Shooting nighttime digital photos has inherent problems -- namely, the lack of available light. Without adequate light, color tones shift, becoming overly muted and neutral.

To compensate for low (or no) light, consider the following:

• Use a slightly longer exposure time to show action. A long exposure captures the scribbles of color that a kid "draws" while holding a sparkler or light stick.
• Use a much longer exposure time to show motion. A long exposure turns car lights or lighted amusement park rides into ribbons of color.
• Use a series of shorter exposures over time to show progression. A series of shots like this can show the moon "moving" across the night sky.
• Take advantage of soft, ambient lighting: Look for natural night lighting -- streetlights, the moon and stars, or a lamp's soft glow. Don't use a flash unless absolutely necessary or you'll ruin the soft lighting. You may have to override your camera's default setting to disable the flash when shooting in the dark.