Sometimes when I'm thinking about embarking on a late night photo shoot, usually at a remote location I take the time to simply stop and re-engage with the things that motivated me in the first place to get out under the stars and take photographs.
As I've mentioned plenty of times before, you should never go out to shoot at night in a random fashion, that is, without any idea of where you are going or what you will do when you get there. If we approach night photography in that manner we will be very disappointed in our resulting images. Not only that, but the enjoyment factor will be dramatically reduced as well. There is certainly no fun wandering about aimlessly in the dark without a plan.
For me night photography is a journey of passion. In more recent years I've
re-acquainted myself with my younger self's love of the night sky. I still remember looking up at the magnificent milky way all those years ago wondering what it was all about. I quickly aspired to trying my hand at photographing the stars ... it was almost impossible in those days due to the inability of the cameras of the day to work at such low light levels.
However I knew then that I was hooked but it would take me a number of years to begin the journey once again.
Walk the Line Nikon D750 Sigma 35mm f1.4 @ f2.8 10 second exposure ISO 1250 (Off camera flash on left side and at rear.) Rear curtain sync
Even though I plan my trips out into the field at night I always take time out to look at the view ahead of me. I realized long ago that without that passion to explore and enjoy the night sky I probably wouldn't ever bother to take the car out of the garage.
The image at the left illustrates this beautifully. During a long shoot on a freezing cold night I wanted to capture an image that reflects my passion and dedication to what I love doing. As I said at the time, this image shows what I spend an awful lot of my time doing ... and i wouldn't have it any other way.
Me and the Milky Way Nikon D750 50mm f2.2 8 second exposure ISO 2000
I'd like to share a few of my favourite nightscape images from the last couple of years. My hope is that you see the love and passion I have for this form of photography. It's far more than capturing a nicely exposed image ... it's about the feeling it creates, the emotion and beauty attached to every scene and every subject. Things that are often considered ugly become an object of beauty under the stars. You can't help but stand there in awe and amazement.
When we take a group of people out on our night photography workshops it's always my desire that they catch a glimpse of the love and passion I have for this art form. Whatever your motivation to shoot the stars ... always remember to spend a moment to breathe deeply and take it all in. Like any great experience it's all about the journey.
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