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Blue Light Special
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May 16, 2021 16:42:36   #
Seabastes
 
I am Mark Lent, and I teach photography at a university in Suzhou

Thanks for sharing excellent information regarding the Blue Hour.

I use to photograph annual reports for Fortune 500 companies where some locations looked crummy in daylight hours, but looked much improved if done during during the Blue Light 20 or 30 minutes period.

Regarding tripods , the best available lighting tool is a tripod, something I learned from a National Geographic photographer friend.

If a tripod is not available, sharp exposures can be made using what is at hand be it a light pole, fence rail,garbage can, whatever is a solid surface to prop the camera to when using slow exposures.

Newer digital cameras with vibration reduction allow using slow shutter speeds handheld.

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May 25, 2021 01:33:24   #
Charles GS
 
As a former sports shooter and photojournalism, I appreciate the tips you provided.

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May 25, 2021 11:01:16   #
Alby144 Loc: Northern Nevada
 
Thanks for the information and great shots!

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May 28, 2021 21:27:36   #
Hamltnblue Loc: Springfield PA
 
I know the thread originated a year ago, but the pics posted in the original thread are quire blurry and loaded with jpg noise. The instructional tips are good but the sample pics posted not so much. Posting the original might have been better.

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Jun 2, 2021 08:47:40   #
Bennphoto Loc: Vermont
 
Thank you -beautiful pictures and very informative

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Jan 28, 2023 20:53:28   #
Brennon
 
Thank you. This is a most interesting lesson. Well done!

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Jan 29, 2023 17:37:21   #
linda lagace
 
Pixeldawg wrote:
Hello one and all,

I am Mark Lent, and I teach photography at a university in Suzhou, China and previously wrote for Popular Photography & Imaging Magazine. This section looks kinda fun, and this is my first post in it, and I am going to show you the simple way to shoot pretty night time photos. I have always heard this referred to as "Blue Hour" light. It is after/before "Golden hour", which is better known and is the 2 hours after sunrise and two hours before sunset, when the light has a golden hue. Blue hour is just after sunset or just before sunrise, but only lasts a short time, maybe 20-30 minutes. So, the idea is to plan. Know where you are going to shoot and the lens you plan to use before you go. You will need:

A camera that allow adjustments of shutter speeds and ISO- any camera that can do this is fine, even a cell phone with app software that allows you to change shutter speeds and aperture.

A tripod. You can do it without, but it limits what specifically you can do with shutter speeds. Tripods will give you the benefit of maximum sharpness and flexibility.

Patience... It is important. You may not make the images you want your first time out, but keep at it and your work will improve.

Planning... Know where the sun will set, what time it will set (You can ask Google for the sunset time in any city in the world). Scout the location and conditions before your shoot to ensure what you want to do is workable.

Equipment... this will vary with each person. I shoot with a carbon fiber tripod, a Nikon Z7 and I bring lenses from 14mm to 500mm (and among them, every single "mm" between those two!), extra batteries and even a chair if you can. Standing for 20 minutes, waiting for the light to improve can be difficult if you have leg or knee joint issues. Comfort is important!

When I make these images, I typically choose a very low ISO, and on me Z7 that equates to about 25 ISO. This allows me to accomplish two things. First, it is a higher quality level- lower ISO's equate to less noise. Next, if you are shooting along a river or other waterway, it allows the movement in the water to be smoothed out and have a less choppy appearance because you're using a longer shutter speed. This is where the tripod comes into play. long exposures require a tripod for exceptional sharpness. In these images, I typically choose two stops from the "wide open" aperture. In my 24-70 F4 Nikkor Z series lens, this means an aperture of F8.

The trick to making these look good is to not let the sky get too black before you start shooting. When the lights come on, even if the sky and scene are bright, start shooting and every few minutes, shoot a few more frames. You'll be amazed at the difference in the scene in a matter of minutes and eventually with practice, you'll get the hang of shooting Blue Light images. If you will notice, in the images I have shot and show here, you see the detail in such things as the trees. It is actually pseudo-night, but night enough where all of the detail still shows and the lights are on. Best of luck to you and if you have questions, please message me here. Best of luck!


Mark Lent
Pixeldawg
Hello one and all, br br I am Mark Lent, and I te... (show quote)


tks

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Jan 30, 2023 21:33:46   #
FastHorses Loc: The Bluegrass
 
Beautiful captures & a great post!
Thank you!
Barb

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