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camping activities, Camping Hobbies, Night Photography, RV Camping, RV Hobbies, RV Photography, RV photos
The word photograph was derived from Greek, and it basically translates to drawing with light. I like to think of photography as painting with light because it sounds artsier. Even though there isn’t much light to paint with, you can still take photographs in low light situations.
Many times, while traveling, my wife and I have come across a situation like a cave tour, a heavily shaded forest, and all manner of other occasions where we wanted to photograph, but ambient light was a limited resource. Below are some tips and equipment you will need to capture some night photos on your travels.
Get a Good Tripod
Before the tiny digital cameras, we now carry in our pockets, film cameras had a little door called a shutter that would open, expose the film to the light, and close again. The longer the shutter was open, the more light would be absorbed into the film, and the brighter the image would become. The speed at which the shutter opened and closed was cleverly called the shutter speed.
Low light situations call for longer shutter speeds to gather enough light for a properly exposed photograph. As the shutter stays open longer, it becomes impossible to take clear photos while handholding the camera.
This can be a problem for both smartphone users and DSLR users. You can use a sturdy tripod to eliminate the camera shake.
Tripods come in many different price points, and unless you plan to take up night shots as a passion, you don’t need to spend $300 on one. From my personal experience, anything in the $30-$50 range is fine. Amazon has many in that price range, and some come with universal phone mounts for smartphone photography.
This Endurax 67″ Video Camera Tripod for Canon Nikon DSLR Camera Stand with Universal Phone Mount and Carry Bag will do the job.
Increase the Light
It might sound like an obvious statement, but you can always add light to get a better shot if you find yourself in a low-light situation. You can do this in many ways, but the easiest is to bring a bright light with you. A flashlight can work if you have nothing else. I carry a small light with me in my pocket. It doesn’t take up much room in the RV either.
It is possible to shine a light on anything you want to highlight in the photograph, such as a person. Natalie took the photos below with a smartphone.
In the photo above, my wife, Natalie, took three shots right after sundown. Natalie took the first photo with no flash. You can see that the smartphone did a pretty good job of getting me and the background exposed. I am a little dark, though.
She took the second photo with the smartphone camera flash on. The flash did a great job of lighting up the foreground and me. I feel that the flash lit up the foreground too much. I want the photo to focus on the lighthouse in the background while lighting me up too.
The third photo was taken with the flash off once again; however, she shined a flashlight on me when she took the photo. Photography is definitely an art, meaning it is open to interpretation. I feel the last photo does the best job of highlighting the subject in the foreground and the subject in the background. Had we not played around with the flashlight, we would not have been able to get that photo.
Another example of using light to your advantage is the photo above. I also took these photos with a smartphone at night. I snapped the photos on the left with the flash on. You can see I got well-exposed photos, but they look rather flat. The moss on that log and the pinecone had way more texture than the photo had shown.
To show the texture, I needed to bring a light source in from the side. This would cast shadows and create contrast. In the photos on the right, I used the same flashlight from the previous photos to light the moss from the side. I’m probably not winning any photography awards anytime soon. Still, you probably agree, the moss lit from the side produced a more interesting image.
Many scenarios might benefit from the extra light source. Natalie and I have found ourselves hiking in some heavily wooded areas while RVing. These environments can be rather dark when the trees block out the sunlight.
When you know you will be in a low light situation, bring a small flashlight with you. The trick is to play around with the light to get different looks. You will take a lot of bad photos, dark photos, or just photos you hate at first, but keep playing around, and eventually, you will find out what works and what doesn’t.
Learn to Use Manual Mode
Managing your camera settings allows you to decide exactly what a photo you are taking should look like. The trick is learning how to use it. It takes practice, but if you really want to take photos worthy of framing, manual mode is the way to go, whether you are taking night photos or day photos.
Smart Phone Users
If the camera app that came with your phone does not have a manual mode, there are many apps out there that allow you to adjust the shutter speed and other camera settings.
To find one, go to the app store and search for “manual camera,” and find an app that you like. I have an Android phone and use the pro version of Camera FV-5. Halide is a highly rated app if you have an iPhone. With each of those apps, there will probably be a bit of a learning curve. It’s best to spend some time snapping photos with them to get the hang of it.
If you have a modern dedicated handheld camera, then you probably have a manual mode. Check out your camera’s manual to find out what buttons change which settings.
How a Camera Works
This is going to be a rather brief explanation of how a camera works. One could devote many pages to explaining how each aspect of a camera works. I actually did so in my e-book titled Photography 101: A Beginners Guide by Levi Henley. I’m a little biased, of course. Still, if you want to learn more about photography, it’s a good resource and available on Amazon. Shameless self-promotion aside, here is how a modern digital camera turns light into photos.
- Light enters the lens for a predetermined amount of time. (shutter speed)
- The hole that allows light into the lens can be opened or closed to allow more or less light in at once. (F-stop setting)
- The light hits a chip covered with thousands of sensors that detect the light and digitally record the intensity, color, and location of each pixel (dot). You can set the chip to be more and less sensitive to light. (ISO)
- The camera uses this information to create the image you see on your screen.
You may have noticed three terms in the list above. The three main camera settings you can control on manual mode are F-stop, shutter speed, and ISO. The video below does an excellent job of explaining how to use all of those settings.
Here is an example of using manual mode to capture an image the way I wanted it to look.
Natalie and I were exploring a cave we came across while traveling. There was absolutely no light inside. In the first photo I took of this passage, I just set the camera on automatic and used the camera’s flash. I got an okay photo, but it didn’t show that passage winding back as far as I could see with my flashlight.
In the right photo, I did an interesting trick that can only be achieved in manual mode. I set the camera on a tripod and turned my shutter speed to 25 seconds to keep the shutter open. I set the F-stop to f/22 for a wide depth of field and clicked the shutter button.
While the shutter button was open, I took that trusty flashlight and waved it all around the scene like a paintbrush. Yes, in manual mode using long shutter speeds, you can literally paint things in with light.
Photograph things!
When RVing, it’s hard to collect things on your travels. Space is limited. Getting into photography is a great way for RVers to take souvenirs from all the places they visit. Traveling gives us RVers a distinct ability to collect photographs from many amazing locations. When one takes the time to learn how to use the camera, they can create beautiful art. You can get the necessary knowledge of photography by using resources like YouTube or books. I’m not the only one who has written a beginning photography book; Amazon has hundreds. Read as many as you can.
The most important tip, though, is that knowledge will only take you so far. The practice is what builds your skill. So go out and shoot. Take lots and lots of photos and experiment. It’s a great traveling hobby.
About The Author: Levi Henley
Levi Henley and his wife, Natalie, have been full-time RVers for over 5 years. They have also been Coach-Net customers for the same amount of time. They travel and workcamp around the U.S. in their 26-foot Itasca Sunstar motorhome with their two cats. They write for multiple RV-related publications and recently co-wrote “Seasonal Workamping for a Living: How We Did It.” You can follow their adventures on the road at henleyshappytrails.com
John W. ~ “I have been a Coach-Net member for quite some time now and I have never been disappointed. Just knowing that I have the “Coach-Net blanket” of safety and security gives me peace of mind that I never want to be without. Yes, there are other roadside assistance services out there but I am not giving up what I know to be the best.”
Last but not least, we highly recommend handing each kid 
Camping with the family is always a fun experience—that is, until the rain starts pouring. When this happens, many campers feel disappointed and trapped inside of their RVs. While that feeling is totally understandable, it is also 100% avoidable.
As summer gives way to fall, many people will be winterizing their RVs and putting them away for the colder months. Fortunately, you do not have to be one of those people. Why not keep the RV out for some fall-time camping with the kids? Not only will you get to continue to enjoy the relaxing camping experience, your kids will be thrilled as well.
While acorns can be found on the ground in the summer, they become much more abundant as the weather turns colder. Take advantage of this fact by teaching your young nature explorers how to create a whistle from an acorn cap. Not only is this great fun, it could also be helpful knowledge to have in an emergency situation.
If you enjoy hiking, you are probably always looking for a way to entertain the kiddos during your treks through nature. Why not have the young hikers collect pretty fall leaves during your adventures? There are leaves in lots of amazing colors, shapes, and sizes, and collecting them could turn into a fun lesson on how to identify various leaves.
The fall season brings earlier sunsets, meaning much more of your camping time will be spent in darkness. However, you don’t have to let this fact put a damper on your fun. Instead, use the darkness to increase your fun by playing a rousing game of flashlight tag.
Summer and camping go hand in hand, and there is nothing quite as wonderful as sharing the summer camping experience with your kids. Part of the reason my family lives the RV lifestyle is to spend more time experiencing camping and making memories together, and I think every family should have the opportunity to do the same.
Hunting for treasure is fun for everyone. After all, it gives the hunters a great opportunity to pretend they are pirates, and who wouldn’t love to have that chance?
Many RVers have taken up painting and hiding rocks in the campgrounds they visit. The rocks are then found by others, who have the option to keep the pretty decorations or hide them somewhere else for other lucky campers to find.
Swimming is a big part of camping for most people. This is especially true during the hot summer months when keeping cool becomes difficult. Why not make your camping swimming sessions even more fun by playing some water games?
After the sun goes down, most campers can be found sitting around campfires telling stories and singing songs. While you will definitely want to have the classic campfire experience, there is nothing wrong with mixing it up on occasion.