rise and after sunset where the natural
ambient light turns to a beautiful hue of
blue. The contrast of the soft blue light
and the warm glow of street lamps and
other city lights make for some very stun-
ning images. This is where I’ll be able
to capture some of the best photos on
any given day.
Not only is blue hour stunning in cities
and towns but out in the wild as well.
This magical light is also wonderful for
landscape photography. The softness
of the light is what’s so special about
it. While you may have more dramatic
lighting at sunrise or sunset, there’s a
gentle calmness about the muted tones
and subtle ambiance at blue hour.
No Light? No Problem
When darkness falls, don’t rush to put
your camera gear away. Cities tend to
come alive in a very different fashion
after dark. I like to equate it to putting
on formalwear for a night out. Build-
ings get illuminated and street lamps cast
their amber glow and bathe cities in their
warm embrace.
Whether it’s a simple street scene or
a wide-view cityscape, night photogra-
phy can provide you with some rather
spectacular final images. Places with no
photographic appeal during the day may
transform into vivid scenery at night.
Neutral-density filters can be used
at night to create very long exposures
that remove people completely from the
scene. Nighttime shooting will expand
your creative horizons and allow you
to have fun with your photography in a
brand-new away.Location, Location, Location
“If you want to be a better photographer,
stand in front of more interesting stuff.”
–Jim Richardson
I’m fortunate because my travel pho-
tography work takes me to spectacular
places around the world. However, it’s
amazing what kind of treasures you can
find near home. Whether shooting distant
locations or near your home, you’ll find a
little research reveals stunning locations
to photograph.
One technique to improve your pho-Above: Blue Hour. Venice, Italy.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III, ZEISS
Distagon T* 15mm f/2.8 ZE.
Exposure: 1 sec., ƒ/22, ISO 200.Right top: No Light, No Problem.
Quarry Bay, Hong Kong. Canon
EOS 5DS R, Canon EF 24-70mm
f/2.8L II USM at 28mm. Exposure: 15
sec., ƒ/5.6, ISO 200.Right bottom: Patience. “I probably
waited 30 minutes to get the shot
with no one walking through the
scene.” Tori Gates, Kyoto, Japan.
Fujifilm X-Pro2, FUJINON XF10-
24mmF4 R OIS at 17.4mm (26mm
equivalent.) Exposure: 0.6 sec., ƒ/10,
ISO 200.42 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com