For Carrie (and anyone else who cares):

Night photography is not something I’ve done much of and I definitely don’t consider myself an authority, so what I’m about to tell is not necessarily  “the rules.” It’s just what I do when I want to take pictures in the dark.

1) Never, never use a flash.

2) Choose a high ISO.  For the shots I took in Chicago, I used an ISO of 1000. (Note: High ISOs make your pictures more grainy, so make sure to switch back to 400 when you’re done with the nighttime stuff)

3) Use a slow shutter speed. This means that the camera will stay open longer and let more light in. I start somewhere around 30 (1/30 of a second) and experiment from there. Any fast movement will still be blurry, while things not moving will be sharper (this is why some of the people in my picture are more blurry than others.

4) You’ll need to use a tripod because when your shutter speed is longer than about 60, you can’t hold it still enough in your hands to avoid making the whole picture blurry.

Really, I’m very lazy. I wasn’t toting a tripod with me through the streets of Chicago, so I rested my camera on a trashcan or against a wall to take these photos. If you really want good nighttime shots, get a good tripod and a wireless remote shutter release.

I hope that helps.