60 Incredible Examples Of Night Photography
Low light levels make night photography a challenging yet rewarding subject. The best results require specialized equipment, like SLR cameras, tripods, cable releases and flashguns. After sunset, the everyday world is magically transformed, and city buildings, fireworks, thunderstorms and the northern lights all become popular subjects.
We present 60 incredible examples of night photography, photos, created by some hard-working and dedicated photographers. Take a look at their websites and portfolios, and you’ll find some links to how-to articles about night photography at the bottom of the post.
You may want to take a look at the following related posts:
- Celebration Of High-Speed Photography
- 25 Beautiful Macro Photography Shots
- 35 Brilliant Examples Of Rain Photography
- 50 Stunning Underwater Photos
- Smoke Photography and Smoke Art
In the City #
Artificial light transforms the urban landscape into a place of magic and mystery.
![night photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/20fa92ca-d95f-4e33-8b30-6b3c6af19d01/bw3.jpg)
![night photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/361157e1-7c70-4e33-896a-a4c19259c886/jd3.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/6ba7a7b0-9f8e-4682-9934-f13246fa0945/dc4.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/ead47793-a028-44fa-9cf1-bd01b5687e8a/ng.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/9eff9484-aeab-4bf9-85dd-c1a25fa79525/dc5.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/b2967b75-791f-4389-8a24-c116675c8ae6/paint.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/cab90bb7-15fc-472e-8f10-97d516935edb/jc1.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/f0dc33a7-0ca9-4771-9c7b-262129dd42c5/jc2.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/0cc5f249-5b23-410f-86dc-ca8409b2265a/pav.jpg)
Loveless Ramblings and Other Cynical Musings
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/4254debc-5daf-4a84-b484-90b7db7be2ec/lo.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/2faf86b4-18bf-419c-a2ab-5b9f6ec45c47/ni.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/930f1959-a64a-4e7c-939b-83a590d4449b/kr.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/b2967b75-791f-4389-8a24-c116675c8ae6/paint.jpg)
Alcove
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/dd35b203-2935-4a9c-936d-c45eb2b64efb/al.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/7bc31264-96fd-4321-aad5-cade49b3beab/po.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/5f5d3e2c-ccb6-4962-9068-22125a731efb/sp.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/05876a3b-07f9-4c16-8a43-81b342e5c3f3/nia2.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/171ed502-c988-4028-ac10-b00d488471f7/km1.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/927b4eac-31a2-4dd5-aa62-afe63e998292/km3.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/990f9be1-f9b3-4cb8-bda4-f5c725c4ce3a/jd1.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/b3b2626a-9d0e-44dc-bc5e-a12a18e04c8b/jd2.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/137c0b01-163c-46d4-ad0b-0d489e96afe3/col.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/95bec7cc-9f82-4d23-81f1-c29300c72c1a/jm1.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/f0ac2fbd-d53d-46d6-abca-ef890b798a32/hat.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/2cc7c6ea-5776-449f-8c08-3fae7cabd172/na.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/f4f2efac-6847-4360-985a-108d90aac78e/dc2.jpg)
Earth at Night
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/7ec59151-70b8-412c-adc8-86d4af564489/earth.jpg)
Landscapes #
Landscape photographers love the magical light of sunset and twilight. With long shutter speeds and a steady tripod it’s even possible to photograph the landscape lit by nothing but moonlight.
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/b5ab17d3-8ac6-4649-9710-5a0bc7703a6b/wo.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/41a0da97-7e45-4d9a-b16d-cac0837a9d29/nia.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/de0d94e2-a6f4-4b2f-a593-835b1d65b4b7/mo.jpg)
oriana.italy
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/c294781c-3051-413f-93e8-f70ffcc62d5a/blue.jpg)
Gerrit Wenz
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/f6bcca30-a7cd-414c-b402-96af0a231680/foot.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/5f67fbd9-32cd-4543-8198-eb850b8bdbe5/ni2.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/9723e25a-e549-4fe9-b602-141c13d728b6/ke1.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/d44261a9-ae5a-4256-9fab-e928b0b87f52/ke2.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/2e7d4546-2b4c-444d-bffe-dbbdd6069eb4/star.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/1db18801-ab65-4dc3-bf05-5d6d08b5eb0d/ke3.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/70ee96e5-50f3-4ac9-830f-32f2072725bc/ab.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/a6004311-1b79-4e7f-85a3-e35d6eaac360/ba.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/006ed38b-b24c-4c2a-b81f-059bb0d9d519/wt1.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/7b68de84-155f-4332-bf7c-6f99c107b704/jm2.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/9eff9484-aeab-4bf9-85dd-c1a25fa79525/dc5.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/c4c790af-f942-4a4e-bb67-1c815a24d836/tk1.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/51042482-643c-46f8-8274-c00e0b0f27eb/tk2.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/86ba0ced-edb9-4fca-af7d-924006cd05c8/bw1.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/9a3a5846-9a18-41d1-8199-a18ce62d7655/bw2.jpg)
Northern Lights #
The northern lights are a popular subject for photographers living in the extreme north of Canada, Alaska and Europe.
Örvar Atli Þorgeirsson
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/9ffa224b-79de-45cc-b72d-bb3596d8cdae/op1.jpg)
Örvar Atli Þorgeirsson
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/1beb812a-c6d1-402c-9a65-44867e72ca93/op2.jpg)
Örvar Atli Þorgeirsson
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/d17d8ce3-e8ab-4762-b049-977b8756fb0c/op3.jpg)
Örvar Atli Þorgeirsson
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/6b710f3d-140f-4f57-b8a0-440ddfbf84f5/op4.jpg)
Örvar Atli Þorgeirsson
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/7ed81c23-06f2-4125-9885-8c5295a1aba0/op5.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/2852128a-6b97-4c05-926e-38696f6b16b0/mw1.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/560c8c55-ca8f-4eef-a7fa-7d38737ff163/mw2.jpg)
Storms #
Dramatic thunderstorms are captured using slow shutter speeds.
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/a5e80a69-9e72-49d5-b173-e0603943989c/nm.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/e701d8d6-d51a-4ef5-9d3d-1bb0c8ceb185/jc4.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/52e3739f-c6ce-410c-a48c-76ccc9c71a03/gc2.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/787330ae-9ee6-434c-a87e-bcdfd233459b/gc3.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/0436549a-4ba5-459f-bd2b-9153bd25f09b/cp.jpg)
Heavenly Bodies #
It’s even possible to photograph the stars and the moon with the right equipment.
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/0dc28131-2b70-4cd8-86f9-629d90180216/ma2.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/5f9f6063-0773-40a1-a78d-c5d28478d96f/gc1.jpg)
Neil Creek
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/e2dc16fd-0cff-4987-b9bb-90ed305849c7/nc.jpg)
Fireworks #
Another popular subject for night photographers.
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/6b3340f2-a9d4-40b6-8b77-2506a9c28ab1/ma1.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/7c684d90-b6a9-4415-a36b-18de26d493a0/km2.jpg)
Troy Paiva #
Troy Paiva specializes in night photography and light-painting techniques. He explores America’s abandoned urban landscapes in his latest book “Night Vision: The Art of Urban Exploration.”
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/4e357973-45bc-40c3-bc9a-8bbaa0248b7b/tp1.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/db36276f-4739-4d58-af2e-134b7d3cad5a/tp2.jpg)
Anthony James #
Anthony James has a passion for night photography. Over the years, he has amassed a unique collection of photographic images covering a variety of subjects from different parts of Asia, Europe and Australia.
“For me the joy of photography comes from the ability to capture and record a unique slice of space and time that may otherwise be lost forever. A moment perhaps only witnessed by an individual yet shared with the rest of us, albeit imbued with a unique perspective - a window on our world that may remain forever etched into our consciousness.”
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/dcdcc438-21ba-45ad-bacd-7930488e4c68/aj1.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/910fad88-cf82-4d0e-ad60-6576ca9c3d4d/aj2.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/e4cfa77c-a6f6-41a3-8b98-3bf297509d77/aj3.jpg)
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/2565efb7-ac6c-492e-8776-2e89bc58727a/aj5.jpg)
Last Click #
![Beautiful Night Photo](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/2a44fb4e-a8f5-4d17-a2d1-3c26ceb19fa1/aj4.jpg)
Resources #
- PhotoNetCast - Interview with Troy Paiva Troy Paiva is a night photography expert and author of the book “Night Vision: The Art of Urban Exploration.”
- Moonlight Sonata - Landscape Imaging by the Light of the Full Moon A night photography by article by Bruce B. Clendenning.
- Talented Night Photographers
- After Dark: Night Photography Flickr pool
— Comments 81
Amazing! I live outside of Toronto, Canada, and I remember last year I went out and could see the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) and I was amazed and had NO photography equipment at all; not even a camera phone! bah!
Beautiful pictures. I've yet to master night shots.