Street Photography at Night (Exposure, filters, colours and safety)

My links:

Music licensed with Epidemic Sound:
'Your Turn' by Silver Maple

In this video I head out onto the streets of London to show you my techniques for capturing images at night: from my settings for exposure, to thoughts on colour, weather, filters and safety.

#streetphotography #nightphotography #50mm

[kbstabs]

Great video, Sean. Thanks for your many contributions this year. All the best.

[ThePhotographyHobbyist]

10:15 Honestly, that's what keeps me from walking around at night, even though I know I could get some great shots. Shame that we live in a world where some people have no respect for other people or their property, but that's how it is.

[mikrokosmfotos]

I have my two dogs on a hands free leash when I'm out at night with a camera, which is often. They alert me when there's someone around, and they only occasionally get in the way!! 😊

[robgutkowski]

Night time is my favorite time to be out and about with a camera. Great tip about the wet streets and other reflective surfaces.

[MusicJunky]

Rain is such a wonderful asset in night photography ! The reflections, the added light and as added bonus your clothes dry automatically ! And you can sleep safely tonight as I just ordered a Tiffen filter ! Rests me to say 'Thank you ' for all that you did this year !

[robinbhairam]

When I started my photographic journey a few years ago, you were my main ‘go to’ source. I have learnt so much from you, for which I will be forever grateful. I don’t venture onto YouTube for photography so much these days, I’m a little bit like the little kid who has had the ‘training wheels’ removed from his bike in that you and some others (such as Mark Fearnley) have given me the tools and the confidence to go and experiment myself. But every now and then my eye is caught by what I know is going to be a nugget … and with this video you didn’t disappoint. Thanks as always, I hope you had a great Christmas and wish you continued success in 2025. Best wishes … 😊 📷

[davidgates]

Another great video Sean. Thanks for talking about personal safety. It’s too often ignored in vids about street photography

[fototripper]

I never thought I'd say this Sean but maybe I could get into street photography, especially at night. Let's do New York...

[Mark-fqx]

I'm always enthralled at how you create images Sean, the videos you create really inspire. Thank you.

[RohannvanRensburg]

As always, your ability to not only present it in a creatively inspiring and artful manner but to teach it effectively shines through. Lots of videos on street photography, but few as insightful and actionable.

[tonybarrett]

Well, that was lovely to watch and inspirational. Great tip on the mist filter. Fantastic images, moving and still. Thanks Sean.

[MrRGBTV]

Thanks for a spectacular year of videos, Sean. Always appreciate your content and getting us to push our own boundaries.

[michajabroertjes]

I loved it when Sean asked "What does blue make me think off" and at that exact moment a police car horn goes off 🤣 I immediately thought of the blue lights police cars have.

[fantini]

Thank you Sean! This is really a great content, making the challenge of night photography less out of reach!

[TommyNordpole]

Shooting in the night its such a Special experience! I do it rarely but I enjoy it each time. Well done Sean! Thank You for your insights and inspiration! 📸👏

[rickbiessman]

3:54 Can I add two things? With good IBIS, you may be able to get away with much slower shutter speeds. With my A7C II, I can shoot a 35mm lens and get sharp (enough) images handheld with exposures as ridiculously long as 1 second. I haven’t checked if there’s any softness that would go away with shooting the same image on a tripod and without IBIS, but for me, this works more than well enough.

And since so many cameras these days have dual native ISO, it’s worth finding out what that second native ISO is. On the A7C II it’s 800, which means ISO 3200 should be as clean as ISO 400. That’s crazy to me.

Your points about avoiding motion blur when that’s unwanted holds true of course. :) Love that 55mm lens btw!

[Upnorth_overland]

Great advice! Always be aware of your surroundings and stay strapped!

[jannengelken]

Dear Sean, thank you for the many interesting videos. It was and still is a small inspiring oasis in all the monotony here on youtube. And it was a great experience to see you live in Hamburg at the lecture! Please stay as you are and have a wonderful holiday season. Take care, Jann

[sharonloudon]

Wishing you all the best in the new year, Sean. I just want to say again how much I appreciate your videos. It is so rare to find quiet, slow, thoughtful and useful content online. Your work stands out in so many ways - Just thank you.

[docwou]

Thank you very much, Sean, for another great video. As all of your videos this one is very inspiring! Also enjoyed the video quality, the colors and the grading. Do you have more information on how the filming and grading was done?