Night Photography, Low Light Photography, How to Master It by George Hayden
I stand on a lookout on top of a mountain in Alaska on a cold November night. A waning moon hovers overhead as I mount my Nikon D80 on a tripod with a 18-55mm lens and a clicker remote in hand. I aim the camera at a mountain range in front of me, about 60 miles away. The half moon casts faint shadows as the 11pm hour approaches. I dial the ISO to 1600, adjust the white balance to automatic, open the aperture to 4.5, and set the shutter for 30 seconds of exposure. Thats right, one half of a minute. I carefully trip the shutter with the remote in my now cold left hand. The camera grumbles for several seconds, and the shutter trips open. I wait, and wait, and wait, finally it trips shut. I wait for several more seconds as the camera processes the photo, and it finally pops up on the little screen in the back. Blurry. I go through the same process again, with the same results. Then it hits me. In the low light, the autofocus has nothing to lock onto. Using the moon as a focal point, I switch to manual focus, and dial it in until I have a clear image in the viewfinder. Setting up again, I shoot more photos of the distant mountains.
The effect is amazing. What is a dark winter night has become daytime with the magic of night photography. Distant mountains, their image filtered through crystal clear night air, show up sharp, with shapes, and edges no human eye can see. Trees in the foreground cast shadows, and from all indications, it could be a clear sunny day, and the sky, black as ink, now shows a clear blue hue. To the trained eye, however, one sees things you would not see in a daytime photo. The stars, invisible during daytime, now show up, clear and bright, with tails, as the extended shot picks up the earths movement. A jet airliner, departing from the airport miles away, strobes across the distant sky, leaving a light streak in its wake. I shoot photo after photo, until my fingers, stiff from cold, force me back into my warm automobile, and back home, where I load the photos onto my computer. Again, I marvel at the clarity of the shots. I can’t wait to try it again.
It is fun to shoot in low light. Since then, I have shot scenes of campfires, highway traffic, more moonshots, and the like. Newer cameras, like the Nikon D80, and other great DSLRs can do insane things now, but like all equipment, alot depends on the user. I have shot scenes, where a bird has crossed the line of sight, and it is truly eerie to see the ghostly image on the photo. I have had many opportunities to shoot photos at night and in low light, and though I have a flash, I rarely use it. For me, a tripod, wireless remote, and above all, lots of patience is key to great night and other specialty photography.
For more ideas and tips, here is a great resource to learn from!
About the Author
George Hayden
Master your Digital SLR Camera and learn Photography
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