FujiFilm XF 16-55mm - shot at F/16, SS: 8sec, ISO: 125 - Handheld pressed against glass for stability.

Aperture

Night means less light, so it makes sense to shoot with your lens wide open. But I’ll say this: finding light in your environment is way more important than having some ridiculously fast f/1.2 lens.

A lot of people think you need a crazy wide aperture to shoot at night, but there’s a downside to that super shallow depth of field. Sure, it looks dreamy in portraits, but when you’re trying to capture a full scene with context, it often works against you.

I tend to shoot at f/2.8 or higher most of the time. It gives me more usable depth of field, and honestly, if the scene is too dark to shoot at f/2.8, it probably needs better light anyway. In those cases, I’ll move, reframe, or wait for something to change.

The best shots usually come from using the light that’s already there, storefronts, signs, streetlights. That’s what gives the photo a sense of place. I’ve never once thought, “Man, if only I had a more expensive lens, this would’ve worked.” and If by chance I do, i’m likely the problem.

FijiFilm XF23mm f2 - shot at F/2.8, SS: 1/200sec, ISO: 800

ISO

ISO is to put it simply just your sensor’s sensitivity to light. And yeah, you’re gonna need to push it at night.

I usually cap mine at 3200 or 6400, depending on the camera. That gives me a decent amount of range without destroying the image. Could you go higher? Sure. Will it be noisy? Definitely. But again, I’d rather have a noisy photo with emotion and atmosphere than a technically perfect one that says nothing.

I don’t stress about ISO anymore. It’s a tool, not a trophy score. Also if you are worried about noisy images. Lightrooms de-noise feature is pretty solid these days.

FijiFilm XF23mm f2 - shot at F/2.8, SS: 1/60sec, ISO: 6400 - no de-noise

Exposure compensation

Night scenes can be tricky for your camera to meter correctly. You’ve got super bright signs and deep shadows all in one frame. Left to its own devices, the camera will often overexpose the highlights trying to balance everything out and then you’re stuck with blown-out blobs and unrealistic bright shadows.

So I usually underexpose a little. Something like -1.3 EV and not afraid to push more if needed. It helps protect the highlights, adds a bit more mood or mystery in the shadows, and gives me more flexibility when editing. Shadows can be recovered. Blown highlights? Not so much, unless you want a specific effect.

Shooting modes

Most of the time I’m using semi-auto modes. Auto ISO, minimum shutter speed, aperture priority. That’s my default when I’m walking around and things are happening fast. I’d rather focus on composition and timing than get lost in my menu.

As an example, when I walk out on a dark night, I’ve got my minimum shutter speed set to 1/150, max ISO at 6400, and aperture priority locked in at f/2.8. That setup keeps things sharp and responsive without too much fuss.

But if I stumble onto a scene where I can slow down and dial things in, I’ll switch to manual mode. You get more control and cleaner results when you’ve got time. Either way, I’m always watching my exposure and leaning toward slightly underexposing the shot. It’s just more reliable.

FijiFilm XF23mm f2 - shot at F/2.8, SS: 1/200sec, ISO: 2500

White balance

I leave white balance on auto and shoot RAW. That’s it. There are too many different kinds of light at night, LEDs, or whatever neon sign someone installed in the 90s and trying to correct all that in-camera is a losing battle.

Auto White Balance. Shoot RAW. Fix it later.

Focus

For night work, I use single point autofocus with the smallest box available. I move it around manually using the joystick or touchscreen depending on the camera. Continuous AF at night just isn’t consistent enough, it hunts, it misses, it’s annoying.

Manual focus is key to be able to override autofocus. Sometimes you want to shoot through glass or foreground elements. Mixed in with poor lighting. Knowing when to switch to manual and be quick with it is a great skill to hone. I often find myself fumbling in the heat of the moment with manual focus.

Final thoughts

Everything in this post is based on shooting in real situations, not a test chart. I’ve figured this stuff out by getting it wrong over and over again until something clicked. I can imagine people will look at the settings I showed in this Blog and say I could have used more optimum ones.

There are way too many guides online pushing cookie-cutter advice or trying to sell you the idea that if you just buy the right lens or camera, your photos will magically improve. But photography doesn’t work like that. There’s no shortcut. You’ve just got to understand your tools, get outside, mess up, and keep adjusting.

These aren’t rules, they’re just what works for me. Use what’s useful, ignore what isn’t, and figure out your own process. That’s half the fun and don’t be afraid to embrace chaos.

How I Shoot at Night