TIME Behind the Photos

How to Take Great Photographs at Night

Photographer Stuart Palley shares his tips on how to create beautiful images once darkness falls

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In our latest How to Photograph series, TIME asked award-winning photographer Stuart Palley to share his tips and tricks to create beautiful night-time imagery.

Palley has mastered the art and technical skills of photographing at night and is known for his compelling and breathtaking photos of wildfires and his magical images of the the night sky. “Ninety percent of it is preparation and 10% of it is the actual execution,” he says.

Watch this TIME video to see which apps Palley uses to plan his shoots, tips on how to work in darkness, what equipment to invest in and how you can play with different light sources to achieve the best results.

Chasing Blazes: Sublime Photos of Wildfires

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Stuart Palley is a Los Angeles based photographer documenting wildfires and the environment. Follow him on Instagram @stuartpalley

Tara Johnson is an Associate Photo Editor at TIME.

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