Night Photography at Camp: Stars, Fire and Long Exposures

A camp at night has two light sources worth shooting: the fire in front of you and the sky above it. Balancing them is the whole craft.

Set a low ISO, a wide aperture and an exposure of ten to twenty seconds. Anything longer starts to blur the stars into short trails.

Let the fire do the foreground

Position the fire, a lantern or a lit tent low in the frame so it lights the nearest details without overpowering the sky.

Focus manually, in daylight if you can

Autofocus struggles in the dark. Set focus to infinity while there is still light, tape the ring, and it will be ready when the stars are out.