- 1). Begin setting up the tripod and camera during dusk, before full night falls. This will provide enough light to see the equipment before it gets dark.
- 2). Use a camera lens with as large an aperture as possible. The aperture is measured in relation to how wide it can open in relation to the full lens. A lens with an f/1 aperture is open as wide as the entire lens. Wider-aperture lens are more expensive. Most lenses that come with "prosumer" digital single-lens-reflex cameras fall somewhere in the f/3.4-3.6. It is still possible to get exposures with these lenses, but it will require a longer exposure time.
- 3). Take a reading with a light meter. Use either a handheld model or the one built in to your camera. You will want to set the light meter so that it takes a reading for a specific aperture setting, so that the light meter will give you the correct shutter speed for the light level you are using. This is called aperture priority mode.
- 4). Press the shutter release to begin an exposure. Be careful not to bump or jostle the camera during the exposure, which may take one or two seconds at night. This could result in significant blurring in the image.
- 5). Check the result and keep adjusting the settings until the result looks like you expected.
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