It is always amazing how beautiful our Forest Park can be.
I am trying a new Sigma lens here. Had to take the photo quickly to capture the geese so the photo is not as sharp as I would like…
Art Fair
Here is a photo taken this fall at the St. Louis Art Fair in Clayton, MO. This is a low light photo just using available light. I used a 50mm prime lens at f1.8, 1/100 sec. This photo still came out almost black so processing in Photomatix brought out the highlights and interesting tones.
Highway 51 Bridge
A number of my photos and articles here have been about low light or night photography. I thought I would share one of my favorites. This is the Highway 51 bridge allowing access onto the island city of Minocqua, Wisconsin. This is the third bridge constructed here in my lifetime and I think the 6th overall. This photo is used by Yahoo’s weather app and was featured in Minocqua’s 2014 visitors guide.
I just purchased my Nikon D7100 and did not really have a chance to use it. My wife and I were walking back from dinner and we stopped by a place called the The Boathouse on the way back to our hotel. While sitting on their dock, I set the ISO and snapped this photo (ISO 1000, f5, 1/8th sec). The shimmering light on the water really made the shot.
Christmas Oak
A nicely decorated oak tree on the Missouri Botanical Garden, Garden Glow.
This is a handheld shot using an ISO of 2000, f3.5, 1/100 sec @ 17mm.
http://greatrivers.smugmug.com/Missouri-Botanical-Garden/i-zZwb55J/A
Improving your photos during the Golden Hour
If you would like to really improve your photos, you should shoot mostly during the “Golden Hour.” This is about 20 minutes before sunrise/sunset to 20 minutes after sunrise/sunset. At these times you will get softer but more dramatic images. This includes sunrise/sunset images, better color and fewer shadows.
If there is a particular subject you would like to photograph or if it’s an outdoor portrait, check a weather app on your cell phone to determine the best times.
The top photo was taken a few minutes after sunrise at Chaumette Winery in St. Genevieve. The bottom photo was taken about 5 or 10 minutes after sunset, following a tip I learned from another photographer: Wait! That is, don’t snap the picture of the sunset just as the sun is on the horizon. If you wait, you will see subtle colors and lighting from the sun past the horizon making a more interesting picture. By waiting I was able to get a better reflection off the lake plus the nice silhouette of the hills surrounding the lake.
For more information on taking these types of photos, see my photography tips on this page.
The bottom photo was taken at Devils Pool Restaurant at Big Cedar Lodge. I was having dinner out the deck and as the sun started to set, a number of people came to the railing to take photographs (with iPhones). I waited until the sun had set, put the camera on the railing and took this shot. Click on either photo to see a larger version.
Misty Lake
This is listed on my Smugmug page a one of my most interesting photos. So I am posting it here. This is Lake Minocqua around 6 AM on a very still and cold morning just before the snows started to fall. In the mist is one of the interesting old boathouses on the lake.
Feel free to share
© E.L. Engler Photography
Alley Spring Mill
I thought I would explore Missouri for one of those scenic old mills. I found this in a place called Alley Spring, near Eminence, Missouri on the Jack’s Fork river.
This is a single shot photo processed in Lightroom 5.
Waiting for Santa
One more night at the Garden Glow to get some shots missed on my first trip. This is a scene you will take a little effort to find.
This is a hand held shot taken at a High ISO of 2000 at 50mm, f3.2.
http://greatrivers.smugmug.com/Missouri-Botanical-Garden/i-SFbL6rp
Henry Shaw Home
Here is one more photo from Missouri Botanical Garden’s “Garden Glow.” This is Henry Shaw’s home on the Botanical Garden grounds. The grounds are decorated with light displays for the holiday season (see previous posts).
http://greatrivers.smugmug.com/Missouri-Botanical-Garden/i-GrL5ZPS/A
How to Take Photographs at Night
Recent posts here are from the Missouri Botanical Garden’s “Garden Glow.” This consists of a number of lighted displays throughout the garden grounds. Between the displays, it is very dark. A photo of one of the displays may look like the photo to the right but you may want get more detail like the same picture below. Here are some steps to follow to get better night photos:
- Use a tripod. You want to avoid any camera movements since the camera shutter is open for longer periods of time. Don’t scrimp here, more expensive tripods are worth it.
- To reduce camera shake even further, use a remote release (if there is one available for the camera). Some remotes have a wire attached to the camera and some are wireless. The type connected to the camera would be best. If you do not have or cannot get a remote release, try a delayed timer. Some cameras have the ability to set a 2 to 10 second timer that will delay shutter release. Using this will allow the shutter to release without possibility of moving the camera.
- Shoot in camera RAW to allow for more data to be recorded and allow for better editing on your computer (post processing).
- Use a low ISO to reduce noise.
- If you can, set your camera to Aperture Priority so you can control depth of field.
- Suggested settings: ISO 100; f16; the camera should choose the exposure time. In this case, it was 30 seconds.
- Post processing in programs like Picasa, Photoshop Elements or Lightroom will allow you to bring out detail hidden by the darkness.
- More advanced photographers can try HDR (High Dynamic Range) methods which will allow more flexibility in processing the image. Here you would take three photos (more or less) at different exposures to find more detail in the scene. Software programs like Photmatix can be used to combine and edit the photos.
Do not worry about people walking in front of the camera while the shutter is open, they will not be in front of the sensor long enough to register an image.
I hope this helps. Night photography can be very rewarding and open new horizons in your photography.
Great Rivers Imaging 