If capturing a striking landscape photo during the day is daunting, doing the same at night can seem downright impossible. Not so, according to renowned Canadian photographer and 聽Peter Baumgarten, who says nighttime photography can actually be less complicated and more rewarding. 鈥淲hen I鈥檓 shooting during the golden hour, the light changes so quickly that I often feel rushed,鈥� he says. 鈥淣ight photography forces me to slow down鈥擨 don鈥檛 feel nearly as on edge and, more importantly, I find myself getting more creative with my shots.鈥� Feeling inspired? Here are Baumgarten鈥檚 four simple tips for shooting epic nighttime photos of your own.
Pick the Right Location
Location is always important, but it鈥檚 even more crucial at night. Obviously, you鈥檒l need to set up somewhere that鈥檚 not affected by a ton of light pollution and work to time your shoot on a clear night.聽To find a dark spot, Baumgarten relies on聽; to avoid cloudy skies, he uses the聽 app.聽But Baumgarten says you鈥檒l need more than a beautiful night sky to make a great nighttime landscape photo. 鈥淚t鈥檚 what you put in front of the sky that will make or break your shot,鈥� he says. 鈥淟ook for interesting subjects to use as silhouettes or ones that can be lit up to add foreground interest. A gnarled tree, an unusual rock outcrop, an old farmhouse, a reflection in calm water鈥攁ll of these can make for great foreground features.鈥澛�
Pro Tips
Baumgarten uses the Olympus OM-D cameras,聽including the OM-D E-M1 Mark III,聽and relies on wide-angle lenses to create shots that capture the sky and the foreground together. His arsenal includes the 聽zoom lens, 聽compact prime lens, 聽lens, and 聽lens. All these lenses come with large apertures that gather more light. They also cut down on comatic aberration (off-axis point sources such as stars appear distorted, i.e. appearing to have a tail), giving him sharper stars in his images.Bring Your Own Light
To light up鈥攐r 鈥渓ight paint鈥濃€攖he aforementioned foreground elements that add depth and character to his photos, Baumgarten uses a variety of light sources. He says a flashlight or headlamp will do the trick but warns that focused lights like these can create 鈥渉ot spots,鈥� or areas of your photo that appear blown out. He often prefers more diffuse sources such as low-level LEDs or even a thin crescent moon. 鈥淚 regularly use a flashlight app on my phone called聽 that allows me to select the color of the light and adjust the brightness,鈥� he says. He also advises that experimentation is key. Don鈥檛 plan on nailing your photo on the first try. 鈥淔or some shots, it鈥檚 taken me an hour or more to get the lighting right, but the end result is worth it,鈥� he says. 聽
Invest in a High-Quality Camera
Most cameras these days鈥攅ven the iPhone and the Google Pixel鈥攃an take a decent nighttime photo. But to achieve the kinds of crisp, super-detailed, high-resolution photos that Baumgarten shoots (photos that you鈥檇 be excited to hang on your wall), you really need a pro-level camera like the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, which has great noise reduction features that help keep Baumgarten鈥檚 images from turning too grainy.聽He always shoots RAW images with the largest lens aperture possible, ideally f/2.8 or greater. His white balance is set between 3600 to聽3800K, his ISO is usually around 3200, and his shutter speed is somewhere around 20 seconds. These settings help him nail the exposure, but it鈥檚 the Starry Sky AF feature, which allows the camera to accurately autofocus on stars at night, that really sets the 聽apart in Baumgarten鈥檚 book.
Embrace the Process
In addition to the consistent light, there鈥檚 another environmental element that really sets nighttime shooting apart for Baumgarten: the lack of crowds and distractions. He loves the peace and quiet that nighttime brings and enjoys experiencing the outdoors in the dark. He does, however, suggest that people plan accordingly to be outside at night. He always scouts his locations during the day so he knows how to get there and is aware of any nearby hazards. And he always dresses accordingly. Summer nights can be cold, but winter nights can be dangerous.聽To keep his hands warm when it鈥檚 below freezing, Baumgarten will pre-program night settings into a custom mode on the OM-D E-M1 Mark III so he doesn鈥檛 have to constantly take his gloves off and fiddle with the camera. “Set yourself up for聽success,鈥� he says.聽
Whether you're a professional photographer or an admirer of photography, Olympus has a camera system that's designed for you. Olympus' compact lightweight gear, powerful image stabilization, and superior weathersealing helps you get your shot while enjoying your photography more. Learn more and find the perfect camera at聽. To learn more about聽astrophotography,