Havana at Twilight... with a little Fuji Velvia film look...

Havana is beautiful night and day, with so many wonderful sights and sounds! Taking in the big picture is a treat. I originally photographed this scene as a panorama, however this intimate view is more appealing to me. I had fun going over the top with color with the Fuji Velvia film effect from Alien Skin Exposure! Fuji Velvia provides high saturation and vivid color. Exposure 3 also has vintage film and Lo-fi camera effects that offer the photographer many creative options. (Coupon code Deb0902 for Alien Skin Software).

Photo tip - Try shooting at twilight for the most magical light. Use a tripod, cable release, and wait for the beautifully balanced light of twilight that only lasts for a short period of time. If you arrive early to your destination, you can catch sunset, and choose several potential compositions for twilight.  Have fun shooting! ~ Deb

How to capture a dramatic night scene including streaks of light from passing cars...

Twilight is a wonderful time to take pictures. The sky becomes an extraordinary shade of blue, and the light is balanced throughout the scene. Even in rainy conditions as shown above, twilight complements cityscapes and landscapes. This can be one of the best times to record taillights from passing cars as red streaks, creating a dramatic photograph. Twilight lasts for a very short time and the blue sky will fade to black, which can offer creative options as well. Want to capture passing cars with streaks of color? Try these tips...

• Use a tripod, cable release or your camera's self timer
• Choose a low ISO, and use a small aperture for good depth of field 
• Timing, wait until just before a car enters the scene to release the shutter
• The longer the shutter is open, the more streaks that can be captured (more cars, longer streaks)

This photo was taken at  ISO 100, f/11 for about 8 seconds. This is just a generalization, as your exposure will vary depending on quickly or slowly cars are moving through your composition. If the shutter speed is too short, the taillight streaks will end abruptly in the photo. Increase the exposure time as needed to record longer, and more streaks. This is a fun technique and the results can add a lot of color and impact to your photograph! Make great pictures! ~ Deb

PS -My nighttime workshops are sold out in St. Augustine for Florida's Birding and Photo Fest, however I'll cover cool nighttime techniques during my Creative seminar.  I hope to see you there!

A quiet evening in Rome...

Twilight is one of my most favorite times to photograph - the sky is often the most beautiful blue. The light was balanced between the night sky and all the city lights for just a few minutes. The water under the bridge seemed to soak up the most amazing reflections, creating a very painterly image. Early morning and late evening is the perfect time to walk along this section of the pedestrian bridge. The view is always impressive. Long exposures at twilight paint the water with golden light, giving it an entirely different texture and color than during the day.

I used an inexpensive but sturdy tripod called a Joby Gorillapod to make this picture. It easily holds a heavy camera and lens still during exposure. A cable release or self timer works well to reduce vibration that could be transferred to the camera during exposure. Placing the tripod directly on the widest part of the ledge on the bridge allowed for the best angle.

Another thought is consider white balance settings. A setting of Automatic created a very cool look, while Sunny, which was used here warmed things up bit and made the scene more inviting. If you have Live View on your camera, you can scroll through the various white balance settings to see which one gives you the look that will complement your visual story. Finishing touches from Nik Viveza 2 made it easy to quickly brighten and dark selected areas without complex masking. Your coupon code for anything Nik is DSANDIDGE. Have fun shooting!  Ciao...

PS.. If you want to learn more about twilight and night photography, please join me at Florida's Birding & Photofest in St. Augustine this April. I'll be covering, twilight photography, HDR, infrared and everything creative!

Twilight and a little Bokeh Magic...

Twilight is the perfect time to photograph amusement parks. Colorful lights stand out beautifully against a deep blue sky. This is a wonderful opportunity to experiment with using longer exposures for creative effects. Rather than freeze the action, change your camera settings to convey motion. Here's how you do it: Mount your camera on a tripod. Use a remote cable release. Choose a small aperture and a low ISO setting. This will help lengthen the exposure time needed to record the colorful motion as a soft blur.

With a little digital darkroom fun, you can add magic to your image! Try the radial blur in Alien Skin's Bokeh, a Photoshop plug-in that gives you a lot of creative options with focus and blur. You can control the "aperture" by choosing a diaphragm shape. I chose the 5-blade pentagon that added little stars to the highlight areas in my photo. Try it and see! Have fun shooting! ~ Deb

Muse at Twilight...

Dramatic weather creates a wonderful opportunity for photographing familiar subjects under different conditions. I noticed an impending storm on the horizon, and raced downtown (Orlando, FL) to capture my favorite "muse" under an expressive sky. I used a wide angle lens to capture more of her surroundings, and photographed during twilight for the most beautiful blue color possible.

Light conditions can be tricky. If you have Live View enabled on your camera, you can scroll through and see the effect of various white balance settings. This statue is illuminated by reflected light that keeps changing, so it was helpful to see how the various settings altered the color. Auto white balance did a good job here. ISO 200, f/11, 13 second exposure. Minimal post post processing (slight adjustment in contrast). Have fun shooting this summer! ~ Deb

Twilight at the Plaza...

Downtown Orlando is a happening place. This is one of my favorite locations, the Plaza! It has wonderful statues and interesting architecture. The best time to see it is at twilight as the color of the sky paints a beautiful picture. For this image, I used a 16mm fisheye lens that creates a unique distortion that I find charming!

Want to give twilight photography a try? You'll need your tripod, shutter release cable (or you can use the self timer), and bring a flashlight. Arrive at your location before sunset and try a few compositions to find your favorites. Check your white balance setting. City scenes such as this often have mixed lighting, so you may want to experiment with different settings. Shoot in Raw format, so you can tweak things later. Twilight time, camera equipment, and lighting conditions will vary influencing exposure time. This particular image was photographed about 25 minutes after sunset. Have fun shooting! ~ Deb

Orlando at Twilight...

Twilight provides a wonderful opportunity for cityscape photos, such as this one taken in the downtown Orlando area. During the week, the office lights are still on creating a more interesting image. Passing cars create trails of light moving throughout the city. What do you need for twilight photography? A tripod, remote release (or your camera's self timer) and a great vantage point.

I used Nik Viveza 2 to enhance the color and detail in this image. This plug-in couldn't be easier. Adjustments to color and detail can be placed where desired by using Control Points. I enhanced the Structure in the buildings and brought out selected areas with color. The darker shadow areas were brightened using the Shadow Adjustment slider. Now I'm done, I can go take more pictures! Happy Friday...