Passa al contingut principal

Shooting in the Twilight Zone

For most photographers, the best time to shoot is during the golden hours – those times right around sunrise or sunset when the sky is full of drama.


For me though, the best time to shoot is a little while after all that drama happens and all the other photographers have packed up and gone home – twilight – when the skies become calm and peaceful.


Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, California

Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, California



The length of twilight varies dramatically depending on the time of year and your position on earth. At the poles twilight can last as long as 2 weeks! But generally speaking, twilight usually starts shortly after the sun drops below the horizon and continues for another 40-60 minutes or so before the sky is completely dark.


During this time the sky still has plenty of rich colour but there is no longer any direct light. You might be surprised how much colour there really is in the sky during twilight since a camera’s sensor can pick up more light than we are able to see with our eyes.


The images in this post demonstrate how different the sky can look between the early stages of twilight to the end of twilight.


Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia

Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia



I prefer to shoot twilight after sunset, but of course it happens in reverse order in the morning too!


Assuming you are shooting after sunset, the first stage of twilight is when the subtle pinks begin to show in the sky. Slowly the blues will begin to appear. I love to shoot landscapes during this early stage when there is still a lot of ambient light so the land is not entirely dark.


Basin Head, Prince Edward Island, Canada

Basin Head, Prince Edward Island, Canada



During this early stage the sky is often much brighter than your subject which makes exposure difficult. It’s a great time to use high dynamic range (HDR) photography and blend multiple exposures to maintain detail in the landscape. Or, depending on the type of scene you are photographing, you can use graduated neutral density filters to even out the exposure.


Soon the sky will begin to get darker and the pinks and blues will deepen. The exposure will even out so that neither HDR nor graduated neutral density filters are needed.


Mule Ears, Bid Bend National Park, Texas

Mule Ears, Bid Bend National Park, Texas



During the later stages of twilight the pinks will fade and the blues will intensify to a dark cobalt shade. This is a great time to photograph cityscapes. The combination of natural light in the sky and artificial city lights is magical.


Seattle, Washington

Seattle, Washington



To make the most of the limited amount of time you have to shoot during twilight, scout out your location before hand. Twilight doesn’t last long so you need to be prepared. If you can’t make a separate scouting trip at least go an hour or two early so you have plenty of time to explore before deciding what to shoot.


Find a subject with a distinct shape and take some test shots to figure out the best composition and perspective. Keep your eye out for good foreground elements and any artificial light sources that might be present later.


Tips:



  • Use a low ISO to reduce the amount of noise in the image.

  • Long shutter speeds will allow the camera to pick up lots of colour.

  • If there are city lights in your image use a small aperture, like f/22, to turn the lights into star bursts.

  • A tripod is an absolute requirement if you want a low ISO, long shutter speed, and small aperture.

  • You may need a polarizing filter and/or a graduated neutral density filter for the early stages of twilight.

  • Use a cable release and/or a 2 second timer so you do not introduce camera shake.

  • Use your mirror lock-up feature so the movement of the mirror does not introduce camera shake.

  • Your camera’s auto-focus may not work in low light conditions. If you set up ahead of time, you can use your auto-focus while there is still light in the sky and then turn auto-focus off to prevent your camera from attempting to refocus when it is is darker outside. Otherwise you will need to focus manually.

  • Use your histogram to ensure you are getting a good exposure.

  • Bring a flashlight so you can find your way home.

  • Wear or bring bug spray so the little bugs don’t ruin your good time.

  • Bring warm clothes! Don’t miss the perfect shot because you got cold and left too early.


Shooting at twilight can sometimes take a little preparation and planning but the rewards are definitely worth it.


Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.



Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.


Shooting in the Twilight Zone







via Digital Photography School http://digital-photography-school.com/shooting-in-the-twilight-zone?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DigitalPhotographySchool+%28Digital+Photography+School%29

Comentaris

  1. Regards,
    The information you provide is very important. There are many things a photographer needs to keep in mind. Histogram photography is one of them. With all these things in mind, your photography will be definitely beautiful. Your information is really help for me. Thank you very much.

    transparent background Photoshop

    ResponElimina

Publica un comentari a l'entrada

Entrades populars d'aquest blog

10 alternativas a Cuevana para ver películas online

10 alternativas a Cuevana para ver películas online : Durante este último tiempo, en Cuevana se sucedieron varios “problemas” por los cuales hubo que ajustar algunas cosas antes de tiempo (como el rediseño del sitio), que dejaron a algunos usuarios ciertos problemas para acceder a las películas o series del portal. Pero realmente esto es algo que no incumbe a los usuarios y, como sabemos, existen muchas otras alternativas a Cuevana dando vueltas por Internet, que intentaremos presentar aquí mismo. Los sitios que repasaremos funcionan del mismo modo que Cuevana, mediante la instalación de un plugin que permite visualizar los videos de Megaupload o WUShare, entre otros servicios, en una calidad de imágen realmente excelente. Tal como sucede con el más popular servicio, todos ellos tienen publicidad que en algunos casos resulta insoportable, pero como dice Federico en DotPod “a caballo regalado no se le miran los dientes”. Alternativas a Cuevana 1. Moviezet Posiblemente el mejor clon d...

Learn Composition from the Photography of Henri Cartier-Bresson

“Do you see it?” This question is a photographic mantra. Myron Barnstone , my mentor, repeats this question every day with the hopes that we do “see it.” This obvious question reminds me that even though I have seen Cartier-Bresson’s prints and read his books, there are major parts of his work which remain hidden from public view. Beneath the surface of perfectly timed snap shots is a design sensibility that is rarely challenged by contemporary photographers. Henri Cartier-Bresson. © Martine Franck Words To Know 1:1.5 Ratio: The 35mm negative measures 36mm x 24mm. Mathematically it can be reduced to a 3:2 ratio. Reduced even further it will be referred to as the 1:1.5 Ratio or the 1.5 Rectangle. Eyes: The frame of an image is created by two vertical lines and two horizontal lines. The intersection of these lines is called an eye. The four corners of a negative can be called the “eyes.” This is extremely important because the diagonals connecting these lines will form the breakdown ...

Más de 50 de las mejores herramientas online para profesores

No es una exageración afirmar que hay ciento de aplicaciones educativas por ahí por la red, para todos los gustos y de todos los colores, por lo que es difícil tratar de recogerlas todas en un listado. Sin embargo, algunas destacan más que otras por su innovación y por su capacidad para conseguir adeptos, y esas son las que protagonizan la presente recopilación. Son 50 interesantes herramientas online basadas en las recopilaciones de EduArea , las muchas ya tratadas en Wwwhat’s new y las destacadas por la experiencia. 1. Dropbox : Un disco duro virtual con varios GB gratuitos y al que se accede desde casi cualquier dispositivo. Sin embargo, es muchísimo más que eso, de hecho ya comentamos 20 razones . 2. Google Drive : La evolución de Google Docs que suma a sus múltiples herramientas de creación de documentos, un considerable espacio virtual gratuito. 3. CloudMagic : Una extensión y una app multidispositivo para buscar información simultáneamente en Gmail, Twitter, Facebook, Evernote ...