How to take night portraits with Nikon D50 and no tripod?

I have a Nikon D50 and a tripod but i'm no expert in photography. I would like to know how i can get the best results in taking portraits at night with no tripod (its never near you when you need it)…

I've done some experiments but the results where rather disappointing… Since the exposure time is long it all gets blurry…

HEllo friend…
Firstly, the digital cameras these days don't need you to be a proffesional… The EUI lets evry1 click good snaps.
Regarding your questn, you can use Night Mode while capturing in night… U ll find this option in the menu.
N try to keep your hands stable while clicking… In this way you can get blur free pics witout tripod stand…

If you're doing longish hand held exposures, it's bound to be blurry.

You can increase the ISO, but the trade off will be noisier images.

Try to brace yourself & the camera against something. Rest the camera on a convenient surface if you can. If you can place it somewhere that is a convenient height, then use the self timer to reduce camera shake from pressing the shutter button.

Ultimately, the only real solution is to use flash - this will eliminate both subject movement blur (which you'll get during a long exposure even if you use a tripod) and camera movement blur. The on camera (pop-up) flash is not particularly good - it will give harsh shadows & is a flat, frontal light. If you can, give yourself a speedlight flash to put on the hotshoe - either a Nikon compatible TTL flash (which will auto meter & set the flash power) or use a manual flash. Get one that has a swivel/bounce head - that will allow you to bounce the flash off walls/ceilings for softer light, or if outside, off a reflector.

Use a wall or something else to steady the camera, and tell the subject to stand absolutely still. You could also bump up the ISO a little and open the aperture to the widest available, which would help reduce the exposure time. But remember high ISO will give you more noise.

The other option you have is to use a flash.

Get a monopod… Easier to carry than a tripod and collapses down to a pretty small size.

Example: http://www.henrys.com/59948-HENRYS-HM10-MONOPOD-W-BALLHEAD.aspx

The word "photography" comes from two Greek words, photo- meaning light and graphy - meaning draw so, unfortunately, you need light for photography.

There are 3 things that affect exposure (how well lit an image is) … Aperture (how wide the lens is opened), Shutter Speed (how long the sensor is exposed to light) and ISO (how sensitive to light the sensor or film is).

Each of these settings afftects exposure but they all have side effects as well:

A wide aperture will change how light is focused on the sensor creating a shallow depth of field.

A slow shutter will leave the sensor exposed to light longer, giving it more time to absorb light but at longer shutter speeds if the light moves (movement in the scene or you move the camrea), light will get painted all over the sensor (bluriness and light trails)

A higher ISO makes the sensor more sensitive to light but at the cost of digital noise… This noise can become quite apparent at the higher levels (varies from camera to camera).

Photography is a game of give and take (in terms of exposure).

The only other thing you can do is add more light using a flash for example.

You need a tripod or other stable structure…

night photography NEEDS long shutter speeds - and therefore you will get camera shake…

either pay up for a cheap tripod… Or go to places with other things - fences, benches, litter bins, etc to steady your camera on… But a tripod will give you better options, like height and camera tilt…

Improvise.
Be creative and think outside the box.
Use a stable object such as a chair or stool, or by simply placing the camera on a flat surface.
But for best results carry a tripod bag with you if you're going to shoot night portraits.