The best tool I’ve found so far for lighting my night photographs (apart from the moon!) is the Lenser T7 LED torch (note: torch = flash-light in the US). For it’s size, the T7 is an incredibly powerful torch. I’m sure there are others capable of getting the job done but having used the T7 for more than a year, I see no need to go in search of anything else. It operates off 4 x triple A batteries and […]
Before venturing out on a long night shoot session, three items I find indispensable… tripod battery grip shutter release cable On my first night shoot, I tried getting by without two of the above but very quickly decided I needed all three before my next attempt. 1. Tripod I already had a budget tripod purchased from Jessops many years earlier. It worked OK for fast exposure snapshot type pics but for long exposures it wasn’t sturdy enough. I needed something […]
Two words: “Go Wide!” No, make that three words: “Go Ultra Wide!” For outdoor night photography, a wide angle lens is my first choice. A wide lens gets more stuff into the picture. You can get up close to your subject and still capture an expansive background, whether it be the sky, trees, hills, whatever. As in this shot: Like most of my night photos as of December 2010, I used a Canon 10-22mm lens set to 10mm. You’ll notice […]
I’m often asked about the techniques and equipment I use to create my night photographs. Most enquirers assume it involves lots of expensive equipment. It doesn’t have to. This first chapter in the series is aimed at the absolute beginner; the person who possibly doesn’t even own a camera yet. I’m going back to the place I was at in early December 2009; no digital camera, no experience of night photography, no clue how my attempts would turn out but […]