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PHOTOGRAPHING AT NIGHT
YOUR GUIDE STEVE BAVISTER
Steve is a photographic journalist and freelance photographer. He is editor of The Photographer, a leading magazine for pro photographers, and author of ten books on photography including Digital Photography and Take Better Family Photos
bavister@easynet.co.uk
ne of the challenges of taking pictures this time of year is the light or, more accurately, the lack of it. When you get up in the morning its dark; by the time you get home from work its dark again. And during the few precious hours in between, the sky is all too often a bland, Tupperware grey, with correspondingly low levels of illumination. No wonder, then, that many photographers mothball their gear for the winter months, and hibernate in front of the TV until spring comes round again. But if, instead of regarding the relative lack of light as a problem, you start thinking of it as an opportunity to try something new, your picture-taking will get a much-needed boost, and youll feel motivated to keep on shooting. If youre prepared to wrap up warm, its a really great time to capture some cracking urban landscapes and country scenes (see this months Getup&go section for
some ideas). While those who like their creature comforts can crank up the central heating and improvise a studio at home suitable for everything from portraits to still-life. Other ideal subjects include historic buildings such as castles and cathedrals, and neon-signed nightlife such as clubs and bars with streets you wouldnt look at twice during the day suddenly coming to life as floodlights and illuminations are switched on. The term night photography, though, is misleading. The best time to take pictures of street scenes and buildings is actually at dusk, just after the suns gone down and while theres still plenty of blue in the sky. If you leave it any later
The best time to take pictures of street scenes and buildings is at dusk, when theres still plenty of blue in the sky
DIGITAL CAMERA MAGAZINE 017
Lack of haze at dusk means crisp, sharp images Slow shutter speeds capture a variety of light sources
When capturing what looks like a well-lit area against a vast expanse of night sky, you are likely to end up with a small splash of light in a black background. Instead, zoom in on the areas of light so they dominate the final image. Most neon lights shine at the same intensity, so try a standard exposure of 1/15sec at f/5.6, ISO 100. This amusement park ride required a longer exposure though to get the blurring about 1sec.
What makes night photography so appealing are the bright, vivid lights
the sky will come out a dense black with the lights as burnt out highlights. As a rule of thumb, an hour before it gets dark is when you should begin shooting for the best results. In the days of film, shooting at night was, well, a nightmare the enormous contrast range meant getting the exposure right was tricky and unpredictable, and it wasnt until you picked up the prints you found out whether youd been successful or, more commonly, not. Working digitally means you see the results immediately, and on many cameras can fine-tune the exposure to get the balance right. And you can obviously tweak images on the computer later to improve matters further. What makes night photography appealing are the bright, vivid lights, and you need to
make sure the cameras white balance system doesnt compensate for them or the pictures will be flat and uninspiring. If you have a choice, set the controls for daylight balance, and youll capture the vibrant warmth which mercury-vapour and tungsten illumination gives to subjects.
should do just fine. Those fortunate enough to have a digital SLR and longer, heavier lenses should consider investing in something a little more robust. Most digital cameras feature shutter speeds down to at least 1/2 second or 1 second, while many go down to 4, 8, 15 or even 30 seconds which, as our table shows at the end of this feature, is more than adequate for the vast majority of nocturnal activity. Only a handful of models feature a B setting that enables you to hold the shutter open for as long as you like, but this is far from essential unless you really get bitten by the night photography bug. If you want to add animation to your low-light shots, try including moving cars, whose front and rear lights will streak across the picture during long exposures. In fact, you can make this the whole point of wonderful special effects picture by finding a good vantage point on a flyover and looking down on a busy road and shooting as traffic passes below see overleaf. A tripod on its own wont protect you from shake. If
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CAPTURING NEON
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you jab the shutter as you take the picture youll jar the camera and get blurring. A gentle, steady squeeze is whats required. Unfortunately, few digital cameras allow you to take the picture using a cable release, though some do offer remote firing via an optional remote control, and it can be worth getting one if you plan to shoot in low light a lot. A simple alternative thats available on most cameras is to use the self-timer designed to enable you to include yourself in the picture. During the gap between you pressing the release and the shutter actually firing, which is typically 10-12 seconds, any movement will have ceased with the result that pictures are pin-sharp. can get an aerial view of the shadows striding out purposefully across the landscape. Another option worth considering if you want pictures with bags of impact is to have a go at creating some silhouettes. This couldnt be easier. All you have to do is find a scene in which the background is much brighter than the main subject shooting into a setting sun is a sure-fire way of achieving that but do take care to avoid flare. Whats important is that your main subject has a strong graphic shape such as the human body, a leafless tree, a derelict machine or a statue. Some silhouettes can be a bit bland, and adding a coloured background in the computer can be an effective way of adding interest.
If you have a digital SLR with a separate flashgun there many effects you can try. Tilting or twisting the head of the gun so it bounces off a wall or ceiling indoors will give you illumination thats more appealing. You may also be able to take it off the camera completely, and connect it by means of cord to give you the choice of lighting the subject from the side or above.
Country pursuits
Twilight is a great time to head off to the country and capture some great images as the sun goes down. While the landscape in winter lacks much of the foliage and colours that make it appealing in summer, the stark shapes of trees and of the texture of the land itself more than make amends. Shadows can play a big part in creating a sense of depth in photographs, and in winter you can take pictures when shadows are at their longest and most photogenic on almost any bright day, as the sun never rises very high above the horizon. The secret is to find a vantage point such as a hill where you
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SILHOUETTES
Capturing silhouettes is easy all you need is a strong light source behind your subject, and a subject with an interesting shape
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YOU AND YOUR TRIPOD
Most photographers have a love/hate relationship with their tripods. While the benefits of using one are enormous, having to lug it around is a pain. But you know what they say: no pain, no gain, and if you want to tackle those subjects effectively you really have no choice. exposure is made entirely on the basis of the light in the room, which is often a lot more interesting and appealing than the frontal blast of a flashgun, which all too often results in unflattering lighting of the subject and ugly shadows behind. The best place to start is by using window light, preferably in a room that has the largest expanse of glass. Find yourself a willing subject, and experiment with placing them in different positions in relation to where the light is coming from. If they are facing the door or window, the light will be even and soft. If theyre sideways-on to it one half of the face will be dark and the other well lit. Holding up a piece of white paper on the shaded side will give more attractive and balanced illumination. If you put the person in front of the window you will tend to get a silhouette. To counteract what will almost certainly be low light levels, try increasing the ISO rating of your camera. Up to ISO 400 the quality is usually okay, but beyond that noise and other problems can sometimes be excessive. Then take some trial pictures and examine the results. If theres any blurring or other signs of unsharpness you will need to support the camera in some way, using a tripod or, if not, a table or a stack of books.
If you have direct control over selecting shutter speeds on your camera, try a range when photographing moving subjects the faster, the less blurry. If you have a digital SLR, you can produce a dramatic effect by zooming the lens during the exposure. With the right subject, the centre of the picture seems to explode out to the edges
STABILITY Spread the legs wide to give the tripod a low centre of gravity, this will improve stability
PREVENT SLIPPAGE Make sure the locks on the legs are fully tightened, so there's no slippage
STOP THE SHAKE Only extend the central column if you have to it increases the risk of camera-shake
HANDS OFF Dont hold onto the tripod as you're likely to cause vibration rather than stop it
Going further
If youre serious about portraiture and have some cash to spend, you can buy inexpensive tungsten studio lights that work well with digital cameras because theyre a continuous light source. Whatever you photograph this time of year, and wherever you photograph it, take great care with your focusing. Low light levels mean depth of field (the zone of the picture that will appear sharp in the finished image) is more limited, because the camera will be setting large apertures. So, if in doubt, use your focus lock to ensure the important part of the subject is kept sharp. Our table opposite has some recommended settings give them a try and send us the results to gallery.dcm@futurenet.co.uk!
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