Most of the wildlife species that can be found in urban environments tend to be nocturnal, as I previously discussed in “Nocturnal Urban Wildlife,” published in the Fall 2022 issue of the Journal. Let’s revisit some of the tips discussed in that article. When photographing nocturnal animals, it’s critical to master your gear and its functions, especially manual mode, as shooting at night makes it harder for your camera to operate automatically. Even the autofocus can go bananas, so you’ll need to be ready to rely on manual focus.
It’s important to use a wide-aperture lens, and if you don’t have one, don’t worry. You can compensate by shooting at really slow shutter speeds — complete seconds, even. To avoid a shaky image, you’ll need to steady your camera with a tripod or set it on top of a steady surface.
In the previous article I mentioned, we also talked about how it’s important to be safe when walking at night in your town or city, but if you’re just waiting for these nocturnal critters to visit your yard, then you’ll be fine.
Also, as I’ve stressed previously, when wanting to photograph your nocturnal neighbors, you’ll need to do some research about them so you can get to know their schedules, even if they are regular visitors to your neighborhood. I recommend you not only read about them but also observe them from inside your house or while hiding in your park so you can get to know their habits, movements, and the exact moment to get your shot.
This is especially important if you are planning on setting up a camera trap. Camera traps or shooting your camera remotely are great ways to capture nocturnal animals while they’re on the prowl. However, these tools and methods will require you to master manual mode.
In order to get a successful shot while using a camera trap, you need to set your gear to manual mode and manual focus, set your focus point toward the horizon (or “infinity,” as some may say), and open up your aperture as wide as possible to allow as much light to enter your sensor as you can. Then you’ll want to set a medium or slow shutter speed, starting at 1/50th of a second and going down from there, and a high ISO, ranging from 2000 to your max ISO setting, depending on the lighting conditions around you.
You can complement your remote setting with strobe lights or flashes (read more on that in the Fall 2022 article!), or you can be less aggressive and set motion-activated LED lamps that illuminate your scene nicely when an animal gets close to your gear.
Speaking of flashes, if you are not using a camera trap and find that flashes are too aggressive for your nighttime subjects, or if they cast horrible shadows around your quarry, you can opt for a flashlight or a headlamp to illuminate your scene and subjects. This will make for more naturally lit images, and you’ll also avoid the infamous “red eyes” in your images. In any case, remember to point your light toward the animal’s body or another nearby surface instead of directly toward its face to avoid blinding them. The well-being of the animals we photograph should always be our top concern.
Beyond the extremes of the bright light of day or the dark of night, there are some times in between that offer excellent scenery and lighting. Sunrises and sunsets offer us different color palettes for our images., and we can even make very interesting backlit images of our subjects when shooting while the sun is just beginning to rise in front of us or going down just before nightfall. The pink, purple, and golden hues that will fill your frame will be just magical, and during winters or cold days, fog may even come up to enhance these colors.
Many species of mammals and birds are very active during these times of day — they’re known as “crepuscular” animals, as opposed to nocturnal or diurnal ones — and you’ll still have enough light to shoot using daytime techniques. Dusk and dawn photography can offer you an educational transition to nighttime photography and the world of nocturnal wildlife.
Try to find scenic spots around your urban center where you can gaze upon the sunrise and sunset while waiting for birds to fly across the sky and small mammals to begin running around. If you’re shooting in your yard, wait until the light is a warm golden hue to shoot birds while they forage for food or sing their songs one last time before nightfall. Just as the sun is setting, you’ll likely begin to see nocturnal animals making their moves around your property. The possibilities are endless, and your results will prove to be even more beautiful than you ever imagined.