Night and Long Exposure Photography Course

There is no such thing as a “perfect time” to take photographs, as we can take them at any time of the day, at any time of the year and in any weather conditions. Nocturnal photography can prove especially appealing as very ordinary locations can appear transformed when photographed at night. Whether you choose to photograph landscapes, seascapes or the urban environment, the potential for capturing great images is enormous. This low light photography course will not only alert you to this exciting aspect of photography, but will also explain how you can overcome the many technical problems you are likely to encounter.

Lesson 1 Understanding the basics.

In this module, we will consider the technical issues relating to taking photographs in low light, such as how to overcome “noise”, how to focus in the dark, and most importantly, how to get a correct exposure reading. We will also cover the equipment you may need and how using certain filters will help to address some of the problems you might encounter. Some of you may wonder whether it is possible to hand-hold your camera at night and still be successful; we will show you how.

Lesson 2 Photographing the Landscape at Night.

The key to successful landscape photography at night is to understand how to most effectively use the available light. Often some of the most dramatic landscape photographs can be taken shortly after the sun has gone down and before it rises in the morning. Each of these enchanting times of the day presents slightly different challenges; we will consider these. Finally, nocturnal features such as the moon or the stars can also be photographed; we will show you how.

Lesson 3 Photographing towns and cities at night.

There are many challenges when photographing the urban environment at night, particularly when shooting illuminated buildings and structures. This course will explain how this is done. Artificial lighting can create troublesome colour casts; we will consider how to overcome this. Our towns and cities offer us numerous exciting photographic opportunities but how do we photograph people, what happens with moving cars, how do we best photograph interiors or industry? This course will cover all those issues and many more.

Lesson 4 Photographing in low light and poor weather.

It is not just at night that we will experience poor light; when photographing deep inside a wood or forest, exposures of many seconds are often required. There are numerous locations both in the landscape and in cities that are poorly illuminated even in the daytime. We will alert you to these and explain how you can overcome the difficulties. Poor weather can also pose problems. Many photographers never consider taking shots in the rain, in mist or when there is a strong wind and yet these conditions can often provide opportunities for truly creative photography.

Required

DSLR or Compact Camera with Manual Exposure Control

Tripod

Optional Extra

Shutter Release Cable

Natural Graduated Neutral Density Filters

0.3 Neutral Density Filter

0.6 Neutral Density Filter

0.9 Neutral Density Filter

Hand Held Light Meter