import your pDF in here then

Cover July 2010 KH .indd 1 18/6/10 10:46:05

10 ways to stunning night shots

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There’s something about night shooting that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. If you’ve ever stood alone on a clear night with a star field arcing above you, you’ll know that feeling, too.

It’s as though you’re being granted temporary access to something so big and so vast, that you have no means of comprehending it. Directly in tow of this sensation is the fact that you’re pre-programmed to be a little bit afraid of the dark, so the excitement of the experience is notched up with a hint of anxiety. There’s the sense that you’re not really supposed to be there, because the dark of the night is something to get through – not loiter in!

This blend of emotion and excitement is a wonderful starting point for creativity because you’re on edge, with your senses more alert

than is comfortable. So, what better time to crack out your camera?

Night shooting ofers so much to the photographer and for many enthusiasts, the experience is as big as the amazing results your camera will deliver. The good news is, in the winter months you don’t need to be out in the small hours to get your night-shooting fix – because of the short daylight hours you can complete a wonderful session under dark skies and be home in time for tea! This is the best way to start your love of night photography, as catching the sky before it turns black will reward your shots with a beautiful, inky blue.

Tempted to give it a go? Of course you are! Just read on to find out all you’ll need, and get out at the next opportunity to get the hairs on the back of your neck standing up, too!

A tripod was essential for this shot of the Financial District in Los Angeles. A Sigma 10-20mm lens was used, and the 5secs exposure time allowed the trafc to blur.

Basic skills

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t from RAW

ABOUT THE START IMAGE THREESHIpS.DNGtaken at the top of Birchen Edge in the peak district, these three rock outcrops are known as the three Ships. the crag has a monument to lord Nelson on top, and the three rocks have the names of Nelson’s three ships – ‘Victory’, ‘defiance’ and ‘Royal Sovereign’ – carved into them.

IMpROvING THE SHOTthe shot was taken on a grey, overcast day and the bleached sky and under-exposed foreground makes it a prime contender for a mono conversion. We want to balance the exposure to darken the sky and reveal some detail, and also brighten the land and inject the contrast that’s missing.

ORIGINAl SHOT

both. Once this is achieved, we’ll make some selective contrast tweaks in the regular interface of Elements using Adjustment Layers, and then we’ll polish the overall result with some dodging and burning. If that lot sounds complicated, don’t worry – we’ll be guiding you through, every step along the way! The great thing is, once you’ve cracked this technique on our challenging start image, you’ll

find it easy to apply to other pictures, so beautiful black & white becomes a serious option for any pictures you take.

If you’re using the full version of Photoshop, you can follow along too, as this technique works in both software versions. You may even prefer it to the more complex route using the HSL tab, as there’s less likelihood of blocking out or bleaching particular tones using this more gentle method.

wHAT’S SO SpEcIAl ABOUT RAw? Making a conversion direct from a RAW file is the best way to maximise all the quality that your camera can muster. A RAW file contains much more information and detail than a simpler JPEG file, but rather than allowing your camera to process this extra info (that’s what happens with a JPEG), you do it yourself using the adjustment sliders in special RAW conversion software.

With a RAW conversion, you decide on the exposure, the colour, the contrast, the sharpening and a whole host of other parameters, and it makes much more sense for you to be in charge of these things than relying on your camera’s best guess.

When it comes to mono images, RAW is brilliant too, as without the colour present, you can push contrast changes much harder. This allows you to get great results from rather flat-looking pics.

EDITED SHOT After making separate RAw conversions for the sky and the land, we’ve injected lots of contrast to get a great-looking pic.

Creative ideas

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final image By repeating the subject around the frame using a lower opacity, you can build up an efective look.

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Inspiration

“Using reflections i can completely alter an image from something fairly straightforward to something richer and more artistic. to achieve this efect, i use diferent techniques like shooting through pieces of glass or merging a few diferent photos in photoshop.”

illumination & Violetta

GEAR FOCUS

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The besT gear of This yearRevealing the most prestigious photo kit released in the last 12 months, the Gear of the Year awards are voted for by a panel of industry experts and also by you, the readers, so you know the photography kit featured is the very best you can get your hands on!

Awards

2012

This yearÕs winner, the Olympus OM-D

EM-5, a retro inspired Compact

System Camera in a class of its own.

WinnerProduct

of the Year