Night Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots

by Gabriel Biderman, Tim Cooper

Overview

Are you a night owl looking to make stunning images of streetscapes, fireworks, or the night sky? Do you like to bend time with long exposure photography? Do star trails or lightning strikes inspire you? Then this book is for you!

In Night Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots, photographer Gabriel Biderman brings you the basics of digital night photography—exposure, composition, and light—and how to scout and capture different nocturnal locations once the sun goes down. Gabriel will help you understand the fundamentals and bring your unique artistic expression to any night situation. In this beautifully illustrated guide you will:

• Focus in the dark and master basic composition rules—and know when to break them
• Understand metering and switch to manual mode for more control over your exposure
• Set white balance, understand color temperature, and add flash or slow sync
• Explore color, light painting, and creative ways to play with light in your images
• Learn what gear works best for your style of shooting and strategies for operating your equipment in the dark
• Discover expert techniques for post-processing your nighttime images in Lightroom and Photoshop

Beautifully illustrated with large, compelling photos, this book teaches you how to take control of your photography to get the image you want every time.

And once you have the shot, show it off and join the book’s Flickr group: www.flickr.com/groups/night_fromsnapshotstogreatshots

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780321948533
Publisher:	Pearson Education
Publication date:	11/15/2013
Series:	From Snapshots to Great Shots
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Gabriel Biderman is a Brooklyn based fine-art and travel photographer. His work has been featured in photography exhibits in New York, London, and Hawaii. He leads popular workshops and has contributed articles and blog posts for print and online publications. Gabriel is also the special events and tradeshow point person for B&H Photo. See his work and read his popular blog at ruinism.com.

Tim Cooper is a Washington, D.C.,based nature and night photographer. His work has appeared in Travel & Leisure, the New York Times Magazine, and Outdoor Photographer. See his work and read his blog at timcooperphotography.com.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Equipment/Gear

The Right Tools for the Night Job

Poring Over the Gear
What's in my Bag
The Night Camera
Lens Choices

Tripods
Cable Releases
Flash & Flashlights
Light Modifiers
Nocturnal Accessories
Assignments

Chapter 2: Exposure

Understanding the Night

Poring Over the Picture

Poring Over the Picture
Understanding Exposure

Reciprocity

Metering

Mastering Manual

Now Do it in the Dark
Slowing Down the Shutter

ISO/High, ISO/Optimal, ISO

The High ISO Test
Assignments

Chapter 3 — Composition

Honing Your Night Vision

Poring Over the Picture

Poring Over the Picture

Rules and When to Break Them

Focusing in the Dark

Night Visions
Playing with Time

Long Exposure Noise Reduction
Assignments

Chapter 4 — The Night Light

Capturing and Creating Light

Poring Over The Picture

Poring Over the Picture
The Night Light (Quantity and Quality)
White Balance
Adding Flash/Slow Sync
Flash vs. Flashlight
Direction
Light Painting
Writing with Light
Experiment = Experience
Assignments

Chapter 5 — The Night Life

How To Succeed In Different Nocturnal Scenarios

Poring Over the Picture

Poring Over the Picture

Scouting your Location
Cityscapes
The Full Moon Advantage
The Night Sky
Star Trails vs. Star Points
Shooting the Moon
Fairs and Fireworks

Lightning
Street Lights and Extreme Lighting Condition
Freezing Snow
Pitfalls in the Dark

Assignments


Chapter 6 - Processing your Night Life

Developing that Night Look

Poring Over the Picture

Poring Over the Picture

Workstation

Lightroom Is the New Darkroom

Importing Your Images

The Library

Developing for the Night

Finding Your Style
Assignments