Night Photography

Where were you at New Years? I can honestly say that I was frozen, alone, and enjoying myself immensely when 2010 came. Here is my first picture of 2010, taken just after midnight.

There was some cloud cover which lightened the sky to the point that any stars were obscured, but I still like the colours and harsh shadows in this picture.

A while back I discovered the photography of Rune Guneriussen. Rune takes pictures of lamps out in the middle of the forest and the results are simply stunning.

I wish I could take pictures like these. A while ago my late friend Mikael and I had the idea of hauling a television, couch, side table and lamp all over the province taking pictures of them in strange places. This is very similar in feel and spirit. I'm wondering what he did for power and how he managed to transport so many lamps around.

A little while ago I was wandering around my new neighbourhood looking for something to shoot. I originally planned to take some pictures of a creek nearby, but when I saw this factory I was drawn in.

This picture really works for me since it has excellent lines in it. The crates on the left draw your interest in, and then you look around a bit more and see the factory in the background and the fence which faintly frames the shot. I was very happy that the scene wasn't lit by amber lamps and the one flood light adds some nice lens flare when partially hidden behind the fence.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. The key to an amazing picture is perspective - whether taking pictures at night or by day. Check out All Art Has Been...Crazy by Crazy Ivory for example.

When approaching a building with an imposing exterior (such as roman columns) who ever looks up? On the way into the building you are usually only looking at the stairs or your destination and miss all the effort that has been put into decorating one of the more overlooked areas, the roof.

I can't wait for winter to leave and spring to arrive. The wonderful thing about Brrr...it's Winter Time by belle_fleur is that even though I loath snow right now, it still is full of beauty.

The balance of nature and concrete is striking in that the foreground is a beautiful marsh, the background is a skyline, and they both fit together perfectly. Since this picture was taken at night, the long exposure calmed the water so it looks like glass - peaceful and relaxing.

When framing a shot small changes in the position of your camera can make a big difference in the end result. Talstr by fudo82 is a lesson in perspective. I have the feeling that if this picture was taken from the ground it would be hardly as interesting the result fudo82 got. Rarely do you see pictures looking down on things in quite this way.

Not only is the perspective great, but the composition is wonderful also. The van, motorcycle, street lamp and brick work form something of a frame that draws the eye in to the people below. There are also lots of small details like the brick work and cobblestone streets that to not distract your focus initially but jump out after a while. Great care has obviously been taken in creating this picture.

Night photography featuring landscapes has always been my favourite. I like nature and being outside, so taking pictures away from the city at night seems natural. IBrower's picture Picacho Peak in the Moonlight stands out since to me since it is in the same style of many of my night landscapes. I am a huge fan of landscapes at night. There is something magical about having a day-like foreground with stars gong through the background of the picture. The yellow tones of the rock also match nicely with the blue and traces of pink in the sky. If only I could take pictures like this whenever I wanted to, and not just when the light and weather was right.

penelopebeveridge's picture Tokyo Bay Night is eye very catching and unique for the dark, sinister tone it captures.

Some pictures, when underexposed, look like they have been carelessly underexposed. Others seem to take on a whole new dimension, and this is one of them. This picture has a wonderful gloomy, dark, bleak look to it courtesy of being underexposed. The entire picture is washed with greys and blues with no bright lights bringing to mind stories and movies of a distopian future.

Waterbombers are really neat planes. They look completely dorky on the ground, but seeing one roar across a lake and dump water on a nearby forest fire is amazing.

This was taken as I was heading home from scouting around the airport. The biggest problem shooting at the airport is somehow getting your camera above the fence for a clear shot. As I was driving I noticed a nice high pile of snow right next to the fence. When I climbed to the top of the pile, the moon was just rising and was right over the hangar. Perfect!

When thinking of night photography, fast shutter speeds probably do not come to mind. The Power and Glow by gud1dave gives an example of the powerful effect a short shutter speed can have.

As opposed to exposing for the wood that is being burnt or the background, this picture is exposed for the flames. The result is great since the flames are bright, but not completely overexposed and frozen in time. It is rare to see a picture of fire with such definition in it.