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N I G H T  P H O T O G R A P H Y /
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Night Photography—where the quiet of the night unveils an entirely new world to capture! This style is a bit of an adventure in itself, one that I’ve only been into the last 10 years, and I’m still experimenting with the results. Night photography offers two exciting avenues: traditional long-exposure photography, which involves using a tripod and slow shutter speeds to capture the subtle beauty of low-light subjects, and light painting, where the photographer introduces light into the scene, creating dynamic, surreal effects. My interest in these techniques sparked after attending an Astrophotography workshop years ago, where a friend introduced me to the magic of light painting while we were waiting to capture the night sky. It’s an art form that blends patience, creativity, and a bit of imagination.

Cityscapes at night became another fascinating subject for me after shooting them with two photographer friends in Australia. There's something magical about how cities transform when the sun sets—the way the lights flicker on, casting a glow on buildings, streets, and corners that you never notice during the day. I’ve since incorporated night cityscape photography into my travels, capturing the quiet elegance of accommodations or lodges under the cover of night.

As with all my photography styles, night photography is a balance of trial, error, and practice. Each night adventure with my photography friends has been a learning experience, helping me hone my skills. What draws me most to this style is the peacefulness of the night. There’s a certain calm that settles in when the crowds have gone home, and the world feels like it's all yours to photograph. Sure, it can be cold and sometimes a little challenging to get the perfect shot, but there’s something undeniably special about capturing the stillness of the night and bringing a new life to the world around me through the lens.

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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 pristine decked out in all its lights. At night is when you get the true 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 of 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.

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