>>> challenge 21 "after sundown" questions, tips, comments <<
Andy
Registered Users Posts: 50,016 Major grins
here's the place to ask your questions and share your tips about "shooting after sundown."
challenge 21 is about shooting "after sundown" so take an afternoon nap, folks, and get out there at the end of the day
if you are doing a night landscape or cityscape, get in position 45 minutes before sunset. you might get a good sunset - and turn around, you'll be surprised at what that fading light does to the scene behind you. i find, some of the best light for scenics & landscapes is the 30-45 minutes right after the sun goes down. you can get some great blue sky and sometimes a lovely gradient, from pink at the horizon to blue way up high.
n.b.: as this challenge is for "after dark," photos of sunsets or sunrises will not be allowed. i will allow, however, photos taken of any scene opposite the sunset, or sunrise, where you are capturing some sweet fading light at the end of the day or breaking at the beginning of a new day - see the photo of the thames river barrier below for an example. so, for our purposes, "after dark" means that time when the sun is just disappearing behind the horizon in the west, until the sun just comes up in the east.
why no sunsets or sunrises? well, we've all taken them, plenty of times, so get out there and challenge yourself to do something new and different.
here are some shooting tips for "after dark"
post processing takes a bit more time for night work. for digicams, plan on doing some noise reduction for skies and water. for all shooters, take a look at my nightshot post-processing tutorial
challenge 21 is about shooting "after sundown" so take an afternoon nap, folks, and get out there at the end of the day
if you are doing a night landscape or cityscape, get in position 45 minutes before sunset. you might get a good sunset - and turn around, you'll be surprised at what that fading light does to the scene behind you. i find, some of the best light for scenics & landscapes is the 30-45 minutes right after the sun goes down. you can get some great blue sky and sometimes a lovely gradient, from pink at the horizon to blue way up high.n.b.: as this challenge is for "after dark," photos of sunsets or sunrises will not be allowed. i will allow, however, photos taken of any scene opposite the sunset, or sunrise, where you are capturing some sweet fading light at the end of the day or breaking at the beginning of a new day - see the photo of the thames river barrier below for an example. so, for our purposes, "after dark" means that time when the sun is just disappearing behind the horizon in the west, until the sun just comes up in the east.
why no sunsets or sunrises? well, we've all taken them, plenty of times, so get out there and challenge yourself to do something new and different.
here are some shooting tips for "after dark"
- shoot with a tripod and remote shutter release
- carefully watch your histogram to avoid blown highlights
- a good starting point after the sun is down is f/4 and 4 seconds, lowest iso
- shoot in raw if you have it, the night lighting is challenging for white balance
- bring a flashlight so you can easily see the controls on your camera
- experiment with neutral density filters to slow your shutter speed, this can have a dramatic effect on carnival rides, automobile lights, star trails, and water of any kind
post processing takes a bit more time for night work. for digicams, plan on doing some noise reduction for skies and water. for all shooters, take a look at my nightshot post-processing tutorial
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he wanted "in the dark" as a challenge theme
http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=15445&postcount=49
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I did.. I emailed him a week ago as well but no answer..:cry
These bar lights are distrations? Part of the scene? Bad, good, ?????
Please, Andy, it is time for me to know this stuff now, and know it well. I shot this for the last challenge, it was not popular and the subject of the beer advertisement lights being a distraction was raised. Since I thought lights were a part of the night scene, hopefully, smile, unless a big gaping hole of white, I was/am confused.
Could you please speak to the subject of the use/and avoidance of lights in night photography, please.
ginger
lights are okay imo, for certain scenes. i think what needs doing in your examples is to tone the lights down, make them a secondary player instead of top billing.
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Andy, in toning down, are you talking in PS or at the time of exposure?
In this case, the exposure for one, the girls, just happened to be right for the lights to play, too.???
So are you talking about afterwards toning them down? PS? I know you have a tutorial, I have read and re read it, but I still have these niggling questions.
ginger
ginger
You could have blown me over with a feather when someone suggested that the lights were a problem............... That is why I am seeking all this info.
I also PMd him with more questions on settings, plus.......... He is probably ready to kill me. Since I have had major disasters, I am leary and want to be prepared before, not after. I have very limited access to certain areas. We have to be home "early", by the decree of my protector
I hand held the bar girls, too, I have hand held everything. The bar the girls were in was lit brighter than a coffee shop, I just don't know what I am going to run into. I do know the Rebel would not fire after dark the other night, I think I have figured out I have to have the lens on manual focus.
The AV and TV, those are bigger problems for me. Post might not be easy, but I am worried now about the shoot. The better we shoot, the easier the post will be, IMO.
ginger (I had my shutter release sent 2 day mail, with the holiday that means tomorrow, I guess. That would be next weekend before I really can use it. I need it tonight.)
i meant for you to tone them down in post.
also, you should consider shooting in raw, then you can get the white balance just the right way. i think these are a bit orangy...
cheers,
andy
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