Freeman - Low light and night photography: art and techniques

Low Light and Night
Photography

Art and Techniques

Neil Freeman

First published in 2017 by

The Crowood Press Ltd

Ramsbury, Marlborough

Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2017

Neil Freeman 2017

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 78500 235 9

CONTENTS

Introduction

F or as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated with photography. From my first Kodak 126 camera, I journeyed through a range of cameras, including the Olympus Trip and, more recently, Canon and Nikon film cameras. Shooting film and slides up until around 2002, I was a later convert into the world of digital photography. Using digital DSLRs from Canon and, since 2007, exclusively working with Nikon DSLRs, I have fully embraced digital technology and the benefits this can bring to my photography.

In my professional photography career, I have photographed many subjects, be it landscapes, people or still-life images. During this time, one thing I quickly discovered is that in all areas of photography, the ability to see and use light is paramount. Im especially drawn to low light and night photography as I find the colours, shapes and shadows created at this time of day fascinating. A cityscape or landscape takes on a whole different personality once the light levels drop. This provides us with a whole new realm in which to take photos. It may be street photography, evoking the drama and edginess of a city at night or, alternatively, the warming tones of the suns rays falling on the landscape as the last light fades from the day. Whatever subject you choose to photograph, low light and night photography offer us, as photographers, the chance to create amazing photography.

Each time I look through my portfolio of images, all of my favourites are shot at night or in low light conditions. They could be at dawn, dusk, during the golden hour or the blue hour that point where man-made lighting crosses over with the first or last natural light of the day.

The problem with low light and night photography is that the best light often presents itself at anti-social hours, depending on the time of year. For example, sunsets that coincide with dinner time, sunrises that require you to get up 3.00am in the morning or urban cityscapes that keep you up photographing until 2.00am. This is definitely photography at the extremes, but that means that those of us who persevere with it are rewarded with an opportunity to shoot with beautiful light to create images that other photographers can only look at with wonder.

Low light and night photography are both fascinating and challenging at the same time. Working in conditions that mean you may only have a one-hour window in which to take photographs, as the sun rises or sets, is a real test of your skills, as well as the capability of your camera and lenses. It is all about making the most of the light we have available, whether we are on the beach photographing a sunset over the sea or exploring an urban environment illuminated by the glare and colour of man-made light. Often I find sleep can wait, as there is always just one more image to take.

Digital photography has made low light and night photography more accessible than ever before with cameras that can produce perfectly exposed images in almost any situation. We have high ISO performance, giving image quality far exceeding the capability of film, as well as autofocusing systems that work in near dark situations. Being able to capture a wide dynamic range of light, colour and detail, combined with digital darkroom processes that allow easy manipulation of our images, we now have the tools that allow us to capture, edit and finish images to a very high standard.

This book aims to make low light and night photography easy to approach and understand, helping you to get to grips with the techniques and tricks that will allow you to capture great photographs. It explores topics such as essential kit, camera modes, the best camera settings for low light and night photography, and how to look at light. I will also be covering many more subjects, such as the importance of knowing what you can expect to get from your camera and how much extra detail can be revealed in the digital darkroom. Throughout this book we will explain how to take great low light and night images, as well as revealing a whole host of tips and tricks to improve your images, whether you are just starting out with your first DSLR or you are already an experienced photographer looking to try a new style of photography.

The first chapters will start by exploring what constitutes low light and night photography, how to shoot in challenging light, which approach to take and how to get inspired. We will then explore the equipment that is needed, looking at the cameras, lenses and the accessories that are essential for good-quality, low light and night photography. After that, we will take a look at the camera setup. Modern digital cameras, especially DSLRs can be daunting at first glance. We will guide you through the buttons, functions and features that you actually need to use and then look at some suggested settings to enable you to create the best results in low light situations.

We will look at composition ideas and, more importantly, how to look at, and understand, light, especially the main components of light: quantity, quality, colour and direction. The final chapters will take you through the best techniques and settings, whether you are handholding or using a tripod. We will outline the theory, concepts and approaches to the many different styles of low light and night photography. The aim is to show you real world photography that concentrates less on the technical aspects and spends more time on creativity, so that you can go out and learn new photographic skills while enjoying the experience.

Each of the chapters will discuss how to create great low light and night images and will also provide you with suggested practical assignments for you to try yourself, alongside a variety of insider tips and tricks. I aim to make low light and night photography easy to understand and hopefully demystify this technically demanding form of photography.

Chapter 1

Low Light and Night Photography

L ow light or night photography could be used to describe any images you take that occur at sunset, sunrise or about an hour or so surrounding these times of day. It could also be a room interior or even shooting in a forest with heavy tree-cover blocking out most of the light. Basically, any situation that has reduced light levels, be it natural or man-made light.

Taking photographs in low light is challenging as you have less light to work with. The less light you have to work with, the harder you and your camera have to work to obtain a correct exposure. The upside is that you are now usually shooting with the best light, so when you get it right, your images should be great.

As you can see from the images shown, all of these were taken at night or low light. Each is completely different, but each one shows a unique scene, with unique light. Shooting with low light levels or at night offers you the chance to catch the best light of the day, allowing a cityscape to be transformed into a spectacle of light and colours, and providing us with an almost infinite range of photos to take and images to create.