Fun With Low Light Photography

"Even as a child, she had preferred night to day, had enjoyed sitting out in the yard after sunset, under the star-speckled sky listening to frogs and crickets.

 Darkness soothed. It softened the  sharp edges of the world, toned down the too-harsh colors. With the coming of twilight, the sky seemed to recede; the universe expanded.

 The night was bigger than the day, and in it's realm, life seemed to have more possibilities."

~Dean Koontz

Midnight

I was going through my folder from last month, and found some photos that really pleased me. They are dark, and have a presence that is true to the beginning of winter, and the cold darkness that comes with it. This week, we are getting the first of the El Nino storms. It's dark, as you might expect, but the sky just opens up, and DOWN comes the rain. Fiercely so! The snow pack in the Sierra range is at 139% of normal totals, which is awesome, but again, it's dark outside, and I am kinda loving it! I am not a day person, at all, I don't really begin thinking clearly until the late afternoon, and that has been my whole life.

 Alan snores. LOUDLY. And while there are other rooms I can go to, if my Fibromyalgia is particularly painful, or I just happen to need a little extra sleep, but most of the time I stay in the bedroom with him, and watch TV, or read, while he sleeps. I like being near him, snoring and all! And like I said, it has been a life time pattern for me to not sleep at night. I basically keep vampire hours. I cook, and clean, and tip-toe through the archives in search of a photo I might have overlooked. I have found many promising photos that way. Bring on the darkness! As long as El Nino is here, I might as well enjoy it!

Low-light photography. In natural lighting, and otherwise, has always intrigued me, so I am going to concentrate on that this winter. I know I will doing a lot more photography in and around Stockton, because of the storms on the way, which is nice, because I need to venture out around here. I love the mixture of rural and city here. It's quite unique to the rest of the Bay Area. Shrug. Darkness, in all the best ways is the goal. I hope you find the next series of photos pleasing, comments and opinions are always appreciated!

 You knew I was going to sneak in a photo from the last of the leaves... right? It's just that the last of the Dogwood had a poignant kind of beauty to it, as the last of the colorful leaves rested among the dark and dead leaves. There was something strangely pretty about it.

I tool this photograph out my kitchen window,

 using the screen as a filter.

 I kind of like the grainy effect. Thoughts?

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Round Robin Challenge: In The Dark

"Life isn't just about darkness or light, rather it's about finding light within the darkness."

~Landon Parham, First Night Of Summer

RRC: In The Dark

Karen came up with a really challenging challenge this week... In The Dark. I love a good challenge. If it isn't challenging, then it isn't a challenge... right? LOL. But while I love a good challenge, this time it proved to be more of a challenge, then other challenges have! LOL. And that is a good thing! What I came up with is darkness at varying stages, for comparison. In most cases I tried to take the photos at the very last moment of available light, but in some photos you will see plenty of light on the horizon, but very little light where I am standing. Does that make sense? Anyway, here is my gallery for this challenge, hope you enjoy my take on it!

In The Dark...

"The Dot." San Mateo Bridge. I just love that little dot. I don't know why there is just one dot lit, but it is there constantly. When I have the chance to cross that bridge, from the San Francisco Peninsula to the East Bay, that little dot is always there to greet me. It's kinda like a friend of sorts. It's something that I count on seeing, and it makes me smile.



"Stormy Trees." About a week ago, a gully washer of a storm came through the Bay Area, and in the 24 hours leading up to it, there were some amazing clouds in the sky, that, at times, made everything dark. It was pretty and quite unique! I waited until very late in the day, grabbed my camera, and photographed this tree against the waxing and waning light in the sky. I thought it came out pretty nice. You can see the fine lines on the tree, but you can also tell that the light in the sky wouldn't last much longer. It was pretty much what I was going for.



"The End Of The Day." The title pretty much says it all. I actually took this photo back in January, well before this challenge was announced, because I was interested in working with low light situations. It seems I have an easier time when I create the environment, such as with candles, but I have a much more difficult time with low light in nature. So, practice makes perfect... right? I wasn't completely happy with this shot, but when I reviewed it for the challenge, I learned a little about angles I hadn't noticed before. It's good that I can take that from the experience.



"The Dark Sunset." I love taking sunset shots in winter, because the sun sets so early, I don't have to worry about being out so late. I took this shot from here in the Berkeley hills, on Grizzly Peak Boulevard. From this vantage point you can see all around the bay. Directly across is San Francisco, and the Golden Gate Bridge. The Marin Headlands, Mount Tamalpais, Angel Island, Alcatraz and Treasure Island. Also visible is Oakland and the long San Francisco Peninsula. The sunsets from up here are stunning, and this one was no exception. Again, I waited until the last possible moment, at least as far as my camera's capabilities, leaving just enough light to make the point of the coming darkness.



"Conservatory Of Flowers At Night." Okay, this one is from the archives. I took this photo several years ago, after attending a nighttime safari at the conservatory, in search of night moths. Among them was the gorgeous Luna Moth, which is a stunning green glow at night. It was so beautiful! When I got outside, and looked back at the gorgeous building, with all the colored glass lit up, I couldn't help but think of the beautiful butterflies and moths inside. Snap. :)



"Buckeye Butterfly By Flashlight And Uncooperative Luna Moth." Here is one of those butterflies that I photographed using only a flashlight, and beside it is the Luna Moth. The Luna Moth decided it didn't want to hide in the dark, as most moths don't, and so it insisted on sitting on a window sill, directly under a small light. I can't show you how it glows, but you get the idea. LOL.



Okay, that's my take on the subject of "In The Dark." Now, go see what the other Robin's have posted for the challenge! Simply click the link at the top of this post, to be redirected to the official Round Robin blog, where you will find the list of participants and all the information you need to play along!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

A Photo A Day For 6 Months: Day 54~ Studying The Archives

"There are two kinds of light. The glow that illuminates, and the glare that obscures."


~James Thurber

 

One last posting of archived fireworks, before the 4th of July. I have been studying different online articles about photographing fireworks and I have done a small amount of practicing with low light. It has been a while since I have done a subject as demanding as fireworks. Gosh so much goes into preparing for the outing. I was hoping to be able to perhaps purchase a small amount of home fireworks, to get some practice in, but, alas, fireworks are prohibited in Alameda County. Sigh. 

 

I have looked at a lot of fireworks photos online, and while absolutely gorgeous, most are Photoshopped to death, and therefore not a whole lot of help. One thing that makes me feel better, a lot of photographers don't seem to let the inevitable smoke that tends to hang in the air bother them. I guess it's a necessary evil. Well, I am ready I think, now we just have to decide if I want to shoot up towards the fireworks, or try for a spot that looks down on top of them. As always, that old reliable San Francisco fog will lead me. One thing I do know, without having to think about it... TRIPOD, TRIPOD, TRIPOD.



Wish me luck. Please.


:)

New York Institute of Photography: Photographing Fireworks With A Digital Camera
National Geographic: Photographing Fireworks


~Me
http://jrclinephotography.blogspot.com/2012/07/apadf6-53.html