Night shot
As a night scene or night photography , a region which is on photography referred to, wherein the photographic recording under special lighting conditions - in the twilight, at nightfall mood as well as in the form of long exposures can be performed using exposure times of a few seconds to minutes - at night. They form a particularly difficult group of photographic recordings. The preferred motifs are architecture, cityscapes or landscapes. It is not uncommon for celestial objects to be included in the motif, so that the transition to astrophotography is fluid. Related photographic genres are astro and landscape photography , in which similar working techniques and image compositions are used.
Mark
Due to the relatively long exposures (a few seconds to minutes), photographic effects such as the Schwarzschild effect (in analog photography) or increased noise (in digital photography) appear in night photographs (see section on Explanation of Individual Effects ).
The prerequisite for night photography is that the camera is in a safe position; a tripod can be used here . Bright, interchangeable lenses help with the creation of the picture, as they enable a comparatively bright viewfinder image. High-speed films can be used to reduce the Schwarzschild effect , but more emphasis is often placed on the better sharpness, lower graininess and stronger color reproduction of normal-speed films. A particularly attractive time for night photography is the so-called blue hour , i.e. twilight.
From a technical point of view, most of the photographs of sunsets can also be counted as night shots. Compared to other photographic genres, night photography has the following possible characteristics:
- little light (e.g. during the so-called blue hour ),
- Artificial light with uncertain determination of the color temperature,
- Use of more complex technology than usual.
In contrast to night shots, available light photography is not tied to the time of day. In available light photography, comparatively short exposure times are used. Your design goal is to capture the lighting mood on site during the day, e.g. B. in closed rooms, without the aid of additional light sources such as flash light.
particularities
When taking night shots, there are some special features to be considered that otherwise do not occur or occur less intensively:
Especially with night shots you often achieve disappointing results because the finished picture does not reflect the mood that you experienced yourself. This applies in particular to the color temperature and film grain or noise as well as image blurring due to the very long exposure times and large aperture openings .
Film speed
It is irrelevant whether you take analogue or digital photos: There are both highly sensitive films and also light-sensitive digital sensors (currently commercially available up to ISO 3200/36 ° without push development ). In contrast to available light photography , low-sensitivity films will mostly be used for night shots due to the higher color saturation and the smaller grain size; however, the Schwarzschild effect must be compensated for in the exposure time .
Colour reproduction
Because of the individual ability of human perception to adapt chromatically , people can not objectively assess the exact color temperature of a light source; the subjectively perceived color mood also deviates from the sensitization of the photographic emulsion or from the camera's automatic white balance , since these are set to standardized "normal conditions"; In practice, when taking night photos, there is often an additional problem with mixed light from light sources of different color temperatures.
These effects can only be objectified with the help of a photometric light meter , although a light intensity of at least 10 lux is required for exact measurements (corresponds to a 60 watt light bulb at a distance of 1.5 meters in a darkened room). Especially under the conditions of a night shot, it becomes difficult for the amateur photographer to objectively determine the light situation, and there are no rules of thumb. With a little experience and a color temperature table, however, the effects of artificial light on photographic emulsions or digital sensors can be estimated quite well.
Grain and noise
The coarse grain of a photographic film is gladly accepted by some photographers and consciously used as an effect; However, if you want a fine grain and high edge sharpness, films with sensitivities above ISO 200/24 ° should be avoided. A higher precision of the exposure is achieved with slide films , while negative films offer a higher latitude for exposure . Special films such as B. "Kodak Professional Ektapress Film PJ800" can be exposed up to 6400 ASA and still have an acceptable grain size, which is comparable to conventional 400 ASA films. However, such films and their development are very expensive.
In digital photography , almost all current camera models have dark noise , which is partially compensated for - or even made worse - by algorithms in the camera electronics. The best results are achieved by setting the basic sensitivity (usually around 100 ASA) in conjunction with the respective raw data format of the camera.
The raw data image can then be in the image processing with special tools like Noise Ninja or NeatImage targeted denoise and example PhotoKit Sharpener or FocalBlade sharpen.
During long exposure times, continuously glowing " hot pixels " occur with digital cameras . By applying the dark frame subtraction ( Dark Frame Subtraction ) they can be removed. After the actual exposure, the camera takes another picture with the shutter closed and for the same duration. The hot pixels that stand out from the dark image are then calculated from the first image.
Explanation of individual effects
The following pictures were taken with different recording techniques and show some of the effects described above:
Blur
Recording technology:
- EXA Rheinmetall
- 2.8 / 50 fixed focal length
- KodaChrome 25
- f = 5.6 / approx. 2 s
Although the camera was pressed against a lantern, the image is generally blurred, and people inevitably see motion blur.
Color temperature
Recording technology:
- Canon EOS 50 E.
- 1.8 / 50 prime lens
- Kodak Gold 100
- f = 2.0 / 1/15 s
The color cast is particularly noticeable in the right part of the picture. The whole picture looks much warmer than it originally was. The castle is lit with warmer lamps than the street lights. The lamps appear warmer than they were perceived in the shooting situation, but this is usually perceived as pleasant in the finished picture.
Atrium
Recording technology:
- Canon G5
- f = 8/1 s
The halo can be observed with all light sources visible in the picture, especially in the lower center of the picture and on the right with the red light. Even outshine the illuminated leaves at the top left.
Mood
Recording technology:
- Ricoh RDC-i 500
- f = 2.8 / 1/15 s
The original image reproduces the (physically) correct colors. It seems a little powerless, the result is not necessarily satisfactory. Targeted color corrections on the computer can achieve the original mood or an exaggerated, kitschy postcard atmosphere (pictures 2 and 3).
Recording technology
Very inexpensive photo technology is only suitable to a limited extent for night shots. The camera must have a switchable flash unit and, if possible, a tripod thread ; In the case of analog cameras, the film sensitivity should be manually adjustable or in the case of digital cameras a manual sensitivity selection should be possible.
As an emergency solution, you can cover the flash on inexpensive cameras and hope that the camera electronics will do the rest. Recommended is the exposure mode manually and manual focusing, as some autofocus systems often cause problems in low-light environments.
Fast interchangeable lenses support the work, as they simplify manual focusing, but they are not absolutely necessary. Cameras or lenses with image stabilizer also allow night shots without using a tripod within certain limits.
See also
Web links
- Tips and tricks for night photography
- Link catalog on night photography at curlie.org (formerly DMOZ )