Images taken at night can be very dramatic. Mixed lighting can produce interesting color shifts. A long exposure means capturing streaks of light of anything that’s lit and moves. Playing with filters, be it for color or a special effect, may net you artistic results. Let your creativity guide you when you’re stalking nighttime shots.
Night photography goes hand in hand with long exposures necessitating the use of a tripod to help ensure your images are sharp. It also means carrying a small flashlight to be able to see the controls on the camera.
I love shooting during the times of magic hour. This is the period from right after sunset until the sky goes black. My favorite increment of time during magic hour is when the sky turns a cobalt blue. There’s still enough light in the sky to separate your subject from it and the cobalt blue sky is rendered dramatically. This period of time doesn’t last long, so I suggest you scout your location during the day to find the best vantage point.
Although rain and camera gear are not a match made in heaven, wet streets and city lights produce a successful marriage. The wet pavement reflects the lights in the buildings, which exponentially increases the photographic possibilities. Shoot the buildings along with their reflections, just the reflections, and abstracts of small areas of reflected lights.
The introductory photo is magnificent! And the tips for creating such a masterpiece are easy to grasp. I particularly like the suggestion to take along a flashlight–certainly not something I would have thought of on my own. Thank you, Russ Burden.
I enjoy your articles and tips.
How is this exactly a how to? There is absolutely no how to instruction here. Lame!
@Deibon: Take your bad attitude and get out of here. Someone provides you with useful and FREE information and you crap on them? Get a life.
Hey Gadwall – thanks. Russ
A flashlight, Tripod, and a remote shutter release. The last thing you may want are wiggly light streaks caused by camera shake or movement.
Or, perhaps you want wiggly light streaks caused by camera shake or movement.
Great ideas and wonderful shot
I have to agree with Deibon. There is no instruction or How-to here. I religiously bought OP every month from 1989 to 2000 and the PC Photo for a few years after that. I have just subscribed for the next two years because all these free tiPs have rekindled my love of Photograhy