Night shooting can be a thrilling and adventurous pastime for photographers of all abilities. There’s something about shooting at night that makes you feel like the city is your playground. I did some night shooting in Los Angeles before, so I was excited to take my NX300 for a spin in Madrid after I bought a new tripod.

NX300 | 1/25 | f/4 | ISO 1600 | 27mm A Rooftop View

NX300 | 13 | f/20 | ISO 100 | 18mm Metropolis

NX300 | 1/25 | f/14 | ISO 100 | 18mm Banco de España

A tripod, slow shutter speed, and patience are all necessary when venturing out into the darkness. By slowing down your shutter speed you’re giving your camera more time to soak in as much light as possible. This is exactly what you need during the night, when light is scarce and the only available light sources are artificial. However, by increasing the shutter time you are also causing your camera to be extremely sensitive to movement. The slightest bump will render your shot blurry. This is where a tripod comes into play, keeping your camera steady and properly angled toward your best shot.

NX300 | 4 | f/22 | ISO 100 | 18mm Carnival Time

NX300 | .6 | f/14 | ISO 100 | 18mm Getting Dizzy

By setting your camera to Shutter Priority [S] mode, you can experiment with your shutter speed to gain different effects, and your camera will automatically adjust to the appropriate aperture. Things like blurred cars and light streams can easily be achieved by setting your camera to a slower shutter speed. The NX300 shutter speed ranges from 1/6000 seconds all the way to 30 seconds! With that sort of range, you can shoot everything from high speed car races to a room lit only by candlelight.

Another great method to take night shots is by using the NX300’s Night mode which combines multiple images to create brighter, clearer pictures in low light, sans flash. If you don’t feel comfortable playing around with your shutter speed quite yet, this is a great way to take photos that pop.

NX300 | 4 | f/22 | ISO 100 | 30mm Nostalgia

NX300 | 8 | f/22 | ISO 100 | 18mm Spin City

NX300 | 6 | f/11 | ISO 100 | 25mm Templo de Debod

NX300 | 6 | f/11 | ISO 100 | 45mm Egyptian Ruins

You’ll be surprised by how you can transform some ordinary day scenes into magical night shots. So, if you’re feeling like having an adventure on the town, grab your Samsung SMART CAMERA and a tripod and have a go!

NX300 | 13 | f/18 | ISO 100 | 18mm The Gateway