008 - How to Take Night Photos That Don't Suck
Night time photography can yield some incredible and unusual scenes. Whether it's shooting the stars in the celestial heavens or capturing the light trails from cars as they whiz by. Night photography is fun and it's easy to get awesome results, we just need to examine a few key pointers.
The great news is, if you have a camera that allows for customizing the settings - adjusting the exposure triangle - shutter speed / aperture and ISO (reference Ep 004 - Demystifying the Exposure Triangle) ... then you can jump in TONIGHT and start telling awesome night stories.
(11:16) - Be sure to tune in to a mini-interview / adventure I did with acclaimed photographers Nathan Ralston and Ben Jacobi! - These guys rock!
Here's a few tips to keep in mind when approaching night photography:
Use a tripod.
Bring a flashlight, headlamp or iPhone to maneuver around in the dark.
Wear boots or closed toe shoes - especially if you're heading into remote areas.
Light trails are created by long shutter speeds.
If your images are too grainy or too noisy - reduce your ISO.
Get the largest possible focus area (while maintaining correct exposure) by stopping down (increasing the f-stop number) the aperture. The smaller the aperture, the less light comes in, which gives a larger f-stop or focus area (ex: f/22 is larger focus area, less light than f/5 which has less focus area and more light than f/22)
If shooting stars, set shutter speed below 30 seconds, start at 15. If over 30 seconds, you may begin to capture light trails from the stars (created by the rotation of the earth). If this is something you want, great - just keep in mind why it's happening.
Weather matters - check it before you head out to photo the night sky.
Light pollution is real - if you are in the city or any other area with lots of lights, these lights will reduce your view of the stars. Sometimes, it's not even possible to see starts in big cities. You may need to travel to a remote area to capture stars.
Stellarium App - track where exactly the stars are at any given time.
Experiment! Just like with every other type of photography, videography and filmmaking - your personal taste matters! Once you understand the basic building blocks - experiment! Break the rules! Find out what you love and why!
“Just because we are shooting at night, that doesn’t mean we are ‘limited’ to only shooting the stars. The entire spectrum of the world is available to us (just as it is during the day) even though the sun is down. Our opportunities are only limited by our imagination.”
Night time light trails - Las Vegas Traffic on the Strip., I used an aperture of f/22 a shutter speed of 6 seconds and an ISO of 200.
Night time light trails - Las Vegas Traffic on the Strip., I used an aperture of f/22 a shutter speed of 6 seconds and an ISO of 200.
CAR LIGHT TRAILS - HOW TO DO IT
(03:46) This past fall, while I was in Las Vegas, I experimented with long exposure / long shutter car light trail photography. I shot from a bridge down to the busy traffic below. This is a perfect opportunity to capture the whizzing of lights.
To capture light trails this look, the main setting we want to adjust is shutter speed. Remember, the shutter speed controls motion. So much movement that in fact, the moving tail lights of the cars blend together to become one.
For the above photos, I used an aperture of f/22 a shutter speed of 6 seconds and an ISO of 200.
(04:58) This is something else fun to do at night, a night time time lapse. I shot the time lapse below on the Las Vegas strip with my GH4. It was created by snapping a series of the above photos and rendering them into a video. That's all a time lapse is - a series of photos laid side by side by side and rendered out as a video.
Below, is another time lapse. This was shot with my iPhone 6 using time lapse mode, all auto settings. So this shows, you can have fun and capture awesome shots at night, even with your iPhone! I didn't do anything else other than keep the camera relatively still.
This just goes to show, yet again, the best camera is the camera you have. Experiment and jump in head first with whatever camera you have TODAY. Once you reach the limits of a camera and you know exactly WHY you've reached the limit, then and only then is it time to think and seek out another camera.
Shooting the Stars at Night - How to Do It
Shooting the stars at night - you can do it! It's all about the settings! Remember what we've learned about exposure and follow the settings. Remember:
If shooting stars, set shutter speed below 30 seconds, start at 15. If over 30 seconds, you may begin to capture light trails from the stars (created by the rotation of the earth). If this is something you want, great - just keep in mind why it's happening.
Get the largest possible focus area (while maintaining correct exposure) by stopping down (increasing the f-stop number) the aperture. The smaller the aperture, the less light comes in, which gives a larger f-stop or focus area (ex: f/22 is larger focus area, less light than f/5 which has less focus area and more light than f/22)
(06:15) Here's some behind the scenes photos that I shot while working on set of the movie 'Where The Shadows Fall'. This is a great example of varied subjects we are capable of shooting at night.
Star night photography. North Texas, around 2am on a February evening. Shot an aperture of F/5, a shutter speed of 25 seconds and ISO of 100.
(07:02) Below are night portraits that I took while on set, shooting behind the scenes photos of the movie 'Where The Shadows Fall'. This reinforces the statement above, just because it's night, we don't have to just shoot the stars.
(11:16) Listen is as we journey to an abandoned historical church in North Texas! I talk with two phenomenal photographers who are passionate about their craft - Mr. Ben Jacobi and Nathan Ralston.
(14:20) Final Thoughts - Feeding Our Brain
I'm a big fan of listening to audiobooks and podcasts that encourage growth, self examination, positivity and pursuing our natural divine calling. Every episode I'll share with you a piece that's impacted me during the week
“What differentiates truly great performers and organizations from mediocre ones is an ability to effectively execute on what they know. There is a gap for most of us between what we know we should do, and what we are actually willing to do. This knowing-doing gap is what keeps most people and most companies from accomplishing what they are capable of.”
The 12 Week Year
5 Stars - Must Consume!
This book has hit me so deep. So profoundly. I'll stay here on this book for several weeks, rereading and implementing tactics prescribed. Identify a large stretch goal. Then break down 12 weeks, as if each week were a month in a new 12 week year. Ensure that this 12 week goal aligns with our larger ultimate goal in life.
I felt like the opening paragraphs from the preface were written, by me. I identify greatly with the words and am excited to implement the tactics.
Thanks guys, that's it's for this episode! Please, subscribe to the email list and if you like it, share to someone you think would gain value from it!