The Ultimate Guide to Night Photography

Night photography immediately solves a huge problem that you confront constantly in photography. That problem is being faced with ordinary scenes that just aren’t very interesting. If you take a picture of a building or a standard street scene during the day, it can be sort of dull. We are all used to seeing shots taken in the middle of the day. That same scene – shot at night – can be a really interesting photograph though.

The actual taking of pictures at night might seem a little bit like magic if you are just getting started. Even those who have been shooting a while may wonder how to get a proper exposure and focus in the dark. Although photographing in the dark certainly has its challenges, in some ways, it is actually easier than photography during the day.

So let’s take a quick look at the essentials of night photography. In particular, we’ll cover the gear you need, how to expose your photos, how to focus at night, great subject matter, and some post-processing tips. Hopefully, this will help open up the world of night photography to you.

Hopefully, this guide will help you get started with night photography. As you get ready for your next outing, just remember a few things:
– The only additional items that are necessary for night photography are a tripod and remote shutter release. Some other helpful items are a flashlight, a lens hood, and an extra battery.
– For exposure, start with moderate ISO (around 400) and aperture (around f/5.6-8) and see where that puts your shutter speed. Adjust from there with an eye toward getting the shutter speed (exposure time) you want.
– Pick a subject that lends itself to night photography. Remember that things look very different at night, so take some test shots.
– Focus your camera by finding or creating areas of contrast and setting the autofocus on those areas. When necessary, switch to manual focus.
– When you get home, edit your images as you wish, but you might try decreasing the Highlights, increasing the Shadows, and pulling down the Blacks slightly.

The Ultimate Guide to Night Photography
A Post By: Jim Hamel
In this, the next installment of our dPS ultimate guides, learn what you need to know to get started doing night photography.

get the guide at Digital Photography School

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The Thrill of the Chase

There’s nothing on Earth like being confronted by the fury of wild weather. With more than 20 years’ experience storm chasing across Australia, Dale Sharpe shares his tips for amazing images in the eye of the storm.

How to Capture Lightning
1. Use a tripod and set your camera to Manual (M).
2. Set your camera’s ISO to its lowest value (100 or 200).
3. An aperture between f/5.6 and f/9 will give you a good depth of field.
4. The ideal shutter speed depends on the intensity of the lightning and how far away it is, but I recommend shooting 20-30 seconds for distant lightning strikes and 5 -10 seconds for closer strikes.
5. Set your lens to manual and focus to infinity. Fire a test shot to ensure the image is sharp.
6. If your lens or camera has image stabilisation turn it off! If the camera is on a tripod it will do more harm than good.
7. If you have a remote, lock the shutter release, so the camera captures one image after another.
8. Capturing the perfect bolt is often a matter of luck so the more time your shutter release is open the better your chances.
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The Thrill of the Chase
by Dale Sharpe
via Australian Photography Magazine

Creative eye | Howard Kingsnorth

Photography has never been in a better place than it is right now. As the primary medium for ‘instant’ communicaton, it is now accessible to all. The alchemy that we used to enjoy: with the mysteries of film and exposure, the darkened rooms and chemicals, have all but been transcended by a small device that fits in your pocket and can send images anywhere in an instant. The digital revolution has enabled photographers and clients to push visual boundaries and enhance concepts, simply due to the power of instant review.
I love new tech. I’m always looking at it, buying it and playing with it.
Advances in digital manipulaton and capture are bound to make a difference to what we see today. More access for less able photographers and unskilled operators has been the trend lately, and that will only continue. A general dumbing down and consensus ‘look’ is what I see, especially in the fashion and celebrity world. But like any trend, there is a point when it will feel worn out and unable to go any further.

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Creative eye | Howard Kingsnorth
more in f11 Magazine

Cityscapes | Stuart Chape

11th Pollux Awards – Cityscapes | Winner. Stuart Chape

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Cityscapes by Stuart Chape
Winner, 11th Pollux Awards, Cityscapes Category

more at The Gala Awards

Aerials by Jeffrey Milstein

Jeffrey Milstein is a photographer, architect, graphic designer, and pilot. Milstein’s photographs have been exhibited and collected throughout the United States and Europe, and are currently represented in the USA by Paul Kopeikin Gallery in Los Angeles and Bonni Benrubi Gallery in NYC; and in Europe by Young Gallery in Brussels . In 2012 Milstein’s work was presented in a solo show at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, and included in New Typologies, curated by noted British photographer and critic, Martin Parr. His photographs have been published in New york Times, Los Angeles Times, Harpers,Time, Fortune, European Photography, American Photo, Eyemazing, Die Ziet, Wired, PDN, Esquire, and Condi Naste Traveler. Abrams published Milstein’s aircraft work as a monograph in 2007, and Monacelli published his extensive body of work from Cuba as a monograph in April 2010. Born in Los Angeles, where he frequently returns to shoot at the International Airport, Milstein makes his home in Woodstock, NY.

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Aerials by Jeffrey Milstein
more at Kopeikin Gallery

Mélancolie en Cinémascope

Mélancolie en Cinémascope par Julien Rotterman

à voir dans Plateform Magazine
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Nous sommes une PLATEFORM. Une PLATEFORM en ligne. Une PLATEFORM d’expression. Cette PLATEFORM montre et démontre que le talent prend beaucoup de formes. PLATEFORM n’est pas un magazine de mode. PLATEFORM n’est pas un magazine d’art. PLATEFORM n’est pas un magazine d’information. PLATEFORM est un magazine pour exposer, s’exposer, se raconter et raconter. PLATEFORM ouvre le regard et s’ouvre aux talents. PLATEFORM apporte une double vision sur un thème, un lieu, une émotion, une idée. PLATEFORM est simplement différent parce que la création prend beaucoup de formes.

Women in photography: Jumana Jolie and the rise of Dubai

Photojournalist and aerial photographer Jumana Jolie grew up in Dubai in the 1980s, when it was a developing desert town – long before it became a synonym for futuristic cityscape living and air-conditioned luxury.

With more than 250 posts on Instagram, as @pixelville, Jumana has attracted a global audience of more than 100K followers thanks to her vertiginous photographs from city rooftops. She shoots in what look like terrifyingly dangerous places, between impossibly high-mirrored towers, using her Canon EOS 5D Mark III. “I play with angles – it’s all about perspective,” she says. “It started out as a hobby – off the back of my love of architecture. I’d look up and think, ‘Wow, that building is beautiful from here, but I wonder what it would look like from up there?’ It’s so different, seeing the world from above.”
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Women in photography: Jumana Jolie and the rise of Dubai
more at Canon