N I G H T  P H O T O G R A P H Y /

This tab is dedicated to a  different photography style and techniques that are not usually thought about in photography. I have developed this interest a little more recently, and am still learning and experimenting with the results. Both traditional night photography which involves a tripod and slow shutter speeds to capture the low light subject and Light Painting which involves night photography with some added light provided by the photographer have been inspired by an Astrophotography workshop that I took XXX years ago. At this workshop a friend of mine and fellow photographer showed me all the cool things one can do with Light painting while we were waiting to collect the shots of the night sky. Night Photography of Cityscapes is also something that I first enjoyed trying out with 2 the photography friends in Australia. Since I have been shooting night photography cityscapes I have also incorporated them in many of my travels as an interesting approach to copturing the accommodations or the lodges we stayed at. Again as in the case of my previous styles of photography, my skills have been achieved by both practice and the trial and error of different things while being out with my photography friends on our night adventures.

Night Photography has been something that I have really taken to. I think what I  like most about it is the peacefulness, quietness, and lack of crowds when taking these photos. While at times it can be quite cold, I love night shots.

Night Cityscapes: Night shots in the city are probably one of my favorites things to do in a new city. I usually not a city person since I don't like the crows and feeling of claustrophobia you get in the city during the day. However at night, I find the city just looks more p ristined decked out in all its lights. At night is when you get the tru vibe of the place and see the hustle and fun. Most people you see out in the city at night are there to have fun and in a lot places you can actually hear music as you walk around. Christmas time is a great time to you shooting at night.

Light Painting: Along the way I also learned to add my own sources of light to images I was looking to capture in the dark. This form of photography is also referred to as light painting which has allowed me to be a little more artistic in my interpretations. Light painting is using things such as flashlights, strobes and other items that emit light to fill in some of the darkness of the image. It is almost like having a magic wand that lights up the portion of the scene that you want to draw some attention to. This is primarily a trial and error approach to get the shot you want, but it really allows one to step up their night photography game and create some really creative images.

Astrophotography: I also have dabbles in astrophotography, making some star trails and other night sky images, but this is something that is not always easy to do in the suburbs with all the light pollution. The key to  making great start trails are the following four things: 1) go out on a cloudless night indenture that the full moon will not travel through your camera field. 2) center your shot on the appropriate pole (North Star in the Northern Hemisphere, "South Star" in the Southern Hemisphere) and use a lens with a good wide angle. 3) place your camera with a full battery, full card, 25-30 s exposure, and a mid range aperture on continuous shooting. Use a shutter release (locked in the on position) to enable unattended continuous shooting. 4) Use stacking software to stack all the images on each other.