The Great Diversity of Light

004_JemezMonumentMoonThe night is not just about darkness. It is about the Great Diversity of Light painted on a black background. It is about lighting possibilities and an abundance of photographic choices.

Unlike sunlight during the daytime, the night offers photographers a wide range of lighting conditions created by many varied sources of light.

Places take on a different personality at night, a different look, a unique feel.

Often I’ve studied places during the day to imagine how they might look at night. I am almost always surprised by the reality of the nocturnal scene.

Night light is so much more diverse than daylight. The difference is like, well … night and day. The night literally forces you to see differently.

IMAGE : Jemez Monument & Moonrise, Jemez Springs, NM

Every year the Jemez Monument has a holiday lighting of over 1500 candle-lit farolitos. When this was taken, the moon was rising and highlighting the clouds. The face of the monument was lit by nearby bonfires. The entire scene was awash with moonlight.

The difference in lighting among the monument, the moon and the moonlit clouds was extreme.

This image is the result of bracketing then blending a 4 minute exposure of the monument with a 4 second exposure of the clouds and a 1/30 second exposure of the face of the moon. All exposures were shot at f16 with TMAX 3200 film.

IMAGE TINT : GalleryBrownTone

The Brown tone was created to convey an organic sense of the ancient Southwestern earthen structure.

This B&W image was toned in Adobe Photoshop with an ICC Profile I generated from my Mac App “SuiteProfiler”. The Profile was derived from the Color Map “GalleryBrownTone” created in SuiteProfiler.

Click these buttons to download the ICC Profile and SuiteProfiler Color Map:

EXERCISE : The Great Diversity of Light

Go out at night and observe the diversity of light. Pay attention to the medley of light sources and variations in lighting.

See what kind of light and lighting captures your attention the most. Be aware of the impact this has on you, that is, the feelings, sensations, or thoughts this evokes in you.

Consider how you would compose an image to re-create your visual and inner experience.

Be sure to review the “Safety & Precautions” page.

NEXT TIME : “Light Sources”

 


Don’t miss my future posts! 

Subscribe to The Art of Night Photography by Email.


Exposure Guidelines

003_SanJoseHotelDeAnzaNight Photography can seem a little daunting at first, but not to worry, there is method to the madness.

The most practical approach to capturing good nighttime exposures is Bracketing, or as a friend of mine says “BLH”, meaning Bracket Like Hell.

The idea is to capture as much image data as you can through a wide range of exposures.

There are many reasons for bracketing. It is not just about getting the “right exposure” as in the daytime. We will discuss more about this in future posts.

For now, follow these basic Exposure Guidelines for both digit and film cameras:

CAMERA SETTINGS : Digital

  • set ISO to 400
  • set White Balance to Automatic
  • set Auto Focus (AF) to MANUAL (AF may disable camera if too dark)
  • set Auto Exposure (AE) to MANUAL (AE will under expose at night)
  • turn off Flash
  • set Shutter Speed to BULB for unsupported exposure times (e.g. > 30 seconds)

CAMERA SETTINGS : Film

  • set ISO to the Film ISO, Film with ISO 400 is good for long exposures
  • correct White Balance for daylight color film with an 80A blue filter (optional)
  • do not use Flash
  • set Shutter Speed to BULB

EXPOSURE : Aperture

  • set Aperture (f-stop) to f5.6
  • do NOT change ISO or Aperture settings during Bracketing

EXPOSURE : “Starting Point” Shutter Speed

  • use Light Meter to establish the Starting Point Shutter Speed (if possible)
  • OR, set Shutter Speed to 1.0 second (if too dark for Light Meter)

EXPOSURE : Bracketing Shutter Speeds

  • make Starting Point exposure
  • make 3 to 5 subsequent exposures by doubling each exposure time

EXAMPLE : Bracketing Shutter Speeds

  • make Starting Point exposure of 1 second
  • make subsequent exposures of 2, 4, 8, 15, and 30 seconds
  • NOTE: do NOT change ISO and Aperture settings during bracketing

IMAGE : Hotel DeAnza, San Jose, CA

In 1991 I was living in the San Francisco Bay Area. One night in January, I looked out the window around midnight and saw fog, lots of fog. I grabbed my camera equipment and headed out.

I really had no idea what to do exactly. I just knew I needed to Bracket and hope for the best. I was so taken by Hotel DeAnza in the fog, I shot an entire roll of film to make sure I captured the right exposure, as well as the right composition.

That was the first time I had ventured out into the night to photograph. I did not get home until 6AM. No time for sleep, I got ready and left for work. I could not believe how much fun it was. I was especially excited after I developed my film. There was no looking back. I was completely captured by night photography.

The most successful exposures were 15 and 30 seconds shot at f8 with TMAX 3200 film. Bracketing gave me the result I was looking for.

IMAGE TINT : GallerySilver

Silver toning was chosen to accentuate the soft sense of light created by the fog.

This B&W image was tinted in Adobe Photoshop with an ICC Profile I generated from my Mac App “SuiteProfiler”. The cool tint was created to evoke a sense of the cold foggy night.

The Profile was derived from the Color Map “GallerySilver” created in SuiteProfiler. You can open the Color Map in SuiteProfiler if you have a Mac.

Click these buttons to download the ICC Profile and SuiteProfiler Color Map:

EXERCISE : Exposure Guidelines

Go out into the night and find a low lit scene, something moderately challenging. Avoid places that are brightly lit. Set up your camera and tripod, then follow the Exposure Guidelines to capture a series by Bracketed exposures.

Afterwards examine your images for successful exposures.

If you think you did not succeed, do not get discouraged. Return to the same scene, follow the guidelines, but adjust your Starting Point exposure. If your images are all too dark, increase the Starting Point Shutter Speed. If your images are all too light, decrease it. Perform a series of Bracketed exposures again.

Be sure to review the “Safety & Precautions” page.

GOOD LUCK !!!

NEXT TIME : “The Great Diversity of Light”

 


Don’t miss my future posts! 

Subscribe to The Art of Night Photography by Email.


Camera Equipment

002_DurangoEngineEngineerThe practice of photographing at night means setting up your camera equipment and taking long exposures in the dark.

We will review the details of nighttime exposures in the next post but for now here is a list of the camera equipment you will need to capture your masterpieces in the dark.

CAMERA EQUIPMENT : Essential

  • camera & lens – of course
  • tripod – to hold your camera steady
  • extra lenses – for the possibilities
  • cable release / remote – to open & close the shutter
  • flashlight – to see what you are doing
  • watch / timer – to time your exposures
  • lens wiping tissue or clothe – condensation happens

CAMERA EQUIPMENT : Optional

  • light meter / spot meter – on or off camera
  • flash – off camera for use during a long exposure
  • lantern / extra lights – for lighting or focusing
  • neutral density filters – for longer exposures

REMINDERS : Safety & Precautions

  • Safety First! When you are ready to go outside to photograph, make sure you feel safe. Do not go out to photograph alone, especially into unfamiliar territory. Be sure to dress warmly and comfortably, even on warm nights it can cool down quickly.
  • When you do go out to photograph at night, do not set things down in the dark. It is easy to forget or overlook equipment that you cannot see. Be in the habit of keeping everything on you or in your camera bag.
  • Do not breathe on your lens. On cold nights you can easily fog your lens. You can even cause your lens to ice up when it is below freezing.

IMAGE : Engine & Engineer, Durango Railyard, CO

When I first saw this guy on top of the engine I knew I didn’t have much time. As I ran down the tracks I extended the legs on my tripod. I also double checked that the aperture was at f8 and the shutter was set to “bulb”.

Once in place, I had to frame and focus quickly, then open the shutter. My goal was to get as long of an exposure as I could. So instead of timing my exposure, I waited until the engineer started to move. The exposure turned out to be between 30-45 seconds, pretty perfect.

If I had taken a minute longer to start the exposure, I would have missed it. My experience of handling my camera equipment in the dark really paid off.

IMAGE TINT : GalleryAmber

This B&W image was tinted in Adobe Photoshop with an ICC Profile I generated from my Mac App “SuiteProfiler”. The profile was applied to the image with the “Convert to Profile…” command.

The Profile was derived from the Color Map “GalleryAmber” created in SuiteProfiler. You can open the Color Map in SuiteProfiler if you have a Mac.

Click these buttons to download the ICC Profile and SuiteProfiler Color Map:

EXERCISE : Camera Equipment

Practice setting up your camera & tripod in a dark room in your house. Turn off the lights and use only a flashlight. Make sure you are familiar enough with your camera to make your settings with “your eyes closed” or close to it.

Make sure your digital camera is set to “Manual Exposure” and “Manual Focus”. Your camera may not allow you to take pictures in “auto” modes in the dark.

Shine your flashlight on something, then practice focusing and framing through your viewfinder. Check if you can get a reading with your light meter.

This will prepare you for shooting in dark environments comfortably. Nothing worse than trying to learn something new in the dark.

NEXT TIME : “Exposure Guidelines”

 


Don’t miss my future posts! 

Subscribe to The Art of Night Photography by Email.


Welcome to The Art of Night Photography

001_CarlsbadFountainLightningWelcome to The Art of Night Photography, the Blog dedicated to the practice of night photography.

This Blog draws on my 23+ years experience of photographing exclusively at night, as well as my 10+ years experience in teaching classes and workshops on night photography.

Through regular posts, we will explore a wide range of topics dealing with both the technical and the artistic challenges inherent in nighttime and low light photography.

On each post, I will share my experience on a single topic of nighttime image making, and present one of my images as an example. I will also suggest an exercise to help you learn from your own experience.

We will examine black-and-white and color images. We will also cover the technical aspects of capturing images with film and digital cameras. Occasionally we will delve into image production techniques in Adobe Photoshop.

Creating nighttime images is not just a technical venture. We will spend time discussing approaches to image content, composition and impact.

Typically I enhance my black-and-white images through tinting and toning. I do this digitally with custom color profiles created in my Mac App “SuiteProfiler”, which is available in the Mac App Store. I will share my thoughts on this from time to time.

This Blog is designed to address all levels of photographic experience, but we will keep it simple. You will need no expensive or specialized equipment to do the exercises.

So stay tuned, there is a lot to learn about this discovery process called “The Art of Night Photography.”


Don’t miss my future posts! 

Subscribe to The Art of Night Photography by Email.


SuiteProfiler Is Here !!!

I’m happy to announce that my latest Mac App is now available in the Mac App Store.

It’s called SuiteProfiler. It is a simple and powerful application for the creation of custom ICC Profiles, aka Color Map Profiles, to expand your potential for color profiling.

First you create a set of one or more device independent Color Maps, each defined by any set of colors you desire. Then you generate the device dependent Color Map Profiles, each derived from a Color Map.

A suite of Color Map Profiles supplements your use of an existing full color Printer or Display Profile. Color Map Profiles are ICC Profiles, and can be used for soft proofing, printing and converting both color and grayscale digital images. Color Map Profiles can be used in any system and application environment which supports color profiling.

Want more details? Just go to the Mac App Store, or my SuiteProfiler Overview page.