Low light street photography is one of my favorite past times. I don’t know what it is about the night, but I love exploring foreign cities with a single lens. Maybe it’s the range of light and shadow at night, or the simplicity of a single click. Maybe it’s because I can observe from afar and blend into the background like Forrest Whitaker in Ghost Dog (a movie I highly recommend)? Either way, it is something I do whenever I get the chance. This image was shot a couple years back in the town of San Miguel, MX. At night the entire town comes out to dance and sing in the main plaza. Local vendors line the streets selling everything from art to the best churros you have ever tasted. I couldn’t pass up this eclecticism. I debated if I should encourage the vendor (who you can barely see in the right side of the cart) to step out for the photograph. I wondered if the image needed more ‘human element’. I decided it didn’t, and made the image as I found it. If you view the image larger, you easily see the vendor day dreaming in the distance. That was the mystery I was after.
Jazz Hands
I went to shoot light and wine glasses, but the jazz was captivating. I had been introduced to Randy’s guitar playing before, so I knew the image was in ‘his hands’. I decided to shoot a really slow shutter, trying to capture the fulcrum of his finger in focus as the rest of his hand shook like a bird. His vibrato is stellar. I didn’t quite get it, but I got close. Close enough for Jazz. I will say I am looking (listening) forward to the next shoot.
If you are in the Denver area, you can catch Randy’s playing over a glass of wine here on Sunday nights.
http://www.indulgewinebar.com/
Or, you can visit his web site here:
Capture Notes:
Nikon D300
Nikkor 35mm 1.8 DX AFS
Exposure: 0.125 sec (1/8)
Aperture: f/2.0
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 800
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: No Flash
Processing Notes:
Capture (1 image)
Aperture 3 (High Contrast Grade 5 B&W Preset)
Export for web
LightAsMagic.com
Tip: As a photographer, you get opportunities to engage people in a different way. One thing to live by, and this is a lesson I learned from an early mentor, is if you make an image of someone, and you promise them a look, make sure you get them a print or an email. It will make their day and it’s generally a nice thing to do.
Are These Days Behind Us?
I just got done with a brilliant Friday afternoon bike ride. If feels like spring is upon us! This is an image from several months back, an archival print from the dark days of January. You can find a larger desktop version of it over on the ‘Desktops’ page. Although these clouds make great candidates for HDR images, let’s hope there days are long gone.
Capture Notes:
Nikon D300
Nikkor 35mm 1.8
Gitzo Traveler
Aperture: f/8.0
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Processing Note:
Capture (7 images)
Photomatix (HDR Tonemapping)
Nik ColorEFX Pro (Tonal Contrast Boost Contrast and Desaturate)
Nik ColorEFX Pro (Bleach Bypass)
Nik Define 2.0 (Automatic)
Photoshop (Crop Resize)
Nik Sharpener (Display 30% Adaptive selectively applied to tree and foreground)
LightAsMagic.com
Tip: I’m not sure if this is necessarily a tip, but an interesting technique. I have discovered with trees like this is to use a bit slower shutter speed on a mildly windy day. The main trunk will stay stable and in focus, where the smaller branches will move around and blur. It definitely gives it a Tim Burton vibe.
Urbanscape
A photographer friend of mine, whose images you can see over on flickr, likes to make images of landscapes within landscapes. He will find a small patch of grass and flowers, or an interesting rock amidst a much grander scene. He calls these images ‘intimate landscapes’. I really like the idea. He tells me that I am an ‘intimate urbanscape’ photographer. I am pretty sure it is images like this that compels him believe that.
Nikon D300
Nikkor 35mm 1.8 DX
Gitzo Traveler
Aperture: f/4.0
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Processing Notes:
Capture (7 images)
Photomatix (HDR/Tonemapping)
Photoshop (Curves Adjustment)
Nik Color Efx Pro (Bleach Bypass)
Nik Color Efx Pro (Vignette)
LightAsMagic.com
Watchman
Little did this guy know that when he walked out of the cleaners, he would be walking into a foray of paparazzi. Seriously, when this guy opened the door there were 4 photographers set up with tripods shooting this brick wall. We were all on the monthly IlluminateWorkshops evening photo-walk.
I knew this scene needed something more than just the wall. I tried opening the door and staging myself in the scene, but it just wasn’t working. However, after waiting a while the man in the fedora walked out and I quickly snapped a frame. The frame I snapped was my metered exposure. Once the door closed and he was done asking questions I finished my sequence of 7 frames.
Nikon D300
Nikkor 35mm 1.8 AFS DX
Gitzo Traveler
Markins Q3T Ballhead
Processing Notes:
Capture (7 images)
Photomatix (HDR/Tonemapping)
Photoshop (Masked in the man and light)
Photoshop (Curves adjustment global contrast)
Nik ColorEFX Pro (Tonal contrast slight desaturation and brick texture)
Photoshop (Crop to 4×5 ratio)
Nik ColorEFX Pro (Vignette – Off center to enhance light’s shadow)
Nik Sharpen (Display adaptive 25% selectively applied to bricks)
LightAsMagic.com
Tip: When shooting a sequence of photos that are going to be used in an HDR image, pay attention to any moving objects. Try to capture the movement you want in the image when the movement you want coincides with the exposure that is appropriate for your image. That sounds a bit circular? Hopefully it makes sense. Feel free to email or leave a comment if it doesn’t.











