 BetterPhoto Member |
Nighttime Photography I live in Fredericksburg, VA, and every year the city opens the battlefield to the public. Part of the tour is the "Lighting of the Battlefield" with luminarias representing the 15,000+ soldiers that are buried there. Needless, its a breathtaking display! The park officals allow photography but without any flashes. I have purchased Fuji 1600 Superia film and I have a Pentax K1000 with a remote cable and tripod. My question is, how can I get the best photos with the luminarias being the only light source? I've never tried nighttime shooting before and it really intrigues me. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
|
|
|
|
||
|
doug Nelson |
This may not be the professional answer you deserve, but I'd use the B setting on your shutter dial. Vary the exposure, beginning at 2 seconds and maybe in increments up to 10. Set your lens of choice to f5.6 or f8, as most lenses are at their sharpest there. Once you have chosen your field of view, lock up your mirror, to eliminate the vibration of mirror movement during the exposure. Try to find Kodak's book on available light photography for more exact information.
|
|
|
|
||
|
Carlos E. Rentas |
Molly, You'll be surprised at the results you get when shooting at night. The earlier response pretty much covers the technical aspect - long shutter speed (>5s) or bulb setting, sharp aperture, tripod, cable release or remote. I suggest that you take a couple of rolls and take each picture several times, each time with a different shutter speed. Focusing is the hardest thing to do in low light situations, but if shooting a broad scene, close to infinity should be OK. Don't be afraid to spend 10-12 bucks on a couple of rolls of film and then 15 bucks on developing, and think that nothing will come out. Something WILL come out, and it'll probably be nice. If the moon is out that night it might help also.
|
|
|
|
||
|
This old forum is now archived. Use improved Forum here
Report this Thread |
||