Night Photography on Film

Night photography on film is where the medium's characteristics become most apparent. Long exposures, reciprocity compensation, grain pushing against darkness—it's technically demanding but produces results with a quality distinct from digital capture.

This guide covers exposing in darkness, choosing films for night work, focusing when you can't see, and creative techniques like light painting.

The Challenges of Night

Shooting at night means working with very little light and exposures that may stretch to minutes or hours.

Light Levels

EV (Exposure Value) is a single number representing a combination of aperture and shutter speed. EV 0 equals f/1 at 1 second; each +1 EV halves the light.

Most camera meters stop functioning around EV 0-2. Below that, you're estimating.

Reciprocity Failure

At exposures longer than about 1-10 seconds (depending on film), the film becomes less sensitive to light. A metered 30-second exposure might actually need 60-90 seconds. This is called reciprocity failure.

See our long exposure guide for detailed coverage. Night photography often means exposures of 30 seconds to 30 minutes—well into reciprocity territory for most films.

Colour Shifts

Mixed artificial lighting creates complex colour casts: sodium yellow, mercury green, LED blue-white. Colour negative film is more forgiving; slide film renders these literally.

Essential Equipment

Tripod

Non-negotiable. Even with fast film, night exposures require more stability than hand-holding allows.

Requirements:

• Sturdy enough for your camera with no vibration
• Low minimum height for ground-level shots
• Hook for hanging weight in wind

Cable Release

For exposures beyond 30 seconds (Bulb mode), a cable release lets you hold the shutter open without touching the camera. Locking cable releases are convenient for multi-minute exposures.

Torch/Flashlight

Uses:

• Seeing camera controls
• Focusing assistance
• Light painting
• Safety walking in darkness

Get a red-filtered torch or tape to preserve night vision. A second brighter torch is useful for light painting.

Watch or Timer

You need to time exposures accurately. Phone timers work but drain battery and light up your face. A luminous watch is simpler.

Extra Batteries

Cold nights drain batteries faster. Carry spares, especially if your camera requires battery power for the shutter.

Calculating Night Exposures

Method 1: Meter What You Can

Many night scenes have bright elements (lit windows, street lights, signs) that register on meters.

1. Spot meter a bright area
2. Place that reading at the appropriate zone (lit window should be bright, not middle grey)
3. Calculate the exposure
4. Apply reciprocity compensation

Method 2: Bracketing from Known Starting Points

Start with reference exposures and bracket extensively:

These are starting points. Bracket ±1 to ±2 stops.

Method 3: Incident Metering

If you can reach the subject, incident metering measures light falling on it regardless of surface reflectance. More reliable than reflective metering for night scenes.

Adding Reciprocity Compensation

After calculating exposure, apply your film's reciprocity compensation:

Example with Portra 400:

• Calculated exposure: 30 seconds
• With reciprocity: approximately 90 seconds

Example with Acros II:

• Calculated exposure: 30 seconds
• With reciprocity: 30 seconds (no compensation needed under 120s)

Use our reciprocity calculator for specific films.

Choosing Film for Night

The Trade-off: Speed vs Reciprocity

Fast films (ISO 800+) allow shorter exposures but have worse reciprocity characteristics. Slower films (ISO 50-100) have better reciprocity but need impractically long exposures.

The sweet spot for many night photographers: ISO 100-400 films with good reciprocity characteristics.

Recommended Films

Fujifilm Neopan Acros II (ISO 100): Exceptional reciprocity—no compensation needed until 120 seconds. For long exposures, this is the gold standard.

Ilford Delta 100: Relatively good reciprocity for a slow film. Fine grain for enlargement.

Kodak Portra 400: Good latitude, predictable reciprocity, handles mixed lighting well.

Kodak Portra 800: Fastest practical colour negative for low light. Higher grain but more flexibility.

CineStill 800T: Tungsten-balanced for artificial light. The halation effect around bright lights is either desirable or annoying—your choice.

Ilford Delta 3200: For hand-holdable night shooting or very dark subjects. Push to 6400 or 12800 if needed, accepting significant grain.

Colour Balance

Night lighting is rarely neutral:

• Tungsten bulbs: Warm (3200K)
• Sodium lamps: Very yellow (2000K)
• Fluorescent: Often green-tinged
• LED: Variable, often cool (5000K+)
• Moonlight: Blue-ish

Daylight-balanced film renders tungsten as orange, sodium as deep yellow. Tungsten-balanced film (CineStill 800T) neutralises tungsten but renders daylight blue.

Colour negative film can be corrected extensively in scanning. Slide film cannot—what you capture is what you get.

Focusing in Darkness

The Problem

Autofocus fails in very low light. Manual focus through an SLR viewfinder is difficult when you can't see detail.

Solutions

Pre-focus in daylight: If you know your location, focus on a distance marker and note it. Return at night with the same focus setting.

Focus on lights: Bright lights or illuminated objects are easier to focus on. Focus on a street light or lit window at a similar distance to your subject.

Torch assistance: Have someone shine a torch at your focus point. Focus on the lit area, then remove the light before shooting.

Hyperfocal distance: Set focus to hyperfocal for your aperture (typically f/8-f/16) and everything from half that distance to infinity will be acceptably sharp. See our focusing techniques guide.

Live View (if available): Some film cameras don't have this, but if you're using a digital body for pre-visualisation, use magnified live view to focus precisely, then transfer settings to your film camera.

Zone focusing with small aperture: At f/11-f/16, depth of field is forgiving. Estimate distance and trust that your subject falls within the sharp zone.

Technique: Light Trails

Vehicle headlights and taillights create streaks during long exposures.

Basic Approach

1. Find an elevated vantage point overlooking a road
2. Compose the scene with the road as a leading element
3. Set exposure for 10-30 seconds (adjust for traffic density)
4. Time the exposure to capture vehicles passing through frame

Variables

Exposure length: Longer = more trails, more light accumulation. 30 seconds produces solid ribbons; 5 seconds shows individual vehicles more distinctly.

Traffic density: Heavy traffic fills the frame with light. Light traffic leaves gaps.

Wet roads: Reflections double the light and add interest.

Exposure

Lit city scenes are usually bright enough that moderate exposures work. Start around 15-30 seconds at f/8-f/11, ISO 100-400. The moving lights will be properly exposed; static elements depend on ambient light.

Technique: Light Painting

Use a handheld light source to selectively illuminate parts of a dark scene during a long exposure.

Basic Approach

1. Set camera on tripod, frame composition
2. Open shutter for long exposure (30 seconds to several minutes)
3. Walk through scene, painting light onto surfaces with torch
4. Keep moving—standing still creates hot spots
5. Stay out of the frame (or wear dark clothes and keep moving)

Variables

Light intensity: Brighter torch = shorter painting time needed. Balance with exposure length.

Distance from subject: Closer = more intense light. Walk closer for key elements, further for fill.

Torch movement: Sweeping motions create even coverage. Holding still creates spots.

Colour: Gels over torches add colour. Different lights for different areas create drama.

Light Painting Exposure

Start with:

• Aperture: f/8-f/11 (depth of field, manageable exposure)
• Film: ISO 100-400
• Exposure: 2-5 minutes (enough time to paint thoroughly)

The painted areas will be properly exposed; unpainted areas will be very dark. This is the point—you control exactly what the viewer sees.

Technique: Star Photography

Star Points

To freeze stars as points rather than trails:

The 500 Rule: Maximum exposure in seconds = 500 / focal length

For 50mm lens: 500/50 = 10 seconds maximum

Longer exposures show trailing. Wider lenses allow longer exposures before trails become visible.

Star Trails

For intentional circular trails around the celestial pole:

• Point toward Polaris (North) or the Southern Cross (South)
• Expose for 30+ minutes
• Stars will trace arcs

Reciprocity compensation is critical for very long exposures. With most films, you'll need 2-4× the calculated time.

Stacking alternative: Shoot multiple shorter exposures (30-60 seconds) and stack them digitally. This avoids reciprocity issues and allows you to control trail length.

Film Choice for Stars

Acros II: Exceptional reciprocity for long star trail exposures.

Delta 3200 or T-Max P3200: For Milky Way shots requiring maximum speed.

Colour negative (Portra 800): For colour star trails.

Development Considerations

Push Processing

Night shots are often underexposed. Push processing (extended development) increases contrast and apparent speed.

+1 push: Moderate contrast increase, helpful for slightly underexposed frames.

+2-3 push: Strong contrast, visible grain increase, blocked shadows.

Push processing doesn't recover information that wasn't captured—it just stretches what's there. It works best when you've metered for the push at shooting time.

Pull Processing

For scenes with extreme contrast (bright lights and deep shadows), pull processing reduces contrast. This can help preserve highlight detail at the cost of shadow detail.

C-41 Night Shots

Colour negative tolerates push processing less gracefully than B&W. Labs can push Portra +1 or +2, but colour shifts and grain increase are more noticeable.

For better night colour results, shoot at box speed and overexpose generously if possible.

Common Night Photography Mistakes

Everything Underexposed

Underestimated exposure or insufficient reciprocity compensation. Bracket more aggressively.

Bright Lights Blown Out

Neon signs and direct lights are much brighter than their surroundings. Either accept burned-out lights as stylistic, or meter for them specifically (and let surroundings go dark).

Unexpected Colour Casts

Mixed artificial lighting creates casts that look more extreme in photos than they appeared in person. Either embrace them or correct in post.

Camera Shake

Even with tripod, touching camera during exposure causes blur. Use cable release, mirror lock-up, and avoid walking near the tripod.

Condensation

Cold nights plus warm breath equals condensation on lens. Keep lens cap on between shots, avoid breathing on equipment.

Summary

• Night exposures require tripod, cable release, and patience
• Most meters fail below EV 0-2—use reference exposures and bracket
• Reciprocity compensation is essential for exposures beyond 1-10 seconds
• Acros II has exceptional reciprocity; fast films have poor reciprocity
• Focus using lights, torches, hyperfocal distance, or pre-focusing
• Light trails need 10-30 second exposures with traffic
• Light painting gives you control over exactly what's illuminated
• Star points require following the 500 rule; trails require 30+ minute exposures
• Push processing helps but doesn't recover missing information

Night photography on film is slow, methodical, and often cold. But the resulting images—grain emerging from darkness, hours compressed into a single frame—have a quality that's difficult to replicate any other way.