Simple Night Photography Camera Settings
It’s firmly winter time and in this blog I will share with you the typical camera settings I use when I shoot at night.
Everyone shoots in different ways so I will cover settings whether you’re shooting in Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority or Full Manual. I shoot on Fujifilm cameras however this applies across the board. These settings work for me however depending on your camera, lens or environment you might have to tweak them. For example if you shoot on a medium format camera with an f2 prime in Soho, you might have more available light compared to shooting on an APSC at f5.6 in a less well lit part of town. Finally shoot in RAW if you can.
Aperture Priority
Aperture Priority is probably the most popular mode that people use at any time of day and it can easily work at night too. The first thing we need to do is set up your Auto ISO settings and minimum shutter speed. We need to tell the camera within what parameters to keep ISO and what is the lowest shutter speed it should select. This does slightly depend on if you have IBIS and what lens you’re using. If you have IBIS, you can generally reduce the shutter speed a little. If you have a longer lens, then you will need a higher shutter speed. There are a lot of variables here however from trial and error I found that 1/100 is a good starting point. As for ISO I typically set the minimum at 500 and maximum at 6400. If light is really bad and you just need to get shots. Or if this setting is still requiring a lower shutter speed, then I would consider moving it to 1000 and 12800 respectively.
The next thing we need to adjust is the global exposure. This might seem counterintuitive however I would suggest under exposing your photos for 3 reasons.
First of all most cameras will overexpose at night. Don’t believe me? Set your camera to 0 exposure at night and compare the rear LCD to real life. The image on the LCD will almost always be brighter.
Secondly we need to protect the highlights especially if shooting in brightly lit places. They are easy to blow out.
Thirdly It’s generally easier and cleaner to raise shadows in editing.
I would typically under expose by anything between -0.6 to -1.6 as it really depends on ambient light. Try to make sure the image you see on your camera roughly matches what your eyes can see. Finally there is the aperture value. Personally I leave it wide open unless it causes a specific creative issue, then I might close it to f4 but no more. You really want to let as much light in as possible.
Shutter Priority
When shutter speeds are already that low and we most likely will already be shooting wide open, then one could argue that shutter priority is a more suitable mode. Furthermore with shutter priority you can get very creative with how you shoot especially when it comes to motion blur. This one should be easy because the bulk of settings have already been dialled in previously.
The Auto ISO values stay the same as for Aperture Priority. The global exposure stays the same. The Aperture is in auto but will most likely be wide open or somewhere near that. All we have to do is set our shutter speed and fine tune it as we go.
Just like before 1/100 is a good starting point but keep an eye on what aperture value your camera is choosing. Because if it’s selecting f5.6 then you might swell increase the shutter speed to 1/200 and have less risk of motion blur. Over time you will get a feeling for what your camera is doing and can balance the correct settings based on the shutter speed alone.
Manual
Given that so many settings at night are either fixed or don’t move that much, then shooting in manual mode can actually be pretty straight forward. Not only that but now you have the ultimate control over your exposure and settings. The biggest thing you need to remember however is that you’re responsible for keeping the global exposure at the desired level, not the camera like before.
Let’s start with ISO and I will initially set it to 1000. This gives us a nice starting point and still maintains a very clean image. Moving on to the aperture, I will set it to wide open for now. Be it f4, f2 or f1.2. Finally I will set the shutter speed to a setting where the global exposure is sitting at around -1. You could see that on the exposure meter.
Now see where your shutter speed is. Ideally you want to have it between 1/100 and 1/200 but as mentioned before it depends on your situation. From here on you can adjust the overall exposure using the ISO. In my experience you will typically be between ISO 1000 and 6400 depending on the scenario. As you adjust the ISO to reflect the ambient light, keep an eye on the exposure meter to ensure you stay an around -1. If a high ISO is not your cup of tea then the only option you have is to reduce the shutter speed even lower and take more care. If your shutter speed is already low then believe it or not gear matters so maybe it’s time for a faster lens such as an f1.4 or something on those lines.
Instead of telling you how these will change your life, I would rather be practical and answer the most common questions that people tend to have when buying presets.
What are presets?
They are editing settings that are saved in a file and can be applied to any image.
Why do people buy presets?
Sometimes because they like the work of the photographer and want that style for their own photos. Mostly because they would like to see how other people edit and learn by reverse engineering the presets. Other times it’s just to support their favourite photographers, thank you!
What’s the overall style of these presets?
- Filmic
- Minimal
- Soft
- Bright
What are these presets suitable for?
Street & Travel Photography
Some Nature (with further editing)
Some Portraits (with extensive editing)
What do these presets look like?
These presets 100% reflect my current editing style. Please see examples of work below.
Do these presets get updated?
Yes, as my style changes, these presets will also be updated. Any time a new update is available, you will get a free update via email. Of course you also keep all the old presets in case you prefer the older looks. Only presets purchased from 2025 onwards will receive the updates.
What file types are these presets for?
- All RAW files
- JPEGs & TIFFs (not recommended)
What camera brands are these presets for?
These were designed around Fujifilm, Sony, and Leica sensors. With that said, they will work with all camera brands. While there might be subtle colour changes due to individual camera colour science, the overall feel of the preset will carry over.
Will these work with JPEG files?
Yes, but you will need to reduce the intensity and make further edits. I strongly recommend editing RAW files.
Are these one click edits?
95% No. You would need to do some basic adjustments as each image is different. These adjustments can include exposure, colour balance etc. In 5% of cases you can just apply and leave it alone.
Do I need to know how to edit?
You need to have a basic understanding of adjusting exposure, highlights, shadows, etc. A more comprehensive editing skillset will let you get the most out of them.
How many presets are included?
15 in the main pack and 20 in the extras pack
Why two packs?
The main pack is what I use for 99% of my edits. The extras pack is random test presets, one-off looks, and looks I don’t use often.
What software do I need?
These presets will work with any of the following:
- Photoshop (adobe camera raw)
- Lightroom Classic
- Lightroom Desktop
- Lightroom Mobile
Will these presets work with free versions of the above software?
You need to research and double check before buying. These presets were designed for the full paid versions.
Will these presets work with very old versions of the above software?
You need to research and double check before buying. These presets were designed on and for the latest software.
What file type do I get?
XMP
What else do I get?
- Comprehensive PDF guide
- Short video of me editing using these presets
Can I modify these and turn them into my own?
Yes! In fact I encourage you to modify them and play around. Use these to help you get your own style.
I have more questions…. What do I do?
Make a cup of tea and drop me an email on hello@snapsbyfox.com
Please note that due to the nature of digital products, refunds are generally not accepted. However, if you experience any issues, feel free to contact me and I’ll review your situation individually. You are welcome to use this product for personal or commercial projects, but you may not copy, distribute, or resell the files in their original or modified form.
Finally I want to say a massive thank you for supporting me. Buying these presets is the most direct way you can support my work thus allowing me to make more videos / photos / tutorials for you.
Thank you for your support!