What's the Best Shutter Speed for Night Street Photography?
Introduction
When it comes to night street photography, selecting the right shutter speed is crucial. The shutter speed determines how long the shutter stays open, measured in seconds or fractions of a second. A longer shutter opening allows more movement to be captured, creating motion blur, while a faster shutter speed freezes action within the frame. In this blog post, we'll explore the best shutter speed for night street photography and how to balance letting enough light hit your camera's sensor while freezing action.
Factors to Consider
Aperture and ISO
In addition to shutter speed, you need to consider the other two elements of the exposure triangle: aperture and ISO. For night photography, you'll want to use a wide aperture, preferably f/2.8 or wider, to let in as much light as possible. Your ISO should be set between 800 and 6400, depending on the brightness of the area you're shooting in.
Camera Stabilization
In-body image stabilization (IBIS) can help you take sharp shots at night. For example, if you can hold the camera steady at 1/60th of a second with five stops of IBIS, you could potentially shoot as slow as half a second and still maintain image sharpness.
Finding the Optimal Shutter Speed Range
I conducted a test to find the optimal shutter speed for night street photography using Manual Mode. I found that depending on how fast the subject was moving and how steady I held the camera, I got sharp shots from 1/200th of a second down to 1.5 seconds. However, some very slow shutter speeds resulted in a mix of sharp and blurry images.
After reviewing the photos, I realized that there is no single optimal shutter speed for night street photography. Instead, it's a range of shutter speeds. For my Ricoh GR III and GR III X, the perfect range is from 1/160th of a second down to about 1/30th of a second, depending on the subject's movement.
Using Auto ISO with Minimum Shutter Speed
The best approach for shooting at night is to use Auto ISO with a minimum shutter speed in Aperture Priority mode. Set your camera's maximum ISO to avoid excessive noise (e.g., ISO 6400) and choose a minimum ISO that covers all bases for darker and brighter areas (e.g., ISO 800).
Set a minimum shutter speed that ensures sharp shots, such as 1/100 seconds. If the camera's exposure meter calculates that the minimum shutter speed is still giving you an underexposed shot, it will automatically increase the ISO up to the maximum value you set.
Be aware that if you enter dark conditions and the camera reaches the maximum ISO without enough light, it will sacrifice your minimum shutter speed to maintain exposure. However, if you can hold the camera steady at slower shutter speeds (e.g., 1/30 of a second), this sacrifice may not be an issue.
Aperture Considerations
Always prioritize shooting at the widest aperture possible (e.g., f/2.8) to capture as much light as possible without slowing down your shutter speed to the point where motion blur becomes an issue. Narrowing your aperture to f/5.6 or further will result in a deeper depth of field but will also require slower shutter speeds to compensate for the reduced light reaching the sensor.
Conclusion
In summary, the best shutter speed to use for night street photography is the minimum shutter speed you set in the Auto ISO feature. Find your personal limits in terms of how slow you can go before getting blurred shots, and use Auto ISO to your advantage. Set a minimum shutter speed around 1/100 seconds, and ensure your Auto ISO covers all nighttime bases (e.g., 800 to 6400). If your lens allows it, shoot at the widest aperture possible, such as f/2.8.
Remember to be aware of the pitfalls of shooting at narrow apertures at night, as you don't want blurred images due to slow shutter speeds or excessive noise from high ISOs. With practice and experimentation, you'll find the perfect balance for capturing stunning night street photography images.