Apr 12
6
3 Steps to Great Night Photos
Do you put your camera down once the sun sets feeling that landscapes, street scenes and nature photography are over? Last night I taught a class on the subject and attendees learned to use low light and darkness to liven up their portfolio. There are some tricks involved but here’s how to get started:
Liven up your photos after dark. Sugden Square fountain by Gordon Campbell www.swfloutdooorphotography.com.
1- Slow down! That means be ready to adjust your shutter speed down to settings as long as 30 seconds.
2- Take a rest. Shots like this require a rock steady rest, preferably a sturdy tripod though a beanbag may do. Familiar with your self timer and or a remote shutter release? Use them to trip the shutter for no unwanted blurs.
3- Time to bracket. Try bracketing a series of 3 or more shots with one shot metered properly then at least one over exposed then one underexposed to the same degree. You’ll need to put the shots together in Photoshop or Elements and even better with a program like Photomatix which will allow you to process for HDR. Do you know what that means? Night photography isn’t mastered first time out but now you can try.
With bird life in the Everglades on the decline and mosquitoes on the rise I’ll be targeting the beaches and downtown areas for my own shooting as well as for classes. Does that interest you? As always if you’d like to get involved or if you enjoyed this article contact me or share this article. Good shooting- Gordon.
Professional Photography from Ft. Meyers & Sanibel to Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades.
gordon@SWFLOutdoorPhotography.com
239-776-4743
copyright 2012 Gordon Campbell/Southwest Florida Outdoor Photography.
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