The Melbourne Moomba Festival 2011 is not something to be missed. This was the time to have some fun and enjoy the festivities. For 3 days, the people of Melbourne gathered and enjoyed rides and fireworks. It was great to see that huge number of people from different background enjoying the festival.

Obviously this is always a good time for anyone interested in photography to get out there and grab some photos. I went and did all the photography handheld at the time (I should have really brought a monopod at least, perhaps next time), there were too many people around to be lugging my tripod. Plus I didn’t go to the festival solely for photography reasons, I went there with some friends to have some fun too. Anyway, my gear at the time is just my Nikon D300s and the Holga.

As a plus, there is always a Moomba parade on the last day of the festival. During this yearly parade, we have the opportunity to see the participant from many different cultural backgrounds. Unfortunately I didn’t get a front spot at the time due to some prior appointment. otherwise there would have been more shots from the parade.

Checkout the gallery below, oh, and I’m sure you’ll be able to spot which ones were shot with the Holga.

On the more technical side, all images were post-processed ever so lightly using Nikon View NX, Holga negatives were scanned using Canon negative scanner.

I”m now back on pursuing my photography interest after being really pre-occupied with many other things Anyway, on to the subject: handheld night photography. I’m sure many would think that this is absurd, one would need a tripod for night photography right? Well, yes and no. There are variety of factors that would affect our results in handholding the camera.

For me, the main reason I handheld the camera at the time was because upon entering the Luna Park, we noticed that there was a big sign saying “No Tripod”. Hence for the sake of appropriateness and understanding I put my tripod back into the bag. This turns out to be a good opportunity.

So how do we do this? How do we photograph in low light condition without a tripod and expect to get a clear view ?

1. Use a fast lens if there’s any. The lens that I was using was the f 2.8 Tamron.
2. Use higher ISO. If your camera permits, use the around ISO 1600 or higher. Be careful with this since you’ll have to compensate with noise
3. Know your exposure rules. Don’t forget the unofficial rule of thumb: your focal length is around  the minimum shutter speed. So if your lens focal length is 50mm, then your minimum shutter speed is 1/60s. This works most of the time.
4. Be steady, make sure you are holding your camera in a steady stance. Use both hands with elbows close or resting to the chest.
5. Pick the right spot, there are places where you can rest your camera (and your hands) on for steadier shot.

Above are the few points that helped me get the shots that night.

Handheld photography is also made easier if it not pitch black yet, and it adds a lot to the composition.

For example, the shot on the right was taken just after the sunset; the best thing about that time is that its dark enough for us to capture the artificial lights and its still light enough to capture the scene easily without using too higher ISO. So another lesson to add: pick your time carefully.

One last tip before the end of the article: always shoot in RAW format. In case you get underexposed slightly, there is still chance to save your shot. Sure RAW is much larger in file size than JPEG, but with large memory cards these days, it shouldn’t be a problem.

So…to conclude, handheld night photography is possible given the technique and location. Maybe not so recommended, but will be handy when tripods are not possible.