Neon photography is an artistic style of photography that, within the general remit of cinematic images, is currently very trendy, as discussed in our photography trends of 2023 guide.

Neon basically means highly saturated primary and secondary colours, and are seen usually in the form of neon lights at night, synonymous with cities like Tokyo and Hong Kong.

However, neon photography doesn't need to be all about capturing those iconic signs or city scenes at night. You can incorporate the neon aesthetic into other genres and subjects of photography too - even portraiture!

To get started with neon photography, you'll need a camera that can shoot in low light conditions, generally any mirrorless, DSLR camera, and most recent smartphone models are more than capable of this. You should also use wide aperture setting if you're handholding your camera, as it will allow you to capture more light without blur. You can also use a tripod for longer exposures.

You can also further enhance your shots with post-processing to really amplify the look, where you can use photo editing software to adjust the contrast, brightness, and particularly, the colour saturation of the images. Or even change the colours completely to get a surreal neon look for an otherwise atypical scene.

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‍Editor's note:

Discover our collection of editing tutorials in our dedicated category on Focus!

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If neon photography sounds like it's right up your street, there's never been a better time to pick up your camera and get started! Be inspired by these stunning examples below from the Picfair Stores community.

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