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3.16. Nighttime PhotographyBecause photography is the art and science of capturing light, you wouldn't think that nighttime would present many photo opportunities. But in fact, nighttime pictures can be the most spectacular ones in your portfolio. City lights, river lights, sky lights, and even car lights can stand out like bright colors on a black canvas. Unfortunately, you won't get far in this kind of photography without a tripod. You can practice the following techniques by bracing the camera against a wall ”but you'll find the job infinitely easier with a true tripod. 3.16.1. Trailing Car LightsYou've seen this shot on postcards and in magazines: neon bands of light streaking across the frame, with a nicely lit bridge or building in the background. The trick to these shots is to keep the shutter open long enough for the cars to pass all the way from one side of the frame to the other (Figure 3-18). When using film cameras , photographers rely on the camera's B setting, in combination with a cable release (a shutter button on the end of a cord). The B setting (short for bulb ) keeps the shutter open for as long as you hold down the release. Many a photographer has stood out in the cold, thumbs pressing down on icy cable releases, softly counting: "One thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three " Your digital camera probably doesn't have a B setting (although a few do have Bulb modes). But you can capture these dramatic shots if your camera offers a shutter-priority mode (see Figure 3-3). In this mode, you can tell the camera to keep the shutter open for a long time indeed ”four seconds or more for car-taillight photos, for example.
Tip: When preparing for nighttime shooting, pack a pocket flashlight so you can see the camera's controls in the dark. Try to find a vantage point high enough to provide a good overview of the scene. A nicely lit building, bridge, or monument in the background provides a nice contrast to erratic lights created by the cars passing through the scene. Put your camera on a tripod or some other steady surface, and set it in shutter-priority mode. After you've composed your shot, set the shutter for four seconds. The camera will control the aperture automatically. Use your remote control, if you have one, or your camera's self-timer mode. When you see cars coming into the scene, trip the shutter. Review the results on the LCD screen. If the streaks aren't long enough, then add a couple seconds to the shutter setting; if the streaks are too long, subtract a second or two. With a little trial and error, you can capture beautiful, dramatic taillight shots just like those postcards you always see.
3.16.2. Nighttime PortraitsNighttime portraits can be extremely interesting, especially when your subject is in front of a lit monument or building. Put your camera on a tripod or steady surface as you compose the background. The key to this shot will be opening the aperture very wide, to admit as much light as possible. You can do this in one of two ways. 3.16.2.1 Aperture-priority modeIf you can put your camera into aperture-priority mode (as described on page 41), set the aperture to f-2.8 or f-4. Take a shot of just the background and review it onscreen. If it looks good, turn on your flash (forced-flash mode) and position your subject within ten feet of the camera. Ask your subject to stand still until you give the OK to move. When you take the picture, the flash will fire very briefly , but the shutter will stay open for another second or two to soak in enough light to pick up the background. Review the results on the camera. If your subject is too bright, move the camera farther away. Move closer if the subject is too dark. 3.16.2.2 Nighttime-flash modeIf your camera doesn't have an aperture-priority mode, it might have a nighttime-flash mode. It's pretty much the same idea ”it opens the aperture very wide ”except that you can't control precisely how wide. The camera will attempt to properly expose the background while providing just enough additional flash for your model. Try it. If your model is too bright or too dark, move closer or farther. |
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