I’ve been out at night three times in the last couple of weeks. Crazytalk, I know. Since having the baby, I’m hardly ever out at night, and it’s such an odd feeling when I am. (A sad sad statement that nighttime has become a novelty and a source for excitement!) Using my new Canon SD800 ELPH super compact camera, I’ve been experimenting with some nighttime street photography.

Here are some ideas for taking great shots at night:

1) Change the ISO on your camera to a setting appropriate for nighttime shooting. Most cameras allow you to change your ISO setting. You want a high number such as 500 or 800 ISO. The higher the number, the better exposure you’ll get at low light levels. But beware; the higher you go, the more grain you’ll get in your shots. To change the ISO, you may need to set your camera to the manual setting (usually the “M” on the dial at the top of the camera). Some cameras have “Night Portrait” settings, but you will need to manually turn off the flash.

2) Shoot without the flash. When shooting at night, the challenge is to get shots that are in focus without using the flash. Sure, if you’re shooting portraits at night, then the flash is an excellent tool, but general street shots look much more naturalistic without the flash.

3) Keep the camera steady. An easy way to keep the camera steady to avoid blurry shots is to brace the camera on something solid (when you’re shooting without a tripod). Mailboxes, newspaper stands, tables or the hood of a car all work well for this task.

4) Be patient and wait for the right shot. This can mean waiting until there are no cars on the street or until a pedestrian walks into the perfect position for the shot.

I love the look of stores at night with the bright and colorful lights inside. I’m adding some of these street shots for my daughter’s baby book so she can see what the world looked like when she was a baby.