Starting date:
Select - Apr 6, 2012 or May 4, 2012
Instructors: Kevin Adams/Donna Eaton Duration: 4 Weeks Cost: US$195
What is there to shoot at night? Kevin Adams, your lead instructor for this class, was surprised recently when a photographer asked this question. Asking what is there to shoot at night is like asking what is there to shoot during the day. The answer, of course, is everything! And while we can't include EVERYTHING in this course, we make sure to cover the good stuff. You'll learn how to capture images ranging from quintessential city skylines and star trails to wildly creative compositions that you'd never dream of.
Photographing at night is different from most types of photography, not just because of the light, but also because you need to previsualize many of your images for the best results. You need to learn ahead of time the best times, locations, and weather conditions, and you need to understand how the myriad kinds lighting affect a scene. We'll teach you how to do this in a lively upbeat manner that will have you eagerly waiting for the sun to go down.
Each week we'll explore a particular aspect of night photography. The lessons include detailed information about capturing the images, but just as importantly, we'll cover techniques for post processing. Oftentimes, the best night photographs require shooting multiple exposures and blending them in the computer. This can be intimidating, but don't worry; we'll make it painless for you.
We do need to warn you about something before you sign up. After you learn about all the exciting things you can do with your camera at night, you won't be getting much sleep from that point forward. Just make sure to warn your significant other that you might be a little cranky from then on!
Course Outline:
Lesson 1: Skylines & Cityscapes
- Add pizzazz to the clichéd image of a city skyline set against the twilight sky.
- Shoot compelling café and street scenes.
- Use streetlights and storefront lights as your "natural" lighting.
- Learn the best times and weather conditions. (Hint: A cloudy sky can be a GOOD thing. So can rain.)
- Isolate architectural and lighting elements.
- Use people for seasoning.
- Investigate the numerous devices you can use for light painting. (Hint: You already have a very expensive light-painting device parked in your driveway and a very cheap one in your kitchen drawer.)
- Use light painting to illuminate everything from mushrooms to waterfalls to your lawn mower.
- Control the color of the light with inexpensive gels.
- Accentuate your compositions with the moving lights from planes, trains, and automobiles (and boats, bicycles, and boomerangs!)
- Be the star of your creations by strapping lights to your body and "writing" your own compositions.
- Create a "light-painting announcement" by shining lights into the camera and spelling out a message.
- Take a trip on the wild side with "drive-by shootings."
- Capture the quintessential night-sky image: Star trails. (But we're going to do it with STYLE!)
- Photograph the night sky full of stars just as we see it with our eyes—except better.
- Incorporate Venus, Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, and Mercury as accentuating elements in your compositions.
- Become a lunatic. Make the moon your friend.
- Learn how easy it is to photograph meteors.
Students need a digital camera that has full manual control of exposure settings and a "bulb" setting to allow shutter speeds of any duration. If the camera does not have the functionality for timed exposures longer than 30 seconds, you also need a dedicated interval timer. Students should have a good working knowledge of setting aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. A tripod is a must. For processing multiple exposure photos, you need a software program that works with layers, such as Photoshop. For light painting, you need an LED flashlight and a Rosco gel sample book. You should wait to purchase other gear until AFTER taking the course so you can make the best decisions based on your shooting preferences.
Sign up here: http://www.ppsop.com/nite.aspx
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