This Aperture Makes Night Street Photography Easy

[@formicapple2]

Great presentation style: clear, simple, slow, short pauses to be clear. Excellent photography techniques.

[@joeredski]

Thank you so much for that great feedback. I really appreciate that. I’m glad you are getting something from my video 🙏

[@daryljohnson9010]

I was out last night and used F2-2.5 at ISO’s between 2000 and 4000 with about 1/80 sec shutter speeds. Given it’s an older Fujifilm camera body, there will be sensor noise. In this case actually I wanted the noise and mixed it with simulated film grain in post obtaining the look I was hoping for. Budget friendly and fun!

[@joeredski]

Thanks for sharing your settings and your camera. I also really appreciate the noise mixed in with the simulated film grain. It really does help give your images a certain vibe that you can't get by being too conscious about noise in your images. I love the film simulations of the Fuji cameras. I appreciate your comment.

[@johnwinter8131]

Appreciate you doing those videos. Love your style, videography and everything. Thank you for all those helpful tips. Literally most underappriciated channel on youtube. :)

[@joeredski]

Thank you very much for that feedback, man. I’m glad I can provide some value to you. That is much appreciated. 👍

[@nicks7840]

You're right, had to figure this through trial and error, 2.8 is kind of a sweet spot & Auto ISO makes things so much easier... do you ever adjust the exposure? Meter the shop or street light and under expose it; this creates some great shadows, saves the highlights and pushes the ISO lower.

[@joeredski]

Thanks for your comment. I rarely adjust the exposure, especially at night as I don’t want to crush the shadows. I’d rather just shoot and go. but I certainly think you can expose tricky areas by doing that. I appreciate your comment, man and I’m glad you see the merits of f/2.8 and Auto ISO 😬👍

[@redeyepete]

First video to give such clear information on night photos, best settings saved me and others from pitfalls and lot of trial and error.Thanks for your brilliant video.

[@joeredski]

@@redeyepeteI'm glad I could be of help. Thank you so much. I really appreciate your great feedback.

[@andycakebread7663]

Thanks again Joe, great presentation and info 👍 Nice 'tache btw

[@joeredski]

Thanks again! Glad you like the tache 😅

[@johntruman6571]

Hi Joe. Great to have come across your work. I'm very much into shooting film at present and enjoying the approach of Ted Vieira in Las Vegas (also on KZbin). Over the next couple of nights I'll shoot some Ilford HP5, pushed to 1600, using f2.8 of course, as you suggest, on the coast here in Kent. Thanks for the tips!

[@joeredski]

Thank you very much John. I'd love to try out shooting film. I'm sure I'll get round to it one day. it sounds like you know your stuff and thank you very much for appreciating my tips. I will definitely check out the work of Ted Vieira. Enjoy!

[@BehindTheNeedle]

Great video! Super helpful tips. Thanks Joe!

[@joeredski]

My pleasure. Thank you.

[@euancleland-v7r]

Great tutorial thanks. Now off to have a look at upgrading from f4 to f2.8 😂

[@joeredski]

Glad you enjoyed it. Give it a go and see if it works for you. Enjoy!

[@KerryFreemanMelbourne]

Good lesson...many thanks.😊

[@joeredski]

You're welcome 😊

[@missmerrily4830]

Fabulous. Thank you!

[@joeredski]

My pleasure. Thank you very much.

[@leep5113]

Definitely going to try this…thanks!

[@joeredski]

That's what I like to hear. Thanks for letting me know. Enjoy.

[@fredgreen9578]

Excellent video. Good tips. Need to get out and try night shooting.

[@joeredski]

My pleasure. Thank you very much for your feedback.

[@desgardner4627]

Thank you, notes have been taken!

[@joeredski]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you very much.

[@TGAAL-sx9rm]

Superb info as normal, thanks Joe, I want to go out to night and try your tips, thank you.

[@joeredski]

That’s excellent. That’s what I like to hear… Thank you so much. 👍👍

[@bennielaars]

Interesting video, nice YT recommendation. I subscribed

[@joeredski]

Awesome, thank you!

[@rcsukor]

Thank you for the video Joe!👌

[@joeredski]

My pleasure. Thank you for your comment. 👍

[@watching-youtube-now]

I found EV -2.7 to -3.7 work best at night. I shoot at 25mm and my default at night is also f/2.8. Though without any IBIS so I'm limited to 1/50 for consistent results, but adobe denoise takes care of the elevated ISO.

[@joeredski]

Thanks for sharing your settings. It’s interesting to see how yours is so different to mine, especially with your exposure compensation choice. I don’t think I’d be able to be productive without IBIS. I’m glad it’s working for you. Appreciated 👍

[@gordonisbell2308]

Welcome back Joe. By chance are you using a nightlight diffuser in this video? The lights appear to have a certain glow to them.

[@joeredski]

Thanks Gordon. I add diffusion in post in Davinci Resolve, with the Halation effect. There is no diffusion on the DJI Action 4 lens though. 👍

[@awpqq]

The focal length also matters and 2.8 may be ideal with a 40mm lens - but if you are using, say, a 28mm then f/2 or even f/1.7 will give you great results - and at lower ISOs.

[@joeredski]

Great point! You’re absolutely right that the wider 28mm can work well at f/2 or even f/1.7, especially for getting that extra light in lower ISO situations. Just be careful with maintaining depth of field at those apertures. I use the Ricoh GRIII and GRIII X, so I keep the 40mm at f/2.8 for a nice balance of detail and isolation, but it’s definitely worth experimenting with different apertures on the 28mm too, if your camera allows for wider apertures. Thanks for sharing your insight!

[@brucetaylor607]

I have a Nikon D3500 and I do have a Nikon 40mm f2.8 lens. After seeing your video, I made the necessary settings to the specifications you mentioned. The only difference is my shutter speed is set at 1/125. I'm hoping for some great shots around 42St-Grand Central area. Wish me luck and thanx for this awesome video.

[@joeredski]

@@brucetaylor607 Awesome camera set up and awesome settings. My pleasure and good luck.

[@scotskinner4350]

I use f2.8 with auto ISO at night. The auto ISO range I use is 200-1600. I can't set a minimum shutter speed, I typically set the shutter speed to 1/30 but I can hold the camera steady enough - thanks to in body stabilization - to go as slow as 1/8. I also set the exposure compensation to -1.

[@joeredski]

Thanks man. I appreciate you sharing those settings on here. It’s interesting to see how other people handle slow shutter speeds. Looks like you can handhold the camera at slower speeds than me. I can see how your slow shutter speed works well with your ISO setting and your negative exposure compensation. Cheers Scott. Awesome stuff 👍

[@AaaaandAction]

Pointless discussion about best night time aperture when you can use iso 6400+ to effectively make it day.

[@joeredski]

Sorry you feel that way. It's clearly not pointless. Maybe it's just not for you. People do need and want to know what aperture to use at night time - not everybody does know. If you use ISO 6400 + you're going to get noise in your images. You can't just have a discussion about ISO without discussing aperture and shutter speed.

[@AaaaandAction]

@ most of your examples are iso 6400 or 5000, you’re not having a discussion about iso or noise, your video is entitled’This aperture makes street photography easy’ so it’s a discussion about aperture. If you use 6400 in a street any aperture larger than 5.6 will work. Glad I could clarify that.

[@joeredski]

@@AaaaandAction I appreciate the clarification, though I still think there’s value in discussing the ideal aperture specifically for night street photography, which is why I focused on it in the video. My intention was to help viewers find a starting point for aperture settings that balance depth of field, sharpness, and light sensitivity, rather than only pushing ISO. In fact, I did discuss ISO in great depth, with a large portion of the video centered around using auto ISO, as this helps manage noise in varying lighting conditions. While it’s true any aperture larger than f/5.6 can work at ISO 6400 in some situations, in dark settings, f/5.6 may not allow enough light, even at higher ISOs. f/2.8 remains one of the best apertures for night street photography because it allows for faster shutter speeds, which is essential to avoid motion blur in low light. Using a smaller aperture like f/5.6 often forces a slower shutter speed, which can lead to unwanted blur, especially in a dynamic street environmentEach setting-aperture, ISO, and shutter speed-plays its own role, and I wanted to make sure viewers understand that relationship.