I recently had the opportunity to make a presentation to the membership of the Vienna Photographic Society in Vienna, Virginia on the subject of night photography. A friend and fellow photographer suggested that the subject might also be of interest to write about here.
For openers, many people might ask why in the world someone would want to go out and photograph things at night. And they have a point, because everything is more difficult in the dark. It is hard to see what you are doing or where you are going. And then there is the inconvenient fact that photography relies on light.
But despite the challenges, night photography opens a whole new world of photographic opportunities. After the sun has set, the world begins to be transformed into something unfamiliar and strange.
Moonrise, near Marquette, Michigan
As the above image shows, photographing a scene at night produces a totally different result in daylight. Much of what we see at day has disappeared while things we could not see are now apparent. Even more interesting is how a scene becomes more abstract as the light fades. And in certain cases, you have the ability to capture the passage of time.
Washington Monument at Night
These other worldly characteristics make it necessary to adopt a different mind-set when photographing at night. For example, in a night-time urban environment one is dealing with many, perhaps thousands, of light sources instead of just one. But in a landscape environment, you may be dealing with virtually no light.
Although the scene may be radically different than in daytime, the photographer faces the same technical constraints. The four factors of aperture, shutter speed, and light sensitivity are still with us, but at an extreme level, often pushing the limits of our equipment.
There is some disagreement among photographers over the definition of “night” when discussing night photography. For me, it covers any photograph taken in the time between sunset and sunrise. One of the most magical aspects of this genre, in my opinion, is the slow transformation between daylight and darkness (evening and morning) which is known as twilight.
World War I Memorial, Washington, DC (19 minutes after sunset)
US Capitol and Senate Garage Fountain (30 minutes after sunset)
Paris, Place Concorde Fountain (73 minutes after sunset)
Ferris wheel, Madison Wisconsin (Night)
Twilight begins at sunset, and while the sun is relatively close to the horizon, illumination is provided by the scattering of sunlight in the sky. During twilight, the earth is neither fully lit nor completely dark. The twilight period actually is divided into three separate phases, Civil, Nautical, and Astronomical, each of which is about 30 minutes long. For further details on these terms check this link.
During the transition between daylight and actual darkness, the quality of light changes rapidly and close attention to what is happening in the scene is advisable. This is especially true in an urban environment when artificial lights begin to become dominant, overwhelming the ambient light from the fading twilight.
Moonrise over Kennedy Center, Washington, DC (20 minutes after sunset)
Photographed 5 Minutes Later
My favorite technique for adding drama to a twilight scene is to include a rising or setting moon as shown below. Taken in 2001, there was no “app” to guide photographers to the
Moonrise, Lincoln Memorial (7 minutes after sunset)
perfect location. One needed a real compass and a source of information on the lunar cycle, such as the US Naval Observatory website.
Today, the easy availability of products such as The Photographer’s Ephemeris, Photo Pils, and others make it much easier. But there still are a few additional elements that are helpful to know. That will be the topic of the next installment of this series.
In the meantime,
Keep Shooting…..
photographybykent 
Love the Ferris wheel! Nev r saw that one of yours. How was lecture received? Bet you were a natural as a speaker and teacher.
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Thanks, Valerie. Glad you liked the Ferris Wheel. It was taken in 2013 during one of our cross-country trips. It was a serendipitous opportunity. We saw the fair across the street from a motel when we arrived .I think the talk went well. There was a lot of interaction during the Q&A and the questions were all excellent.
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Great start to the series and very interesting. Night shots are striking. Looking forward to the next posts.
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Thanks very much. I’m glad you liked the images in this one. More to come soon.
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Robin, love this post as well as revisiting so many of my favorite photos you have shared on your blog! While they are all stunning, the Ferris wheel and Paris fountain just pull me right in.
I will definitely follow the link to find out the difference between astronomical, civil, and nautical twilight. I’ve always wonders about that but have simply been too lazy to look it up 🙂
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Thanks, Stacy. I appreciate your comments, as always. The three phases of twilight vary in length according to a variety of factors, mostly due to one’s location. In the upper lattitudes there are times when twilight never completly transitions to night. The specific times on any given day are shown in the details of the day on The Photographer’s Ephemeris.
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An app which I desperately need Robin lessons on as I’ve never been able to figure it out 🙂 I did follow the link and now have a much better understanding, so many thanks for that! 🙂
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Robin,
Your work is all ways amazing! I really appreciate you sharing and providing lessons and valuable insight!
Thanks again!
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Thanks very much, Aleem. Very kind of you to say.
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Excellent post Robin, thanks! Michele
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Thanks, Michele!
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WOW!!! These are all great…but I particularly like the moon rise over the Lincoln Memorial …outstanding! 🙂
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Thanks very much. I’m glad you like that image. It was my first serious effort to capture a moonrise in the city and it has turned out to be my best selling photographic print.
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Thank you so much for this informative and beautiful post. Your night photography is inspiring to see.
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Thanks, I appreciate that. I’m pleased you liked it.
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As you know, Robin, I’m a total novice on the subject, but I do love seeing the differences fading light can make to a photograph. I really love your first photo, and the one of the Senate fountain. 🙂
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Thanks so much. yes, the transition period can be magical as the cool colors of night mingle with the warm tones of the day.
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I did enjoy this post and seeing the images taken at different times of night. Amazing.
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Thanks! I’m glad you liked it.
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A great set of images! I love night time photography and the challenges it presents. There have been times I’ve been out when the moonlight was nearly as bright as day time, but it is such a different kind and color of light. Looking forward to your next post.
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Yes, you are right about that. I haven’t actually tried using the moon as a light source yet, but from what I’ve been told the camera sees it pretty much as normal daylight, albeit less bright. It makes sense since the light coming from the moon is actually reflected sunlight. I’ll go into this in a little more detail in a future post in this series. In the meantime, if you capture some examples (or already have some) I’d like very much to see them and hear about your experience.
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A very interesting article Robin, punctuated by some absolutely gorgeous photos. If anyone were to wonder why to take photos at night, there would be the answer! I look forward to the next instalment!
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Thanks, Katie. That’s very kind of you to say. I should have the next installment up pretty soon. I have a quick trip up to New York City tomorrow but will be back home by the weekend.
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