Unit 305 - Early Research and Planning, Low light exposures

Last week I took the opportunity to make use of the clear evening skies to try out some low light/sunset photography. I want to use different light quality to give a feel for the atmosphere in the images and to emphasis shapes, patterns and textures.

Research and planning

Firstly I used the internet (at http://www.timeanddate.com) to check the sunset times for the days that I went out, then used local knowledge and Google maps (at http://maps.google.co.uk/maps) to chose suitable locations where I thought I could get the best views, bearing in mind that the sun sets in the West.

I used a Nikon D3000 DSLR camera fitted with an 18 - 105mm telephoto zoom lens. I use a remote control when the camera is fitted on a tripod to reduce camera shake to allow me to use long exposures. All my equipment, except for the tripod, is carried in a camera case which also contains a cleaning kit, spare memory cards and a small torch.

I prepared my equipment before setting out to take the pictures. I charged the camera battery, and made sure that there was sufficient space on the memory card for the number of images I might take. I cleaned the lens, and checked the camera was operating correctly.

I set the camera to manual exposure and manual focus, and initially set the ISO value to 100. As I would be using a tripod I used ISO 100 to give the best quality image.

When on site, I was careful to chose a location that did not cause any obstruction to traffic or other people, especially when using the tripod. When on the bridge overlooking the road, I took care not to let anything fall over the side.

Images

I had chosen a view on the bridge over the A444 to get a good angle and view. On the way through the park to the bridge the sun was just above the horizon so I set up my tripod beside the river where the sun was reflecting off the water. I took an exposure off the birds, but found that the image (No. 1) over exposed because there was too much direct sunlight. I moved to so that the sun was filtered by the tree, and put the sun to the side of the frame (No. 2). This gave a better image but I felt there was too much of the paving in the foreground, so I re-adjusted my position and considered the 'rule of thirds' to frame the shot with the wall and tree to the left and the steps leading to the water's edge and captured the image (No. 3). I used an aperture setting of F/8 to keep the image sharp and maintain a reasonable depth-of-field.

1. Shutter: 1/13s, Aperture F/8, ISO 100, Tripod

2. Shutter: 1/80s, Aperture F/8, ISO 100, Tripod

3. Shutter: 1/80s, Aperture F/8, ISO 100, Tripod

I moved up on to the bridge and got a view over looking the road, with the sun setting in the distance. I set up the camera on the tripod and used the remote control to trigger the camera. I keep the ISO and aperture values constant and experimented with different shutter speeds.

A slow shutter speed was used to correctly expose the objects in the foreground, but the sky was completely washed out (No. 4). By increasing the shutter speed, I captured the setting sun, but still kept detail in the foreground (No. 5). All the time I was considering the 'rule of thirds' and the framing of the image.

4. Shutter: 1/20s, Aperture F/8, ISO 100, Tripod

5. Shutter: 1/80s, Aperture F/9, ISO 100, Tripod

While I was set up and the light was reducing, I took a long exposure shot (No. 6). I measured the time it took a vehicle to come through the shot, and adjusted the shutter speed to that time and set the aperture to give a good exposure. I intend to try more images like this in my assignment 1, to help to show atmosphere and movement in the urban setting.

6. Shutter: 3.0s, Aperture F/32, ISO 100, Tripod

After the sun had set, I moved on to Swadlincote and walked around looking for suitable subjects. I took the bus station (No. 7), because there was a nice contrast of artificial light and twilight in the background. As I did not use a tripod, I kept the aperture as large as the camera would allow and used the quickest shutter speed I could to get the right exposure. I could have increased the ISO value to also help increase the shutter speed.

7. Shutter: 0.3s, Aperture F/4.2, ISO 100, Hand held

There was also a nice variation in light at the Morrisons store (No. 8), trying to get detail in the foreground without over exposing the interior lights.

8. Shutter: 0.4s, Aperture F/4.2, ISO 100, Hand held

I finished the evening with the shot of the chimney (No. 9), climbing up into the sky with the twilight silhouetting it to give a nice shape, the trees and buildings still conforming to the 'rule of thirds'.

9. Shutter: 0.4s, Aperture F/4, ISO 100, Hand held

The next evening I went to Breedon church to experiment further. I took the same equipment as the previous night and prepared it in the same way before I left. Using what I had learnt from the previous night, I did not shot directly in to the sun, but used the tree in the distance to filter the sun. Firstly I took my exposure from the grass, but this was too over exposed (No. 10). I increased the shutter speed to reduce the exposure and got some nice detail in the sky and increased the contrast in the long shadows (No. 11)

10. Shutter: 1/13s, Aperture F/10.0, ISO 200, Tripod

11. Shutter: 1/40s, Aperture F/10.0, ISO 200, Tripod

I then took the 3 images of the church with the sun setting behind using 3 different shutter speeds. The first image details the church and the foreground, but the sky is washed out (No. 12). The next image shows quite nice detail in both the church and the sky and gives an atmospheric feel (No. 13). The third image has the shortest exposure and gives a dramatic sky silhouetting the church (No. 14). The second two images both look good. The first image has nice detail, but would look better with some sky detail. This could be achieved by taking the image at a different time of day, so that the sun is at a different angle or obscured by cloud. 

12. Shutter: 1/6s, Aperture F/10.0, ISO 200, Tripod

13. Shutter: 1/50s, Aperture F/10.0, ISO 200, Tripod

14. Shutter: 1/125s, Aperture F/10.0, ISO 200, Tripod

While I was at the church I spotted the sign below on the post of a beacon. I thought it had a nice shape and texture, the text is cut out and the clear sky back ground made it stand out well (No. 15).

15. Shutter: 1/15s, Aperture F/10.0, ISO 200, Tripod

At the weekend, as part of my research for assignment themes 1 and 2, I went around Hull to look for suitable subjects. I continued the low light theme for some of the images I took. The results are below.

I was waiting at Paull, just up the coast from Hull Ferry Terminal for the ferry to come out to see if it made a good shot and saw the lights of the refinery in the distance (No. 16). I quite like the result, but it could be better if there is more reflection on the water, as there is a lot of monotone sky and sea in the picture.

16. Shutter: 1/0.4s, Aperture F/5, ISO 200, Tripod

As we drove back to Hull we passed the refinery that had been in the distance, so I stopped to take a shot of it (No. 17). I did not have time to set up the tripod, so the image is a little blurred. The lights give the structure a sort of space age look and the flare in the lens creates atmosphere too.

17. Shutter: 2.0s, Aperture F/5.0, ISO 200, Hand held

A ferry was loading up at the dock and makes a good subject too (No. 18). I like the reflection on the water and the trucks in the foreground, but there is not a lot of colour contrast in the image and I would like to capture more people and movement to show how busy things are at the boarding time. I might try to get a better shot for the Theme 1 later.

18. Shutter: 0.6s, Aperture F/5.0, ISO 200, Hand held

As the sun was setting over the coast, I could see the Humber Bridge in the distance (No. 19). I like the colour and mood of the scene and how the rail in the foreground leads you to the focal point of the bridge. I could not get the angle that I wanted though, so there is too much of the silhouetted buildings to the right, but if I did not include the lamp posts in the frame, the shape would be quite meaningless.

19. Shutter: 1/800s, Aperture F/6.3, ISO 100, Hand held

I had seen an image on the internet while looking at Urban Landscapes which inspired me to take this shot from inside a moving car (No. 20). I like the feeling of motion and the blur effect. I waited to get the sign in to add interest, but would like to have more car lights to make it more dynamic. I shall try more shots like this for my Urban Landscape of Hull assignment, Theme 1.

20. Shutter: 0.4s, Aperture F/5.0, ISO 200, Hand held

For my Theme 2 assignment of Hull's Docks, I was researching suitable locations and took this one (No. 21) as the sun was setting. I do not like this image because there is too much 'dead' ground in the foreground, which is actually the original dock filled in, but I need to get a higher vantage point to accentuate it. The buildings are important, as they formed the dock yard front. The low light does not give a very interesting picture and I will look again when the light is more consistent so the foreground does not look dull.

21. Shutter: 1/60s, Aperture F/6.3, ISO 100, Hand held

Conclusion

The purpose of this exercise was to try out new techniques with my camera to see how low light and sun sets can give different meaning to images. Looking for lines, shapes, texture, mood, all the time considering the composition and framing of the image and using the 'rule of thirds'.

I was also able to research ideas and locations for both the themes of my assignments and I now have a better knowledge of what I want to look and when I might want to use different light quality to help present the image.