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Daytime is not the only time to use your camera. The next time you are feeling bored on a Satureday night, pick up the camera and hit the streets for a light show. Slow down the shutter speed for cool effects. Be it city streets, a commercial building or the setting sun at the beach, images near dusk or into the night make striking images on film. The deep blue azure of dusk always seems to bring out the strongest saturated colors on print film.

At night a host of different exposures can give a myriad of different and impressive results. Anything can happen, and that’s the beauty and excitement of shooting at night. Each shot is unique. The hour after sunset is usually the best time to shoot. City lights start to dot the landscape, yet enough light from the setting sun remains, enough to soften harsh contrast on subject matter. I use high speed film when I shoot at night, Fuji 400 to 800 ASA or Kodak 400 to 800 ASA. High-speed daylight color film intensifys warm city lights and deepens the deepest blues of the twilight sky.

When I shoot in low light, I travel light. I get by with a tri-pod, my wide angle lens, and cable release. Shooting at night is a whole new way to paint with light on film. I find my subject and open up the aperature and slow down the shutter speed. I usually shoot at 1/60 sec. or slower with aperature set to the largest f/stop allowed. Colors remain rich and adding a flash to the mix can bring out some unique results.

If you’re looking for exact or correct exposure of your subject, move in close enough to meter the lighted area of the subject. Avoid any stray light that may directly enter your lens. Stray light will throw off your reading. Often shooting at twi-light or into the night is educated guess work. I like to bracket my exposures. I leave the f/stop fixed and alter my shutter speed one stop on either side of the metered exposure. If I want to increase the effect I’ll extend the exposure by two shutter speed stops. If your shooting with slower film or have set your ASA/ISO reading to 200 to 125 on your digital, doubling your exposure time is suggested.

The photo of this office building was shot at 1/30 sec. at f2 using Kodak 400 ASA film. This shot was taken within 30 minutes of sunset.

About The Author

Bill Bales has been in and around photography for over 20 years. He attended Columbia College in Chicago, Illinois, where he received his bachelor of arts, and invaluable experience from working professionals in photography, film and television broadcasting. It was there that he honed his documentary/photojournalistic approach towards picture taking. Currently, he resides in Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL where he finds himself photographing events such as weddings, doing portraiture, as well as freelancing for various print publications. You can visit his web site and see his work at www.balesphotography.com or e-mail him at info@balesphotography.com

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