Photography Night Pictures
Night Photography, the Urban Extravaganza
It’s no secret that cities create a huge amount of light at night. Urban dwellers make more use of their window shades to get to sleep than anything else, and from the country the road to the nearest metropolis is often identified by the distant glow of streetlights diffusing high into the atmosphere. I don’t approve of light pollution, as a starry sky on a clear night is one of the most amazing things you’ll ever see, but all of this excess light can definitely be put to good use. Whether it’s “burning” landscape pictures or satellite imagery of bright city outlines, photography is perhaps the only positive outcome of poor light management.
Night photography differs from the popular counterpart in a few major ways. The lack of a single prime light source means photos will often have less contrast and shadow quality, but this is made up for in light diversity. One photo taken in a city may draw light from incandescent street lamps, fluorescent office lights, and sunlight reflected off a full moon. This creates a situation that’s near impossible to white balance for, and one shouldn’t try to, as the glory of night photography is in the uncontrollable variables. With longer exposures, camera sensors extract and amplify light from wherever available, often with fantastic and unexpected results. A changing stoplight or passing car can drastically alter an image, fog or overcast clouds can diffuse and reflect wayward city lights with incredible beauty, and a lack of consistent shadow often gives structures and objects a surreal existence. Tally in the array of colors from non white-balanced light sources and the camera becomes a kaleidoscope. All in all, night photography is an incredible way to convert some of that extra city light into photos that are, more often than not, a pleasant surprise.
Anyone interested can see some of my night and panoramic photography on my website linked. I’ve been shooting in and around Richmond, VA for a number of years now without even denting its generous supply of photo ops.
About the Author
Photography student at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA
|
|
OSTER 004096-009-000 2-Speed Beehive Blender $78.78 OSTER 004096-009-000 2-SPEED BEEHIVE BLENDER2-SPEED TOGGLE SWITCH BLENDER; EASY TOGGLE SPEED CONTROL FOR CONTINUOUS SMOOTH BLENDING OR PULSE OPTION FOR PRECISELY CHOPPED FOOD; 5-CUP SCRATCH-RESISTANT & DISHWASHER-SAFE ROUND GLASS JAR; 500W; ALL-METAL DRIVE SYSTEM FOR POWER & EXTRA DURABILITY; STAINLESS STEEL ICE-CRUSHING BLADE… |
|
|
Mitaki-Japan Digital Pocket Scale Features Protective Cover Excellent Performance $27.15 Mitaki-Japan Digital Pocket Scale Features Protective Cover Excellent Performance… |
|
|
Mitaki-Japan Electronic Scale Lcd Screen Measures In Kilograms Grams Ounces Pounds $23.99 Mitaki-Japan Electronic Scale Lcd Screen Measures In Kilograms Grams Ounces Pounds… |
|
|
Duets $4.75 Country music’s First Couple, Johnny Cash and June Carter began making beautiful music together in 1961, when she began touring with “The Man in Black.” Born into one of America’s great musical families in the 1920s, the Carter Family (comprising June’s mother, the influential guitarist Maybelle, and her aunt and uncle, Sarah and A.P.) helped create the musical template still at work in bluegrass,… |
|
|
Full Spectrum Light Bulb – ALZO 27W Compact Fluorescent – Case of 4 – Daylight Balanced 5500K – Pure White Light $25.06 Case of 4 full spectrum light bulbs that imitate daylight, are energy star compliant, and have a long life at circa 10,000 hours with 1300 Lumens output; low energy consumption, good for treating Seasonal Affective Disorder S.A.D., for photo studio lights, or for starting plant growth. These are Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs. Fits all medium-base E27/E26 sockets, but this is a large bulb t… |
|
|
ALZO 45-Watt Photo CFL Full Spectrum Light Bulb $9.75 45W Full spectrum light bulb for daylight balanced lighting, energy star compliant, long-lasting at cir. 10,000 hours with 2800 Lumens output; low energy consumption, good for treating S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder), photo studio lights, or starting plant growth. This is a Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulb. Fits all medium-base E27/E26 sockets, but this is a large bulb that might create a… |
|
|
Lutron Credenza Lamp Dimmer … |
|
|
Fools Rush In $3.85 Opposites attract in this conventional but refreshingly unpredictable romantic comedy. New York nightclub designer (Matthew Perry, from television’s Friends) is in Las Vegas to supervise the construction of a new project when he meets a fiery Mexican beauty (Salma Hayek). It’s lust at first sight, and their one-night stand takes an unexpected turn when she shows up three months later to announce t… |
|
|
Daybreak $17.60 DAYBREAK – DVD Movie… |
|
|
Panasonic Network Camera and Pet Cam (BLC1A) $99.95 Package Contents: The Panasonic BL-C1A Wired Network Camera handles your digital photography needs at a price that won’t hurt your wallet! This color surveillance camera allows remote video monitoring of a home or business. Remote home and business surveillance just got a lot mo… |
|
|
Stewart Parr ‘Paris – Eiffel Tower – night BW’ Unframed Photo Print $27.49 Artist: Stewart ParrTitle: Paris – Eiffel Tower – night BW – Vertical Subject: Cityscapes |
|
|
Stewart Parr Paris, France – Eiffel Tower at night Unframed Photo Print $37.49 Artist: Stewart ParrTitle: Paris, France – Eiffel Tower at nightSubject: Cityscapes |
|
|
Stewart Parr ‘Paris – Eiffel Tower – night BW’ Unframed Photo Print $37.49 Artist: Stewart ParrTitle: Paris – Eiffel Tower – night BW – Vertical Subject: Cityscapes |
|
|
Stewart Parr ‘Paris – Eiffel Tower – night color’ Unframed Photo Print $28.49 Artist: Stewart ParrTitle: Paris – Eiffel Tower – night color – Vertical Subject: Cityscapes |
|
|
Digital Night And Low-light Photography $22.56 Taking successful night and low-light photographs has always presented a technical challenge. How do you capture enough light to secure a great picture? How do you judge and control lengthy timed exposures? How and when do you use additional lighting? Here is an area of photography that demands the utmost from the camera, and draws on all the skills of the photographer–yet its very complexity is one reason why it is so popular. A further reason is simply that it results in stunning images: sunrises and sunsets, the night sky, dramitcally lit cityscapes, fireworks displays, and more. "Digital Night and Low-Light Photography" is an in-depth guide to the techniques a photographer needs to guarantee great pictures under challenging lighting conditions. In addition, the book examines the differences in the way film and digital cameras perform in low light, and reveals how the new features built in to many digital cameras–in-camera image previewing, white-balance correction, and ISO adjustments–can make a difference. And it shows how digital-imaging techniques can be used to rescue a disaster, or perhaps create a masterpiece. |
|
|
Pictures At An Exhibition A Night On Bald Mountain $17.99 Pictures At An Exhibition A Night On Bald Mountain |
|
|
Pictures At Exhibition A Night On Bare Mountain $7.99 Pictures At Exhibition A Night On Bare Mountain |
|
|
American Photography 25 $75 American Photography 25 American Photography celebrates its quarter-century anniversary with this selection of the best pictures from 2008, chosen by a distinguished jury headed by Kathy Ryan, Photography Director at The New York Times Magazine . From over 10,000 images submitted by 1,200 photographers, agencies, magazines and publishers, just 354 made the final cut. The winners include shots produced for Interview , GQ , Newsweek , Vanity Fair and many others. Opening with Fiona Aboud’s snap of the first baby born the night Barack Obama was elected president, the book also sports dazzling images from the summer Olympic Games in Beijing. Celebrity culture is represented by a string of candid portraits including Dan Winters’ series of past New York newsmakers—commissioned for New York Magazine ‘s fortieth anniversary issue—and Annie Leibowitz’s topless study of Miley Cyrus for Vanity Fair . Photojournalism is represented by Tim Hetherington, Seamus Murphy, James Nachtwey and others taking a look at war, global warming, human rights issues and economic crisis. ISBN: 9781886212329 FORMAT: Hbk, 9.5 x 12.5 in. / 416 pgs / 354 color. PUBLISHER: Amilus Inc. PUBLICATION DATE: 2/28/2010 Tell your friends! var addthis_pub=”burkedecor”; |
