It is easier to take interesting photographs at night than during the day. My wife says that even I improve in looks as the sun goes down and I am not encased in neon.
Stuff that is actually unattractive at high noon becomes almost magical at night.
The photo to the right was a mistake...it was raining and drops got on the lens BUT in retrospect I decided that it helped capture the night time essence of rush hour at this intersection under construction.
During the day I often have a tough time finding really interesting subject matter to photograph unless it is just after dawn or prior to sunset...that amazing 20 minute window of light, color and shadow.
You can take good night photos even with an inexpensive point and shoot...if you use a tripod which you can buy for $25-50. If you have a heavier DSLR you will need a better tripod to support it.
(The photo to the left is the famous Washington Beltway at Tysons Corner VA....headlights coming on and tail lights receding)
On your point and shoot put it in landscape mode, the setting with the mountain icon and make sure the flash is off. Actually even if the flash comes on it's OK as long as there is nothing close in the foreground.
The camera will automatically figure out how long it needs to keep the shutter open to receive the light it needs to make an image.
You can do the same thing with your DSLR or you can play around with your manual settings and try different shutter speeds. These photos had the shutter open between 5-10 seconds.
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