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Photographing Cityscapes at Night 

There are a couple of planning tips you will need to bear in mind before you take any night time photographs of cities:
You first want to choose a good viewpoint;
The second thing you will need is either a tripod or a solid base to place your camera on. Your viewpoint will depend a bit on what kind of shot you are after. I usually try to aim for somewhere that is above the ground (a set of steps, for example), but not always. There are many times that the best photos are taken at ground level.
You need a tripod or solid base because your camera's shutter will be open for several seconds, and you need to make sure the camera doesn't move during those seconds.
You will also need to make sure you secure your camera onto the tripod. If you can't find a solid surface to rest your camera on you can always try propping it up with something like a bag or jumper.
Once your camera is in place, make sure your shutter speed is set to a good few seconds. Start with about 15 seconds.
If you are unable to control the shutter speed, set it to "night" mode.
Once you have everything arranged (camera on a solid surface and self timer primed) you are ready to take your pictures.
The first thing you want to do is observe your scene. Does it contain everything that you wanted to be in it? If you are hoping to get streaking car headlights do you notice any traffic around?
Once you have your scene figured out you can finally press the shutter button.
The self timer should begin to count down. Please note that if you are waiting for something to appear in your scene you need to remember that your shutter speed will have to count down first - time for this.
When the shutter clicks, wait. And wait, and wait . . . until it closes again. Remember that this will be a few seconds.
Don't worry if you must wait some more. Due to the long exposure typical digital cameras take longer than usual to process the photo, so the preview on your LCD screen may take a while to show up.
If you are wanting to try out night photography but don't have any idea where to start here are a few ideas on what to photograph:
Neon lights Streaks of car headlights and tail lights Available light There is some advance planning that you need to do for these ideas. Whatever you choose for you subject you want to find an area where you can photograph safely.
The first thing you do is find your solid spot, or put your camera onto a tripod, and then take a few test shots. If you choose neon lights be aware that they flash so you will want to keep the shutter open for a while in order to catch all the flashes.
For photographing streaks of car headlights and tail lights you will obviously want to find a spot that has a good bit of traffic, but again, be safe in your choice of locations.
Try to get something in the background too - streaks of light on their own can be a little boring!
Then take your shot.
One thing to remember is that the longer you keep your shutter open, the more streaks you will capture. Obviously the more traffic you have the more streaks you will have!
The available light also has a part to play in making a good night photography shot.
There are times when a scene looks its best when you set it amongst inky-black skies. There are also times when a little light works best, so photos just prior to dark really sets in are worth a try too.
The best bit of advice is to try both and see which captures the effect you are after best.
You also will want to play with various shutter speeds since there are times you will find that a 10 second exposure gets the look you are after. Sometimes you may need up to a minute.
Practice, and you will soon get a feel for what you will need for any given situation.

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