How to take good pictures in the dark

By Sophie Gordon
Wednesday, 08 October 2025
JoolzeDymond_Christmas_2018_16.jpg
Taking good photos at night can be a challenge, but it's possible - even if your only tool is a smartphone. Cycling UK's Multimedia Content Producer, Robyn Furtado, gives her five top tips to help your pictures shine.

1. Find and use any available light

If you can, position your subjects near light sources like streetlights.

Using a bike light, the streetlights or someone’s phone flashlight to light the subject can make a big difference.

Always try to have the light hitting the front or side of the subject’s face, not from behind.

Two people stand astride bikes on a road at night. The sky is black, but the people are lit from the front so you can see them clearly
Try lighting your subjects to make them stand out. Image by Joolze Dymond

2. Keep the camera steady

In low light, the camera might blur easily with movement, so try to stay still when taking a photo.

If you have one, use a small tripod. Otherwise, you can lean the phone against something sturdy (set it up on top of a wall for instance).

If handheld, use both hands and keep elbows close to your body to reduce shake.

If you want to capture movement, try a consistent panning motion as the subject move past you, keeping them in the centre of the frame. This should keep the subject in focus while the background is blurred (but can take a few tries to get right). You can also use a longer exposure time to capture lights moving past.

A cycle path in Glasgow in the evening. A person cycles past as a blur of bright clothing and light
Lights moving through a static scene can look effective. Image by Andy Catlin

3. Turn on phone's manual controls (if available)

Some phones allow you to manually set the phone’s settings. I recommend:

  • Turning up exposure (brightness)
  • Auto Focus on
  • A/f 1.4 (or as low as it will go)
  • Shutter speed between 40-100
  • ISO- 1600-2500
  • Shoot in RAW

Lock these settings so they don’t constantly adjust during filming.

Some phones have night mode, or sports mode which you can use to make the shots better lit and less blurry.

A man snoozes in a hammock in a dark woodland. He and his bike are illuminated by fairy lights he has strung between the trees
Committed bikepacking photographers bring their own fairy lights. Image by Sam Jones

4. Avoid zooming and overexposure

Don’t zoom — it reduces quality fast, especially in low light. Just move closer.

Avoid pointing the camera at bright lights (like bulbs or cars) — this will make your subject too dark. Tap the subject’s face on screen to help balance exposure.

Two people stand with bikes on a hillside at dusk, almost silhouetted against the pink and grey sky
Keep the flash off to avoid glare from reflective clothing

5. Use the rear camera

Rear camera usually handles low light better than the selfie camera.

Photograph in landscape (horizontal) - you can always crop it later. If you are thinking about making a video reel for Instagram or TikTok, then film in vertical.

Clean the lens before you start — it makes a surprisingly big difference.

Glow ride

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