Here's How To Stop Taking Terrible Photos At Night

You just have to be extra patient.

Meet Krystle Wright — photographer, adventurer, storm chaser...

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The Queensland-raised photographer now lives a semi-nomadic lifestyle to shoot extreme sports and adventures in the most remote places. She's regularly found herself without modern comforts, and relying on what nature can supply to produce amazing photography.

Wright spoke with BuzzFeed News to share some tips on how to take great photos of the night sky, and in low-light situations.

1. Take advantage of any available light, but use it wisely.

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"The trick is finding the right spot where the subject can be lit up by the light source, but not blow out the highlights, especially on the skin tones," Wright said.

"I find headlamps to be tricky to use as a light source as the balance of light distribution isn't always ideal. However, it's small and easy to carry and there is the absolute flexibility to place it in the right spot to light up your subject."

2. Speaking of finding light, your mobile phone can come in handy.

Krystle Wright

"So often, we all have our phones within arm's reach. I'd take whatever I can when working in the moment, and the light function on the phone has come in handy for me many times when working on the go."

3. Warm light is better than cool light.

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"I've always found tungsten light sources beautiful to work with as I love the warm tones it creates, and it's incredible, particularly in the blue hour where there is still that rich blue evident before twilight sets in."

4. Street lamps are “a little tough” to work with "but they can be very atmospheric".

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With street lamps high up, the light casts shadows on the subjects, but Wright said "as a photographer, always be aware of your options for light and how best you can use it to your advantage".

5. Adjust your settings in this order: aperture > shutter speed > ISO.

Krystle Wright

"The situations will always be ever-changing, but I usually open up my aperture first, slow down my shutter if it's not fast paced action, and then finally increase my ISO. The camera that I'm using at the moment, the Canon EOS R allows me to push my camera's ISO without picking up noise. It gives me flexibility to maintain a higher quality in challenging low-light situations."

6. Unless it’s the look you’re after, avoid using built-in or camera-mounted flash.

Krystle Wright

"Sometimes the harsh look can actually look great and give a unique look to the scene, but it can also ruin the atmosphere of the photo if the harsh look isn't desired. Most flashes will allow you to control the strength of the output. Otherwise the photographer needs to reposition himself/herself to find the right angle with the flash."

7. 500 ➗ your focal length ＝ the maximum shutter speed when taking photos of the night sky.

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"The stars move faster than we think and an exposure of 10 seconds already shows some movement. But also, remember that the longer we leave the shutter open, the more colour it allows."

8. Find the best available solution to stabilise your camera.

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"Although a tripod is essential, if you've forgotten one – which I often do – find a stable object that you can set the camera on. Or worst case scenario, I found that cranking the ISO up works."

9. Use PhotoPills to locate the Milky Way.

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"PhotoPills [augmented reality feature] helped me formulate a plan, especially when I don't have the freedom to scout a location beforehand, and I have limited time to work with."

10. If you have something in the foreground of a starry night sky, take at least two shots of the exact same picture.

Anna Mendoza

Focus on the sky in the first photo (the stars should look like tiny dots rather than washed out), then shift your focus on an object in the foreground for the next shot without moving the camera. Depending on how much depth you want in your photo, repeat the second step as many times as you need. When you're happy with your shots, stack them in Photoshop and mask the layers to show just the sharp areas.

"Find a foreground — whether it's the landscape, people, or some sort of subject that can add story and layers to your image. The trick will be finding subjects that are not moving, shooting at around f/5.6 for some depth of field, semi slow shutter and cranking the ISO," Wright said.

11. Sorry, but when the moon is out, you have very few options for shooting the stars.

Krystle Wright

The light from the moon is simply too strong and will wash over the rest of the sky.

12. For whirlpool-style night shots, you’ll need absolutely minimal light pollution and a lot of time on your hands.

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"The longer you can keep your shutter open, the more trail that you'll be able to create. Expect anywhere [between] 15 mintues to several hours to create star trails."

13. Paint with light to highlight unique pieces in the landscape.

Krystle Wright

"A remote is useful as, typically, these exposures will run longer than 30 seconds. Ideally you have a tripod to work with to keep the camera stable and with a longer shutter speed, it gives the possibility of keeping the ISO low to avoid noise."

14. Don’t be afraid to underexpose your shots.

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"I've always shot in the style of two stops under as I don't wish to blow out my highlights, and I don't mind losing detail in my shadows."

15. It can be really frustrating to focus in low light, but not impossible.

Krystle Wright

"It's great if you have a camera that could still grab focus in almost pitch black situations. On the EOS R, the ISO would jump momentarily so that I could see the whole scene and focus before it would return to my settings to capture the image."

16. Be patient, pack warm clothing.

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Never underestimate how cold it can get when you're exposed to the elements in the middle of the night.

"Working at night definitely involves a lot of patience and as the shutter speeds get longer, the time will disappear fast! Be sure to pack warm layers and extra batteries. And of course, I always have a stash of snacks!!"

BuzzFeed travelled to Jervis Bay as a guest of Canon Australia for the EOS R product launch.