Gabriel Biderman - Night Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots

From Snapshots to Great Shots

Gabriel Biderman
with Tim Cooper

Night Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots
Gabriel Biderman

Peachpit Press
www.peachpit.com

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Peachpit Press is a division of Pearson Education

Copyright 2014 Gabriel Biderman

Photography Gabriel Biderman,
Photography Tim Cooper,

Senior Editor: Susan Rimerman
Developmental/Copy Editor: Scout Festa
Production Editor: David Van Ness
Proofreader: Bethany Stough
Indexer: James Minkin
Composition: WolfsonDesign
Interior Design: Mimi Heft
Cover Design: Aren Straiger
Cover Image: Gabriel Biderman

Notice of Rights

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information on getting permission for reprints and excerpts, contact .

Notice of Liability

The information in this book is distributed on an As Is basis, without warranty. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of the book, neither the authors nor Peachpit shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this book or by the computer software and hardware products described in it.

Trademark

From Snapshots to Great Shots is a trademark, in the U.S. and/or other countries, of Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliates. Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and Peachpit was aware of a trademark claim, the designations appear as requested by the owner of the trademark. All other product names and services identified throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies with no intention of infringement of the trademark. No such use, or the use of any trade name, is intended to convey endorsement or other affiliation with this book.

ISBN-13: 978-0-321-94853-3
ISBN-10: 0-321-94853-X

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Printed and bound in the United States of America

Gabriel Biderman is a Brooklyn based fine-art and travel photographer. His work has been featured in photography exhibits in New York, London, and Hawaii. He leads night photography workshops and has contributed articles and blog posts for print and online publications. Gabriel is also the special events and tradeshow point person for B&H Photo. See his work and read his blog at ruinism.com.

Tim Cooper is a Washington, D.C., based photographer who specializes in night photography and nature images. His editorial and commercial work has appeared in Travel & Leisure, the New York Times Magazine, Outdoor Photographer, Fly Rod & Reel, and DC Magazine. Tim leads popular workshops and is an instructor at the Rocky Mountain School of Photography. See his work and read his blog at timcooperphotography.com.

To Nancy, my muse and love in the day and night. GB

Writing this book has been a crazy journey of late nights, test shots, phoning friends, and locking myself up in a garret and waiting for the words to flow.

It could not have been possible without the help of my good friend Tim Cooper, who didnt know what he was getting into when he volunteered to write two chapters in this book. You are a life and marriage saver. Im so happy to share this book with you.

To the incredibly professional Peachpit team: Susan Rimerman, for keeping me on target-ish; Scout Festa, for translating Gabe to English; David Van Ness, for getting me CMYK ready; and the rest of the crew who gave me this wonderful opportunity to share my passion with others.

Jonny and Angusweve come a long way from the duct-tape darkrooms and rooftop photo shoots! You paved the way, brothers!

David Brommer, General of the B&H Events Space and SODyou pushed me to be all I could be! Manny and the B&H crewit has been an honor to work over 12 years at the worlds biggest toy store with some of the best people in the industry.

Troy and Joefull moons arent the same without you; more adventures to come! Lance, Scott, and Timthanks for helping so many nocturnes find their way in the dark.

To the Infinists, Week of Arters, and Reciprocity Failures, especially Michael and Angelier for helping me capture Gabe in the gear shots. Matt H., JC, Brandon, Sylvester, Tom P., Thom J., and Andre C.thanks for always being willing to play in the dark!

To the staff and teachers of RMSP, who believed in me and trusted me from Vegas to Zionmay we always meet somewhere between space and time!

Scott Kelby, Seth, Syl, Moose, the Nat Geo crew and all the other educators Ive been so fortunate to learn from.

Adam, Jennifer, and Ruth, who after years of teasing or being teased have shown me so much love and support. David N., you inspire me! To the other B&H & S&Shave I told you how lucky I am to have you in my life?

I want to thank my mom and dad, who raised me in creative environments, supported most of my decisions, and always encouraged me. Fannie and Phyllis, my grandmothers, who are responsible for my outgoing personality and who inspired the next wave of artists in our family. I miss you both and wish you were here to share this moment.

Nancy, it has been 16 years since you kissed me under the San Francisco stars. Over 200 moons have waxed and waned since. Thank you for being an inspiration, so incredibly supportive, and a perfect match. I love you.

And to all the rest of my family, my friends, and the photographers who have shared and supported all my late-night antics!

Gabriel Biderman

Good pictures should leave an impact on the viewer. Most of us capture our memories with a quick click, but with longer exposures comes a slower and more meditative approach. Night photography pushes the boundaries of time and how we seize it.

As a night photographer, time has always been an obsession of mine. I might not be the best at budgeting my time, but I sure know how to play with it!

I was wrapping up of this book in Miami and was worried because I didnt have any lightning shots to reference. It was 2 a.m. and I was about to crawl into bed when all of a sudden a shock of white light lit up the room. I put my hat on (yes, it does come off), grabbed my bag of gear, and ventured outside. It wasnt raining yet, and I was only a few blocks from the beach. I could see the lightning in the distant storm clouds. I was surprised to find a crowd on the beach. Couples were huddled together, people were swimming, and there was the general revelry of witnessing natures fireworks. Several people were snapping pictures, but I was the only one with a tripod. I quickly set up and started tracking those bright bolts. I got the shot youll see later in this book about 30 minutes into the shoot, but I was so energized that I kept shooting and experimenting until 4 a.m.

In this book, I hope to inspire you to move beyond the snapshot and take more control of the time right in front of you. I go over all the tools you will need, and I shine a light on techniques that will make you more proficient in the field and on the computer. The building blocks of creating an image with impact are discussed at length, as well as the scenarios you might find yourself in and how to best capture them once the sun goes down. The goal is to demystify the night and inspire you to creatively express time in a single image.