8

CHAPTER
NIGHT AND LOW-LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY / City Lights

you know the area, the easier it is to get the

images you want. The activity around shopping

areas and tourist attractions makes them good

subjects to try. Just pick a spot and let the action

flow around you, as I did in Figure 8-2 when I

photographed outside the downtown mall. I used

a relatively fast shutter speed and a high ISO to

freeze the cars in place and make the pedestrians

visible.

When shooting street scenes, there are two main

points of view to try. The first is a street-level

view where the camera is set up so that the action

flows around it and everything looks as if it was

the city, the more action there is, and the better
your chances of finding something worth photo-
graphing. If you are not in a big city, then the
best bet is to go out looking on a Friday or
Saturday night.

The best time to photograph street scenes is right
after the sun has set, while there is still some
ambient light in the sky. If you are in your home-
town, then you will already know where the cen-
ter of the nightlife is, and will most likely know
how to get there and back home. If on vacation
or visiting a new area, it is a good idea to check
out the area during the day if possible. The more

ABOUT THIS PHOTO Outside the Horton plaza center in San Diego. Taken at .4 second, f/2.8, and ISO 800.

8-2