The Digital Story: Show Notes Archives

Nighttime Is the Right Time for Smartphone Photography - TDS Photo Podcast

By Derrick Story on June 15, 2026 9:26 PM

This is The Digital Story Podcast 1,056, June 16, 2026. Today's theme is, "Nighttime Is the Right Time for Smartphone Photography" I'm Derrick Story.

Smartphones are good at a lots of things. And they are really good at night photography. And when you want to escape the hot, contrasty glare of summer days, let the evening roll in, grab your phone, and go make some stunning pictures. I'll share my favorite tips for just that on today's TDS Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show.

Digital Photography Podcast 1056

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Podbean Podcasts -- Podbay FM -- Tune In

Nighttime Is the Right Time for Smartphone Photography

So what is Nighttime mode and how does it work? I'll use the iPhone as the example.

Night mode automatically turns on when the camera detects a low-light environment. The Night mode icon at the top of the display turns yellow when the feature is active. Depending on how dark the scene is, your iPhone might take a Night mode photo quickly, or it might take several seconds. You'll see the countdown on the iPhone screen.

iPhones use a combination of computational photography and image stabilization to take photos in low light conditions. Instead of a single exposure, the camera takes multiple frames at different exposures and fuses them together using software to remove noise, brighten shadows, and preserve colors.

This process involves Frame Stacking and Alignment. The camera captures a series of short-to-long exposures over a few seconds. The main "reference frame" freezes motion, while other longer exposures capture color and detail. Then, the phone's image processor aligns these frames to fix blur caused by a shaky hand, then merges them to create a single, crisp image.

If you look at the EXIF data for a Night Mode shot, such as in Nitro, you'll see that it's a Composite Image, usually between 10 and 15 frames. You can also see the individual Composite Image Exposure Times.

Tips for Night Photography with an iPhone

First, let's go to Settings > Camera. Go to Prioritize Faster Shooting and toggle it off. We want the best image quality possible.

Next, learn how to turn on Night Mode Max by long-pressing the Moon icon at the top of the Camera app. This allows for a longer exposure, up to 30 seconds, depending on how steady the camera is.

There is a tradeoff, however. In Night Mode the resolution is set to 12MP, even on new iPhones such as the 17 Pro.

Techniques for Shooting in Night Mode

Keep hands as steady as possible. Widen your stance and use two hands to grip the phone and keep them close to the body.

Brace your body against a solid surface.

Gently press the shutter button.

Take multiple photos instead of just one. Then you can choose the best.

Use the Main Camera (1X) because of fast aperture.

Pro RAW + Night Mode for maximum edibility.

One of the great things about nighttime photography with a smartphone is that you don't attract attention to yourself like you would using a mirrorless camera on a tripod. You can go about your business unnoticed and unbothered. Yet, you can come away with stunning shots.

If you are in a situation where you feel comfortable setting up a tripod, then shooting in RAW with Night Mode Max can provide exposures up to 30 seconds with incredible detail and color.

Night photography is a great way to separate your images from everyday snapshots. Whether you're exploring new territory on vacation, or just feeling like getting out in your hometown stomping grounds, these techniques will render your world in a whole different light.

This Week in the News

Apple's RAW Processing is Finally Evolving After a Decade and It's a Big Deal as featured on PetaPixel.com

Sales of full-frame mirrorless cameras are flatlining, while compact camera sales continue to grow - what's going on? as featured on AmateurPhotographer.com

5 Lenses Nobody Gets Excited About That Produce More Photos Than Anything in Your Bag as featured on PetaPixel.com

Virtual Camera Club News

Workshops!

The 2026 TDS Photography Workshop Season. We are featuring webinars, online workshops, and in-person events focused on creating impactful images in the company of those who love photography as much as you. Our workshops are like no others, and we think you will throughly enjoy the camaraderie and the tips and techniques.

Stop by The Nimble Photographer Workshop Page and reserve your spot today.

Lightroom Power Tools Online Workshop - Led by Rob Knight, Sept. 9, 16, 23, 30, 2026

Adobe Certified Expert Rob Knight will be showcasing some powerful editing tools that have recently been added to Adobe's raw editing in this new workshop. As the tools improve, the work gets easier.

Rob will go over the ins and outs of the improved masking tools, point color adjustments, color grading, AI noise reduction, and more.

Each session is recorded and made available to all registered participants.

Inner Circle Bold. Sign up for the Annual Membership that's only $75.60 a year, you will receive all of the regular Inner Circle benefits, plus a coupon for your choice of a 2026 Online workshop hosted by me.

Great Photography Articles on Live View - If you check out our publication and appreciate what you see, be sure to follow us and clap for those authors. You can find us at medium.com/live-view.

If you're interested in writing for Live View, drop me a line at dstory@gmail.com.

The Nimble Photographer Newsletter is now publishing every Thursday. Readers will enjoy a variety of content spanning from short photo essays, to commentary on weekly events, to reviews of the latest and coolest photo gear.

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts! We are having a blast at our new Inner Circle hangout, the private group I've set up at DerrickStoryOnline. We'd love it if you join us. You can become an Inner Circle Member by signing up at our Patreon site. You will automatically be added to the new hangout.

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

Red River Paper - And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.

See you next week!

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

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Capture vs Post Production: What's More Important? - TDS Photo Podcast

By Derrick Story on June 8, 2026 8:47 PM

This is The Digital Story Podcast 1,055, June 9, 2026. Today's theme is, "Capture vs Post Production: What's More Important?" I'm Derrick Story.

Cameras today include a variety of tools, such as built-in film simulations and LUTs, to help us put our creative stamp on every picture we capture. At the same time, post production apps are more powerful than ever, and easier to use. So, what's the perfect mix of creative capture and image editing? I explore this question on today's TDS Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show.

Digital Photography Podcast 1055

Tune-In Via Your Favorite Podcast App!

Apple Podcasts -- Spotify Podcasts -- Stitcher

Podbean Podcasts -- Podbay FM -- Tune In

Capture vs Post Production: What's More Important?

I was comparing notes about Costa Rica with a photographer friend the other day, one whose pictures I've seen and admired, and was surprised by his comment, "Yeah, I don't work on my pictures much after I take them. Maybe a little cropping and exposure, but that's about it."

This shocked me. He is an adept photographer with enthusiast gear who travels to take pictures.

When I remarked that I was surprised by his comment, he continued, "I just never got very good with editing software. Probably, if I knew it better, I would do more."

This got me thinking. "Am I in the majority or minority here?" For me, digital photography is equal parts capture and editing. Even in my film days, I spent a lot of time in the darkroom working my pictures to come as close to my vision as possible. Now that Lightroom, Luminar, ON1 Photo RAW, Mac OS Photos, Nitro, Photomator, DxO PhotoLab, and others have streamlined this process, I probably do even more image editing than a few years ago.

At the same time, I love the film simulations, art filters, and LUTs that are embedded in our cameras these days. I often leverage them to create the mood I want at capture. Sometimes those shots just stand as they are and are never touched by editing software.

Am I typical or unusual? I decided to pose this question, not am I unusual, rather what percentage of a finished image is the result of pure capture vs capture plus image editing, to our Inner Circle Members. I had a feeling that I would be surprised by their comments. And indeed I was.

Here's how the poll shook out:

Even though our community is relatively proficient at image editing, most prefer to use those tools as finishing touches rather than drive the final product. In fact, I'm often in that camp myself, as long as I'm getting the results I want. If I'm not, then I will lean more on image editing for the desired results.

Here are some of their comments:

"I try to get it as close as I can in camera and then edit a bit such as color and sometimes getting rid of distractions. I try to avoid Photoshop at all costs. If the photo has to go there I feel that I got something wrong." - John J.

"I tend to shoot with the edit in mind, but I don't push things that far in post typically and stay within Capture One. I have done workshops that demand a more experimental approach to post that I found quite liberating though. It just wouldn't fit my more usual genres." - Andrew H.

"I find I make small tweaks to most images in terms of highlight and shadow recovery to expand the dynamic range of the captured images. I also make white balance corrections when I disagree with the automatic white balance from the camera. I also play around with B&W conversions of certain images that I think would provide an interesting perspective. All my IR images get post processed, that goes without saying. Post processing is just part of the overall creative process. i guess it comes form all my years working with film and prints in the physical chemical darkroom where the print was the final product and the negative was the score." - Bob W.

"The key to your question is "final result". The average iPhone shot that I share may or may not need a little crop or exposure change before sharing. To me that is no more editing that when I used to shoot film and go to the darkroom, tho' slides got no editing. My final result is usually creating a photo to frame or add to a printed book of my travels. Then it is all about editing, cropping, exposure, removing distractions, colorizing so it looks good in a larger format than the screen. To be frank, I like the computer more than the camera." - Harold M.

"I've been working on a recipe for my Ricoh GRIII that captures the natural colors in our light. Our light in South Philly is very white and the colors are brick and concrete and colonial blues and reds. I was spending a lot of time trying to get the colors right in post processing. Now, I'm happy to say, my jpg's need little adjustment." - Barbara K.

Over the years, photographers have asked me if there's a right or wrong way to go about balancing capture with editing. Like other aspects of photography, the answer is no, that is, as long as you're getting the results you want.

But if you're not, I think it's worth the investment of time and money to learn the software you need to get the pictures you want. It makes sense, right? We invest in travel and gear, sometimes a lot, why not maximize that investment in learning a bit more about post production?

Certainly the opportunities are there. Books, YouTube videos, and online classes can all accelerate our editing skills. If we invest just a little more, we may get the shots we want.

But if you're loving the images you get straight out of camera, there's no need to pursue editing on a computer. And I would say that it's easier today than ever to get amazing photos directly from our capture devices. And if that's the part you love, that's beautiful.

So I think the bottom line is driven by your satisfaction with the pictures you're creating. If you love how you're doing it, keep on keeping on. If you wish the finish product better matched your vision, then it might be wise to learn a little more about image editing.

Because as we all know, very few things feel better than a photograph that we are truly proud of.

This Week in the News

Clean Up, Extend, Reframe as featured on Apple.com

Improve your compositions with intuitive and intelligent editing tools in the Photos app.

Next-level intelligent photo editing. Reframe a photo after it's been taken with Spatial Reframing - move the viewpoint, adjust the angle, or zoom in as if you were repositioning the camera in the moment. Expand your shots with the Extend tool. And remove even larger objects with the enhanced Clean Up tool.

Apple's Photos App is Getting Three New AI-Powered Editing Tools as featured on PetaPixel.com

Woman Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter After Gun-Themed Polaroid Photo Shoot Ends with Photographer's Death as featured on PetaPixel.com