Shooting Night Scenes

Scenics by Jordan Fink Photography

At one time or another, we’ve all shot images at night. Whether it is the moon or Christmas lights or a lit scene there are certain rules that one must understand. The camera will not see and reproduce the vast EV differences in the lights and the surrounding objects except for the immediate objects that the light is falling on.

HDR can help compensate for a lot of the differences but probably not fully and separately shot images at ranging settings can help to a degree too depending on the end goal. After all, the moon is incredibly bright compared to a dark sky. That’s why you usually see an image of a full moon superimposed on an image of the scene.

Have you ever tried to shoot an image of the sun within a landscape. If the sun is exposed correctly you have with sun flares and the scene is dark or the scene is exposed correctly and the sun is way over exposed to where you can barely see it.

I think that the best solution is to mark the location and come back to shoot the scene (if you can) at a later date when there is still some daylight in the scene. Don’t let the sun go down to where the sky is black. Even a little daylight in the sky is better than black skies.

One possible solution is to not concern yourself with the correct exposure of the lights and bracket your shooting to over expose the scene. The lights will become brighter and you can pick up some ambient light as well. Many times, an overexposed scene can really bring out some very interesting results.

There is always the option of combining images to create a single image. This is usually done if the elements are of very different values of brightness. Like I said before, most images, if not all that you see at night with a full moon in it is a combination of images. The moon is just too bright to include detail in it with a dark sky too.

The supplied image is a combination of 2 images. The palm trees at dusk and the moon during an eclipse. It just wouldn’t have been able to record the moon and sky at the same time rendering detail like I wanted in the moon.

Combining Images to Make One Final Image

Studio Photography by Jordan Fink Photography

When shooting an object in the studio, it can be a challenge to get the desired lighting on the subject as well as the background.  Generally this occurs when there are limitations of space or limitations of the lighting. Whatever the reason…when shooting objects on backgrounds, sometimes, the best way to go about getting the final product is to create 2 images and combine them, in Photoshop, to get the best results. 

Quite a few times, I have concentrated strictly on lighting the subject exactly how I want and combine that image with a generated background to it later.  The final image is one that appears complete and appears as though it was done completely in a studio.

This image is completed with that technique.  The subject was lit in the studio and the background was produced later in Photoshop to get the final image.

Garden of the Gods

On assignment in Colorado I went to the “Garden of the Gods”.  Amazing and beautiful!

In Memory to a Legend!

One of the original cast members of  “Gone With the Wind”, Ann Rutherford, passed on this week.  This is a photograph I shot of her while attending the July 4th parade in Marietta GA. where the “Gone with the Wind” museum is located.  She was accompanied with other members of the cast.

In memory of one of the last original "Gone with the Wind" cast.

Condolences to her family and friends. 

This legend will be missed.

ASA / ISO Settings

Urban Tastes

ASA determines the sensitivity to light of your camera’s sensor.  The higher the number the more sensitive to light the image will be.  A good example, a higher ASA/ISO rating would be a better choice during darker situations rather than a lower setting while a lower setting is better in a brighter situation.

The best ASA rating during daytime is a low setting of 100 or 200 where as in a darker situation (dusk or early evening) you would want to adjust the reading to a higher setting like 400 or 800.  This is a basic concept giving way to a more important factor.  Shutter speed.

The more important goal of an ASA rating, (regardless of the situation) is to keep the shutter speed high enough that “shutter blur” doesn’t occur.   No matter how great an image is, if it’s not sharp, it’s worthless…that is, unless it’s a blurred image that you’re going for.

A good “rule of thumb” is to keep your shutter speed as close to the millimeter of your lens as possible.  In other words, if you’re shooting with a 105mm lens you need place your shutter speed around 125/sec to eliminate “shutter blur” from occurring. 

More times than not, this adjustment can be done with the balancing of shutter speed and aperture but there are those situations where you will need to raise the ASA rating to meet the shutter speed for sharpness.  At this point ASA becomes your 3^rd choice for correct exposure after shutter and aperture settings.

There are certain aspects that naturally occur when using a higher ASA rating concerning contrast, color saturation and noise but in critical moments you might have to ignore basic drawbacks, bite the bullet and get the shot!

A usable image is paramount above all things.  If it’s not usable, you don’t get paid plus you may face embarrassment not to ever shoot for that client again.  At very least…you lost your shot never to get it again.

Many times during my location photo sessions I’m adjusting my ASA rating.  Think of it as a 3^rd tool along with shutter speed and aperture adjustments rather than a setting that is unchangeable.

The most important person at your Wedding….The Photographer!

Beautiful Bride

When you have decide to tie the knot on a special day, make sure that you have chosen a qualified photographer to document your memorable day. One of the most important people you hire for your wedding is the photographer. The biggest mistake that most people make when choosing a wedding photographer is only looking at price. 

You want to make sure that you interview several photographers, review their website galleries of photography and past weddings, discuss with them your expectations and the type of photographs you are expecting.  Ask for references and ask if they have different packages based on their time they spend shooting.  If you do your homework and not just hire a photographer because he offers CHEAP prices you will be happy in the long run and have memories that will last a life time.

You have one opportunity to capture the moments in time that you don’t get back if you make the mistake of hiring a sloppy, unqualified, non-technical photographer, just because he is offing low price. With every click of the camera the photographer is capturing a priceless moment that you will cherish fondly for years to come.