5 Tips for Capturing Incredible Photos on a Nile River Dinner Cruise

5 Tips for Capturing Incredible Photos on a Nile River Dinner Cruise

A dinner cruise on the Nile River in Cairo is truly a sightseeing experience in itself. On your boat tour, you will be constantly amazed by the series of breathtaking sights around you, from the pastel-colored sunsets along the riverside to the lit up latticed structure of Cairo Tower and the colorful spinning act of Tanoura dancers.

Unfortunately, photographing from a boat in the night can come with certain obstacles in terms of low-light conditions, boat vibrations, and quick movements of performers under spotlights inside.

Here is your easy, practical guide for capturing great photos with your mobile phone or camera during your night on the Nile River.

1. Time Your Open-Deck Shots for Twilight (Golden Hour & Blue Hour)

If one waits until total darkness, then one would have too dark a background, with the city lights being too glaring and contrasted. Blue hour, which happens about 20 to 30 minutes after sunset, is the one technique that yields outstanding results when photographing a river.

During blue hour, the sky will be colored indigo instead of dark black. As such, one will have the best contrast in a photograph, with the blue sky, the river and the brightly lit landmarks like the Qasr El Nil Bridge and the tall skyscrapers of Zamalek all glowing.

2. Master Motion & Night Mode Settings

Given that the cruise ship is moving down the river and experiencing vibrations due to the engine, long exposure times may cause blurred images.

For Smartphones (iPhone / Android)
Reduce Time for Night Mode: All the latest phones use the "Night Mode," which holds the shutter for 3 to 5 seconds when taking photographs in low light. This time will certainly result in blurriness when shooting in motion from the moving boat. Press the icon of the Night Mode and change the time of capturing to 1 or 2 seconds.

Stabilize Yourself: Put your back against the bulkhead of the ship deck or press your elbows against your ribs. Try not to press your hands against the metal of the ship, because all its vibrations will go straight to your phone.

Regarding Digital Cameras

Use Fast Lenses: If you plan on taking a camera, have a fast lens with you like f/1.8 or f/2.8.

Increase ISO Level: Increase your ISO level to 1600 or 3200 so that you are able to maintain the shutter speed of 1/60 or above because of the rocking motion of the vessel.

Don’t Use Flash For City Skyline Photos: The built-in flash will illuminate only up to 10 feet distance. In case you take photos using the flash on your camera, the dust particles and deck rails will be highlighted but not the city skyline.

3. Freeze the Spinning Tanoura Dancer

The Tanoura dance performance is definitely one of the visual masterpieces of Egyptian folkloric arts. It is performed by a male dancer wearing numerous colorful skirts and spinning endlessly in rhythmical circles under the stage lighting indoors. However, taking a clear picture of a spinning person in dim light requires some skills.

Using Burst / Continuous Mode: Press and hold the shutter button on your phone or camera to make a burst of 10-15 pictures in one second. In this way, you will definitely manage to take a picture at the exact moment when the performer manipulates with the top layer of his skirt turning it into a fan-like structure.

Focus on the Face of the Performer: Tap and hold the screen of your phone focusing on the face of the dancer and not the moving skirt. Even though the edges of the skirt might be blurred, the focused face of the dancer will make your photo professional-looking.

4. Eliminate Window Glass Reflections

While trying to take pictures of the city lights sitting on your dining table from within the air-conditioned glass dining room, you will most probably face glass reflections from the interior chandeliers and buffet lights.

‏Prevent light from the room from being reflected back into your camera.

Position your phone camera lens or camera rubber lens hood straight onto the window pane. In this way, all reflections from the room will be blocked from your camera lens.

Protect your phone with something dark.

In case that you cannot put the phone lens directly on the window pane, then get somebody to help you put on your phone a dark cloth or jacket from behind you.

5. Frame Your Shots with Architectural Foreground Elements

An image of open water and distant buildings may seem lifeless. You can make your pictures lively and provide your viewers with a genuine feeling of presence by using the boat and the architectural elements of Cairo on the banks of the Nile River.

Use the Boat Railings: Frame the photos of couples using the wood railings on the top deck that sweep into the lower part of the frame, focusing on the illuminated background of the river.

Use the Bridge: Go to the front bow of the boat during your passage under the Qasr El Nil Bridge and take upward photographs at an angle.

Silhouette the Palm Trees: Photograph the palms on Gezira Island or Roda Island, silhouetting them against the bright light of the Cairo Tower.

Summary Checklist for Great Photos

Shoot during Blue Hour from (6:00 PM to 6:30 PM) for nice sky colors.

Stick your phone's lens on dining room windows to eliminate reflections.

Shoot in Burst Mode while the Tanoura is performing to get perfect arc shots.

Switch off the flash when you are shooting the skyline of the city.

Ensure that Night Mode exposures stay below 2 seconds to prevent boat blur.