Just when the sun has set and
you thought it was safe to go back to the couch after a hard day of
shooting, suddenly night falls and a whole new world of subjects is
illuminated. From the jack-o-lanterns on your neighbor's front step to
the bright lights of Broadway to the neon signs at the local diner, the
night is full of color and light and all you need to capture it is a
tripod, a lot of memory card space and a pioneering spirit.
Finding nighttime and low-light subjects is pretty easy and even
ordinary things you might not notice during the day can become quite
interesting after dark--simple things like walk lights and even the
local fast food joint are all worthwhile design ideas. If you want to
get a little more adventurous and add motion to the nighttime mix,
things like traffic patterns and carnival rides can turn into
extraordinary images when combined with a long exposure. In summertime,
almost every town and city has an annual fireworks display that
provides great opportunities for night shots. And if you're really
ambitious, you can create your own light and motion pictures with
things like sparklers or flashlights.
In the tutorials below I'll introduce you to some of the very simple
tips & techniques involved in shooting pictures after dark and I'll
also talk about the specifics of some common after-dark subjects like neon signs or fireworks. To learn a lot more about night exposures and all types of exposures, be sure to see my new book Exposure Photo Workshop (Wiley; 2011).
