Andy
Sep-06-2004, 04:51 AM
here's the place to ask your questions and share your tips about "shooting after sundown."
challenge 21 is about shooting "after sundown" so take an afternoon nap, folks, and get out there at the end of the day :D if you are doing a night landscape or cityscape, get in position 45 minutes before sunset. you might get a good sunset - and turn around, you'll be surprised at what that fading light does to the scene behind you. i find, some of the best light for scenics & landscapes is the 30-45 minutes right after the sun goes down. you can get some great blue sky and sometimes a lovely gradient, from pink at the horizon to blue way up high.
n.b.: as this challenge is for "after dark," photos of sunsets or sunrises will not be allowed. i will allow, however, photos taken of any scene opposite the sunset, or sunrise, where you are capturing some sweet fading light at the end of the day or breaking at the beginning of a new day - see the photo of the thames river barrier below for an example. so, for our purposes, "after dark" means that time when the sun is just disappearing behind the horizon in the west, until the sun just comes up in the east.
why no sunsets or sunrises? well, we've all taken them, plenty of times, so get out there and challenge yourself to do something new and different.
here are some shooting tips for "after dark"
shoot with a tripod and remote shutter release
carefully watch your histogram to avoid blown highlights
a good starting point after the sun is down is f/4 and 4 seconds, lowest iso
shoot in raw if you have it, the night lighting is challenging for white balance
bring a flashlight so you can easily see the controls on your camera
experiment with neutral density filters to slow your shutter speed, this can have a dramatic effect on carnival rides, automobile lights, star trails, and water of any kind
post processing takes a bit more time for night work. for digicams, plan on doing some noise reduction for skies and water. for all shooters, take a look at my nightshot post-processing tutorial (http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?p=24467#post24467)
challenge 21 is about shooting "after sundown" so take an afternoon nap, folks, and get out there at the end of the day :D if you are doing a night landscape or cityscape, get in position 45 minutes before sunset. you might get a good sunset - and turn around, you'll be surprised at what that fading light does to the scene behind you. i find, some of the best light for scenics & landscapes is the 30-45 minutes right after the sun goes down. you can get some great blue sky and sometimes a lovely gradient, from pink at the horizon to blue way up high.
n.b.: as this challenge is for "after dark," photos of sunsets or sunrises will not be allowed. i will allow, however, photos taken of any scene opposite the sunset, or sunrise, where you are capturing some sweet fading light at the end of the day or breaking at the beginning of a new day - see the photo of the thames river barrier below for an example. so, for our purposes, "after dark" means that time when the sun is just disappearing behind the horizon in the west, until the sun just comes up in the east.
why no sunsets or sunrises? well, we've all taken them, plenty of times, so get out there and challenge yourself to do something new and different.
here are some shooting tips for "after dark"
shoot with a tripod and remote shutter release
carefully watch your histogram to avoid blown highlights
a good starting point after the sun is down is f/4 and 4 seconds, lowest iso
shoot in raw if you have it, the night lighting is challenging for white balance
bring a flashlight so you can easily see the controls on your camera
experiment with neutral density filters to slow your shutter speed, this can have a dramatic effect on carnival rides, automobile lights, star trails, and water of any kind
post processing takes a bit more time for night work. for digicams, plan on doing some noise reduction for skies and water. for all shooters, take a look at my nightshot post-processing tutorial (http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?p=24467#post24467)