History at Night

This historic church was built in 1861 was a great playground for  photography last night. Multiple sources of light were used to create a this image. I had a bright light on the church, Sandi lit the crucifix, and the clouds reflected city lights. The fun of night photography is finding a subject in the dark. It was a perfect night to be out, more images to come.

Remember when?

A year ago we we were braving a subzero windchill and tramping out to the sea caves. I noted -40 degree windchill in southern MN on January 27th. Today it was 47 degrees above zero. Maybe the ice caves were a once in a lifetime event. Life is short, don't wait for the next time around when you see something to photograph.  

Terrestrial Comets

I looked at this wondered what was going on. Any ideas? During the exposure the flashlight was above the camera causing moth wings to reflect back, much like red eye when using on camera flash. I moved the light to the side for the next shots and eliminated the problem. Another adventure in night photography.

Playing with Light

I've been playing with light, both flash and flashlight, recently. For me the challenge is adding light without making its source the focus of attention. A flash would have spot lighted a small area of grass. This prairie shot was recorded as light was swept over the grass during a 13 second exposure at f 9, ISO 1250. To me this is a shot about color and lines. Stretching the limits is almost as exciting as walking out of the prairie in the dark.

Mammoth Hot Springs at Night

The springs have an other worldly character during the day that is even more pronounced at night. The lights from Mammoth shine on parts of the terrace giving it a warm glow. Light was painted in areas that were dark giving this almost rainbow effect with the different light sources. Auto WB was used in Lightroom to balance the mixed lighting.

Sunset is not the end.

Sometimes sunset is the beginning. In this case I used my headlamp to brighten the interior of the cave. Light painting can be garish, and frequently is, but I like a more subtle approach without overpowering the natural light, using it as a fill light. Another example of making choices to reflect what you "see".