Travel photography has more often shown sites of
different lands photographed during the day. But sometimes, there's
mystery and romance and glamour by looking at them at a different light -
night light, that is. Technically, there is no such thing as night light
since night itself or the night sky does not emit any light. There's the
moon which is actually a mirror reflecting
the
sunlight and there are stars that actually exist both at day and at night,
although they become more apparent in the dark because of the amount of
light from them which we can actually see. Nowadays though, a glimmer of
stars in the night sky is becoming a rare sight.
Night light is actually a combination of
different light sources, both natural - dusk, moonlight, stars, etc. - and
artificial, which can come from neon signs, streetlamps, car headlights,
candle light and so on.
The key to having great night photographs would be to
have Fast Film, Stable Camera Support, Slow Camera Shutter Speed and, of
course, a great subject.
Fast Films or high ASA films are more
sensitive than the more common ASA 100 film. ASA 400 films are the ones
most commonly used for night shooting. Remember, the higher the ASA, the
more sensitive the film. Scenes with lower light levels or shots lit by
candlelight are easily recorded with fast films. Fast films are generally
have larger grains that act as minute recorders of light. Since they are
larger, grains on night shots tend to be more apparent in print. Some film
brands even have 800 to 1000 ASA.
Stable Camera Support can come in
different forms but the most ideal would be a sturdy tripod to mount your
camera. The amount of time your camera will record what it sees can take a
second to even a minute and a lot of things can happen between your
subject and your camera - one thing therefore, that you'd like to avoid is
a blurred photographed caused by a shaky camera. Our arms and hands can
create wonders but one thing it can't do is remain motionless for a time
holding a camera. Tripods also help you reach different heights giving you
flexibility and creativity with your compositions. The next alternative to
tripods would be to position them on an even surface like a ledge or a
platform. Small wedges often used as door stops can help in tilting the
camera and lock it into one postion.
Monopods are like tripods except that they only have
one leg. They are light and portable and can be inconspicuous. They can be
used for night photography but your hand should be stable.
Slow Shutter Speed take their time to
capture as much light as they could.
If
you cannot get high ASA film, your camera should have a variable shutter
control. The shutter, like your eyelids, can capture more information
looking at one subject if it is open at a longer time. Subjects with
moving lights like headlights, neon lights or carnival lights, form
interesting with their brilliance when they are photographed with a slow
shutter speed. Slow shutter speeds technically are speeds below 1/60th
of a second. The lesser the light level, the longer the speed should be
like 2-4 seconds. However, since shooting at slow shutter speeds takes
longer, this method would be more ideal when photographing still subjects
like buildings, illuminated monuments, neon signs or cityscapes. People
moving within the frame become blurred.
Night photography is a different way of seeing things.
Some subjects in fact are more suitable to be photographed at
night than during the day. Fireworks, lit signage and head lamps
are some elements that are not as interesting as when shot at night. Since
night shots have more contrast, color adds more life to a scene and can
tell a more interesting story.
| These pictures were taken with Canon EOS750QD on Kodak Max ASA 400 film. (August 2004) |
