by Carol
"I will love the light for it shows me the way,
yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars."
Og Mandino
We spent the month of December celebrating light. But the Christmas and Chanukah lights are now packed away, and we are beginning the long, dark months of winter. The months where the days are short and mostly spent inside, escaping the cold temperatures by tucking in near the fire.
STOP! This is FOL! We are here to inspire you (and each other)! Get up off the couch and out of your comfort zone and go embrace the darkness! Get those tripods out - (carrying them around will help work off those Christmas cookies!) and engage your brain! Night photography is not easy. but its so rewarding when it comes out well.
Remember - beauty exists in EVERY moment of EVERY day. You can find in in the midst of darkness as well as in the light. (Are you digging the metaphor here?)
Remember - beauty exists in EVERY moment of EVERY day. You can find in in the midst of darkness as well as in the light. (Are you digging the metaphor here?)
For those of you not used to shooting in the dark (and that's most of us) - here are some basic tips to start off our month:
1.Use a tripod.
You have very little light to work with, so your shutter must stay open a long time to gather enough light in. You cannot possibly hold still that long, so a tripod is a must.
2. Shoot in raw.
It will allow you to gather as many pixels as possible so you can accumulate their light.
3. Use manual mode for more control
4. Keep your ISO at 200 to reduce noise, unless the subject is moving.
5. Turn off spot metering - use evaluative (Canon) or matrix (Nikon). This allows the camera to look around for the best light for focusing.
6. With a zoom lens, use it's middle aperture (sweet spot)
Either extreme has less perfection than the central value the lens was based on.
7. Focus on the lit places
Those are the places that hold our interest.
8. If you confuse yourself, pop the camera into program mode to see what settings it suggests, then go back to manual and tweak them.
9. Bulb mode let's you press your shutter release to open up the camera, and then press it again when you are ready to stop. here is a link to a handy online chart, if you want to be precise until you are able to feel your way through.
And here are some composition ideas:
1. Play with light sources that are entering the dark from different directions
2. Look for manmade (electric) light against natural light at days end.
3. Shoot at twilight for even greater clarity
4. Convert night photos to black and white for cool effect
You have very little light to work with, so your shutter must stay open a long time to gather enough light in. You cannot possibly hold still that long, so a tripod is a must.
2. Shoot in raw.
It will allow you to gather as many pixels as possible so you can accumulate their light.
3. Use manual mode for more control
4. Keep your ISO at 200 to reduce noise, unless the subject is moving.
5. Turn off spot metering - use evaluative (Canon) or matrix (Nikon). This allows the camera to look around for the best light for focusing.
6. With a zoom lens, use it's middle aperture (sweet spot)
Either extreme has less perfection than the central value the lens was based on.
7. Focus on the lit places
Those are the places that hold our interest.
8. If you confuse yourself, pop the camera into program mode to see what settings it suggests, then go back to manual and tweak them.
9. Bulb mode let's you press your shutter release to open up the camera, and then press it again when you are ready to stop. here is a link to a handy online chart, if you want to be precise until you are able to feel your way through.
And here are some composition ideas:
1. Play with light sources that are entering the dark from different directions
2. Look for manmade (electric) light against natural light at days end.
3. Shoot at twilight for even greater clarity
4. Convert night photos to black and white for cool effect
I can't wait to view your images in our flickr gallery, in our phone posts and on IG. Post them for us, and then go back to your seat by the fire and stroll through our galleries to see what our FOL family has created.
"We can't live in the light all of the time. You have to take whatever light you can hold into the dark with you."
Libba Bray
A great and Terrible Beauty
