# Tips For Night Photography Needed



## pugster (Nov 22, 2004)

anyone have tips for nightime photography of wildlife they would like to share ? , since moving house i have picked up a new resident badger which comes round every night and i feed with peanuts /peanut butter sandwiches chopped up (as far as ive read these wont hurt the badger and he likes them) , however , any photography is proving difficult , have tried multiple camera settings with/without flash (which just bounces off the closed window) ,

i dont want to scare him off as i enjoy watching him 'root about' after the peanuts and the cat just sits and watches with me (they have been inches apart between the glass with the cat looking at me with 'what the hell is that' type look and the badger looking at the cat with indiference, ive tried cleaning them up with photoshop but because of the dark they are very grainy , am i right in thinking i'll have to open a window and use the flash to get a decent shot?


----------



## PCthug (Jan 13, 2013)

We need more info about your camera etc.

A few things you can do if you have a DLSR.

You will either need a fast lens (low f stop), like the 50mm f1.8 or greater (very cheap if on a budget).

You will need to set a higher number ISO (some go upto 64,000 and higher).

You could set your camera up outside and operate it remotely (plenty of cable releases or even wireless ones around).

You could still use your camera indoors, but get an off camera flash that you could set up outside to prevent the light bouncing off the glass. This can be triggered remotely too.


----------



## fernface (Mar 9, 2011)

You lucky bugger! There is no EXIF data showing on your pics, so dont know what camera,lens, settings you may have used. Firstly shooting through glass, the lens needs to be right up against the glass, that way no reflections present. I would be looking to use largest aperature available coupled with slow shutter speed, camera braced to avoid "shake". Push the ISO as high as you can. Strangely enough if you under expose a tad, you can retrieve better using photo shop. Finally a program i use to reduce grain/noise is "noiseware", really works. Another option would be rig an external light to flood the area you place the "treats". If it were me i would be using the latter method, pre-focus, camera on tripod and fire the camera using remote.

Hope there is something you can try here. - regards Brian


----------



## chris l (Aug 5, 2005)

If you turn off the lights in the room you'll get a better result.

Also consider putting flash gun(s) outside and firing them either using a slave unit, or a long synch lead... or indoors up tight against the glass.

Tripod!


----------



## Phillionaire (Jan 23, 2010)

Great photos anyway mate. Id say a tripod and remote setup near the treats. Set the focus on the treats and bam! hopefully a nice photo.

Sorry we don't have badgers here. I'm wondering what they do exactly. Are they like a wombat?


----------



## pugster (Nov 22, 2004)

sorry forgot the info  these were taken with a compact canon ixus 500hs , i also have a nikon d60 but tbh im trying to sell it - not use it  , i'll have to give it some thought , i think i could leave my main window open and he would not be bothered , my main concern is the flash scaring him off.

i sit in the dark and watch him most of the time (and thats how i took the photos) - as long as i move slow i can stand up and walk to the door/window without disturbing him -afaik they have poor eyesight but an excellent sense of smell (hell he finds peanuts in the grass no problem and goes round like a hoover sniffing back and forth) , ive seen them before but usually from hundreds of yards away and never this close till i moved here.

thx for all the advise 

*not sure if its like a wombat phil- the wombats look pretty dopy but i know if you piss a badger off it will tear you a new one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_badger


----------



## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

If you really want it to work and you are willing to spend a bit of cash, one word: infrared.

Get an IR filter for the camera lens and a reasonable camera mount flash with an IR filter. You could also mount external lights with IR bulbs.

Otherwise, tripod with the camera set to manual with remote release. Open the lens up wide and set the shutter as slow as you think you can get away with. Set the ASA/ISO/DIN as high as it will go. If you can shoot RAW, you may be able to shoot with a lower ASA/ISO/DIN any pull a cleaner adjusted image out with your graphics program.

Experiment with settings, digital cameras are cheap to play with. 

Later,

William


----------



## RTM Boy (Jun 1, 2011)

I'm with William on this one - good advice.

Or, you could buy a cheap film 35mm SLR camera, eg Canon or Pentax, with a 50mm or 35mm lens for a few quid (supply of this secondhand stuff easily exceeds supply) and try some different B&W films, eg; Ilford Delta 3200 - ideal for low light, and Rollei Infra-red - with a suitable filter. You'll still need a tripod and remote release.


----------



## Phillionaire (Jan 23, 2010)

Or lie in the grass holding your camera and smear yourself in peanut butter....


----------



## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

Phillionaire said:


> Or lie in the grass holding your camera and smear yourself in peanut butter....


That sounds as...










:lol:

Later,

William


----------



## RTM Boy (Jun 1, 2011)

William_Wilson said:


> Phillionaire said:
> 
> 
> > Or lie in the grass holding your camera and smear yourself in peanut butter....
> ...


I think you'll find that it's easier to smear yourself with peanut butter before lying on the grass. Otherwise you'll just get peanut butter all over your camera and it's a nightmare to clean off...apparently...not that I've tried it you understand...er...enough said... :lol:


----------



## chris l (Aug 5, 2005)

or... one of these. Or similar; then you can leave it setup. Some video would be fun.

Game Camera


----------



## pugster (Nov 22, 2004)

well still trying to a few photos without disturbing my visitor , thru out my chopped up peanut butter sandwichs as usual tonight and sat down to watch tv , heard some weird chuckling noises and it appears im now a dad and the female is comfortable enough to bring 2 cubs right up to my back door.


----------



## PCthug (Jan 13, 2013)

Why not just do the best you can with what you have got, then make adjustments on the PC to lighten them.

There are plenty of free programs out there, like Faststone Image Viewer or Gimp.


----------



## artistmike (May 13, 2006)

I'll lend your cat my 410 shotgun... he'll be able to sort them out for you so that they are much easier to photograph then......


----------



## pugster (Nov 22, 2004)

PCthug said:


> Why not just do the best you can with what you have got, then make adjustments on the PC to lighten them.
> 
> There are plenty of free programs out there, like Faststone Image Viewer or Gimp.


i already do that, i have photoshop cs, photoshop elements and paint shop pro , the pic i posted was taken last night at 10.15 with no flash etc (it was dark) , i used the anti noise software someone has mentioned above and adjusted the levels slighlty , any more (as you have done) and imo it just looks harsh and noisy (like my first posts)


----------



## PCthug (Jan 13, 2013)

Your right it does look harsh and noisy but its a work around and just a suggestion. At least we can see them now and it doesn't look as muddy.

I guess its a trade off, either use a flash and possibly scare them off, don't use a flash or adjust the photos so they are hard to see and look muddy with the white balance being off or adjust them so you can see them, but make them grainy.


----------



## Edb1984 (Jan 11, 2013)

a remote firing flash set up outside would be your best bet, test it little when they are not there so that you dont get flash reflecting off the glass,

wont be too expensive to set up maybe Â£30 with a cheap wireless transmitter and second hand flash - you don't need anything fancy - the only tricky part would be setting it up, not tricky really but just fiddly if you have not done it before


----------



## pugster (Nov 22, 2004)

bit of an update , photos are getting abit better and the cubs have started turning up on there own now as well as with the mother , heres 1 shot of them together and another of 2 of them - i can now sit with the window open and they are feet away yet take little interest in me being there (tho it has taken a few months of feeding them every night) , theres no zoom on the first photo thats how close they get to the bottom window pane with me sitting watching them eat and play.


----------



## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

Nice!

How much of those shots is the result of camera settings and how much is from software manipulation?

Later,

William


----------



## pugster (Nov 22, 2004)

camera is just on automatic but with the flash off (which is why its a bit blurry as the lens stays open longer -as you know) , other than that some noise removal using software and its been given the once over with auto correction in elements , original photo was taken at dusk and was darker.

this is how dark the originals are


----------



## Odo (Mar 22, 2009)

Just a thought, if they are that confident in coming to see you, would a small outside light put them off?

I used to work at a nursing home in the Cotswolds and we would feed badgers every night from the back door, they had no compulsion coming pretty close in the light for a bit of bacon 

As an other option, I see Aldi are doing a night vision/day light hidden camera kit for Â£80 this week, I'm thinking of getting one for myself, sadly only to photograph the hedgehog which is driving my dog mad this week


----------



## Snapper (Jul 22, 2013)

Hi, if your using a compact I would go with the outside light as mentioned above.

Start small with say 2 or 3 torches and slowly over time find ways to increase the light until you are using spots and you have enough light to get good photos.

If I were doing it I'd use 2 or three flashguns and slowly get them used to them , again starting off with low light ( cover flashes with material ) and just fire the flashes a few times without taking pictures and slowly increase power and number of flashes until they are used to full power.

neil


----------



## Benzowner (Nov 11, 2009)

I went to an hotel in Devon where the kitchen fed badgers with the left overs (not the waste) and left on the outside security lights so us folks in the hotel could see them. Lights to many animals is not an issue, their eyes tend not to see them only the movement. Put some lights outside and take the pics. You need a faster shutter speed aa animals won't tend to pose for us humans


----------

