Great Primer on Night Photography

Night in DC, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor 50mm f1.8 AF-D Lens

iso 200, f11, 30 seconds

 

Well, given that daylight savings time just ended here on the East Coast, it may be a good time to think about night photography. I am no expert in this type of photography, but am willing to give it a go.

 

What got me thinking of it is this excellent video primer, by adventure photographer Kamil Tamiola, on DIYPhotography.net.

 
 
Video Source: http://www.diyphotography.net/hard-core-primer-on-night-sky-photography?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Diyphotographynet+%28DIYPhotography.net+-+Photography+and+Studio+Lighting%29
 

If you have trouble with the video, please go to the link at the bottom of this post to view it on DIYPhotgraphy.net.

 

Kamil shares several important steps, a checklist of sorts, for preparing for great night photography, specifically in mountain landscapes, sometimes including people or other features lit with artificial light sources.

 

First, Kamil suggests considering the following things about your location and timing:

1. Go as high (altitude) as you can. This provides more clear atmosphere.
2. Go when it's cold out. There is less humidity in cold air to cause aberrations.
3. Monitor the pressure. High pressure means clear skies.
4. Check the moon phase. A new moon gives the best light.

Kamil also presents some tips on equipment. He uses a Nikon D3S DSLR. He also suggests a fast lens (f2.8 or faster), and a very solid tripod. He reminds us repeatedly to turn off any vibration reduction features. He also says "don't go cheap on the tripod."

 
Finally, here are his recommendations for settings:

• Manual focus, distance set to infinity
• Manual exposure, 30 seconds exposure time
• Aperture wide open
• iso 3200 as a starting point
• Noise reduction off - apply it in post-processing only
• Shoot raw files
• Mirror lock-up, if you have it
• Self-timer or remote shutter release

Now, you're ready to frame and shoot. If your image is underexposed, he suggests longer exposures. If overexposed, reduce your iso setting.
 
Finally, to balance lighting from artifical sources (flashlight on a climber for example), remember the inverse square rule. If the climber is too bright, back away some distance, which will reduce the amount of light hitting your sensor by a square of the distance.
 
Kamil takes really beautiful night photos. (Click Here) to see some on DIYPhotography.net.
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 
 
 
 

I Need To Do More Black and White Photography

 
Door Latch, Antietam Battlefield, by Reed A. George
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1, Lumix 20mm f1.7
iso 100, f3.5, 1/200 sec
 
No, I'm not ready to sign up for an $8,000 camera that ONLY does black and white.
 
(Click Here) if you're interested in that.
 
But, I do want to do more monochrome photography.
 
I found an interesting video program on getting the most from your black and white imaging. It is normally $79, but currently available fore $59.
 
(Click Here) to get info on the program.
 
DISCLAIMER: I know nothing about the producer of this program, and have not tried it myself. If I decide to, I'll let you know. If you decide to, please comment here on your experience!
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 
 
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 

Before and After - Tutorial by Roel on roel.me

Roel on the website roel.me has produced a very nice tutorial entitled "Before and After." In this piece, he presents pairs of images, each explaining a photographic challenge he has encountered ("Before") and his solution ("After").

 

(Click Here) to see the full tutorial on Roel.me

Roel's "Before"

Image Source: http://roel.me/before-and-after-improving-your-photography-part-1/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+roelme+%28roel.me%29

 

Roel's "After"

Image Source: http://roel.me/before-and-after-improving-your-photography-part-1/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+roelme+%28roel.me%29

 

Roel has done a very nice job here. In the example above, he's making the point that you should consider including context around your subject. Yes, the bike is the subject. Most of us have been trained to focus closely on the subject, removing anything that is not essential from the frame. In this example, Roel shows that the Chinese characters on the wall near the subject really add to the composition, making it easier to understand the setting of the bicycle.

 

In other examples, Roel makes the following points (see the link above to see Roel's pictures for each):

1. Change your perspective to get a different picture, emphasizing the most interesting part of the scene.
2. "Shoot what cannot be shot." I find this description a little misleading. What Roel really did in this example was to focus on the interaction of a mother and son, rather than placing them within the context of a market.
3. Understand your real subject - in this example, Roel focuses on the hands of a worker in a Chinese silk factory. This is a wonderful example.
4. Focus on finding interesting light first - a good picture will follow.
5. Frame your subject. This one is striking as well. Roel uses a window frame in his hotel room to make a harbour scene in Hong Kong much more interesting.
6. Tell a story. We all know this. We must all be reminded of this.

Roel's bicycle example (shown above) reminded me of a shot of my own. In the shot below, it was the way that the plants had overgrown this old scooter that caught my eye. I am fond of this image. However, I am now wondering if there was any context that would have placed it as being taken in Japan. Hmm. I may get the chance to see this one again, as we go to Japan every spring to visit family. Maybe I'll have an "after" shot next year?

"Before" Shot?, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Pana-Leica Summilux 25mm f1.4

iso 160, f5.6, 1/160 sec

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com