[LaurenOE]

These are great images, and very inspiring. I think I'll get outside after dark and try some images along the river. We have a scenic river, might as well, right?

Definitely!!

Night is the new black.

[blackcloudbrew]

Simply put, bravo!

[monochrome]

A carpenter may hold the finest hammer in the world, but if she can't hit the nail ......

Lauren - these are all you.

[LaurenOE]

Simply put, bravo!

A carpenter may hold the finest hammer in the world, but if she can't hit the nail ......

Lauren - these are all you.

Thanks!

[MSL]

Lauren,
Just a footnote from me. I went looking at all the EXIF data, and I'm even more impressed than before. Shooting at ISO 80 and up to 30 second exposure at a time. I haven't done either. I can only assume you didn't take too many exposures of any one scene, or bracketing the DOF or whatnot - which means a lot of good planning and thinking out of each shot. Even more impressive.
Marc

[LaurenOE]

Lauren,
Just a footnote from me. I went looking at all the EXIF data, and I'm even more impressed than before. Shooting at ISO 80 and up to 30 second exposure at a time. I haven't done either. I can only assume you didn't take too many exposures of any one scene, or bracketing the DOF or whatnot - which means a lot of good planning and thinking out of each shot. Even more impressive.
Marc

LOL. Thanks!

Yep. These are the techniques that I used when I shot film.

Night photography has always been something I enjoy.

If the ambient light wasn't enough, out would have come the CS-205 cable and "B" mode. Maybe my portable LED lights or painting with some flashes?

Who knows?

The K-5 is a bad-to-the-bone camera that has the battery power and stamina to do these sorts of photo shoots. When you get to know a camera like the K-5 you appreciate what the real engineers at Pentax thought of when they built this tool.

The engineers weren't thinking about what colors it might come in.

They built in features and utility that the average photographer might never use, but someday *might*.

The K-5, with it's magnesium chassis, and heavy build and grip allow for vibration damping and rock solid long exposures. Coupled with the 2sec delay or mirror lock up it's something else.

K-5 = Pure Joy.

The K-5, will all it's features will surely be one for the history books, and it's why (or one of the reasons) I am so passionate about Pentax.

[LaurenOE]

Night shooting is thrilling and fun!

You get to a location, it might be dark or getting there.
You have your gear.
You have your routine, your photographic workflow.
Most of your gear changes will be done in darkness or with limited visibility.
How your equipment works together should be rehearsed and familiar.
Take only what you need but be prepared.
If you drop something in a field or in the woods, it will be lost; forget about it if you can't find it dropped on the ground immediately.
The later it gets, the cooler it gets - are you prepared for the weather?
Condensation on the lens and camera need to be wiped away.
Bugs. Mosquitos. Critters.
People may not like you being around or you might be in a location that will surprise someone.
Make sure your camera is level.
Make sure your tripod is steady.
Don't put anything down on the ground if you can avoid it - critters.
Bring a stool as you don't want to sit on damp unknown ground.
Battery power and backup.
LED lights?
Flash?
Flashlight/torch?
Use an LED headlamp so your hands are free.
Make sure you have an exit plan if you are in a place that "locks up after dark".
Turn off your cell phone or silence it.
Wear dark clothes.
Have someone know where you are shooting and expected time of return.
Have bail money (with a friend) and limited ID on you.
If you can shoot with someone who does not have a camera and is a "look out" - great.
If you are shooting in a ruined Castle/Abbey/Cemetery, keep your cool and try not to be afraid.

Lots and lots more if I think about it.

---

Last edited by LaurenOE; 08-13-2013 at 08:46 PM.

[crewl1]

Night shooting is thrilling and fun!

You get to a location, it might be dark or getting there.
You have your gear.
You have your routine, your photographic workflow.
Most of your gear changes will be done in darkness or with limited visibility.
How your equipment works together should be rehearsed and familiar.
Take only what you need but be prepared.
If you drop something in a field or in the woods, it will be lost; forget about it if you can't find it dropped on the ground immediately.
The later it gets, the cooler it gets - are you prepared for the weather?
Condensation on the lens and camera need to be wiped away.
Bugs. Mosquitos. Critters.
People may not like you being around or you might be in a location that will surprise someone.
Make sure your camera is level.
Make sure your tripod is steady.
Don't put anything down on the ground if you can avoid it - critters.
Bring a stool as you don't want to sit on damp unknown ground.
Battery power and backup.
LED lights?
Flash?
Flashlight/torch?
Use an LED headlamp so your hands are free.
Make sure you have an exit plan if you are in a place that "locks up after dark".
Turn off your cell phone or silence it.
Wear dark clothes.
Have someone know where you are shooting and expected time of return.
Have bail money (with a friend) and limited ID on you.
If you can shoot with someone who does not have a camera and is a "look out" - great.
If you are shooting in a ruined Castle/Abbey/Cemetery, keep your cool and try not to be afraid.

Lots and lots more if I think about it.

Great advice Lauren. The bail money is one I didn't think of

[MSL]

People may not like you being around or you might be in a location that will surprise someone.

This is the one thing that worries me the most, and the one you can least control. I've had some ideas for night photography that would require flash, but have never tried it because I figured it would freak the neighbors out.

[LaurenOE]

Great advice Lauren. The bail money is one I didn't think of

I never had to use that bit of advice, but I've come real close!

This is the one thing that worries me the most, and the one you can least control. I've had some ideas for night photography that would require flash, but have never tried it because I figured it would freak the neighbors out.

It seems with everything Photography related these days, that you have to "get-in-get-out" quickly before someone comes around and starts asking questions. I suppose it's fine folks ask questions about people in places when they should be in bed.

Shooting at night brings out a different world and aesthetic than what is normally seen. Anyone can go and take a picture during the day. Shooting at night adds another dimension.

I always incorporate some night photography whenever I am shooting.

Here is another shot - taken waaaaaaaaaaay back in my *istD days!



Or here, in downtown Goteborg, Sweden. A Pentax 645 scanned image. (Oh, how I miss shooting with my 645 )



Chepstow Castle, Wales in the starlight.

[derelict]

Id love to do some more night photography of DC but Im afraid I would get shot...or at the very least, robbed.

[LaurenOE]

Id love to do some more night photography of DC but Im afraid I would get shot...or at the very least, robbed.

I know the feeling.

"get-in-get-out"

Practice your workflow so that you can get a shot quickly and move on.
If you stay too long in a spot or you broadcast/advertise your presence, you become a target of the nefarious.

The colder months also work better, and a K5 with grip can handle the cold.

Take along a friend.

DC at night would be great fun!

[LaurenOE]

I suppose this thread is moving into "shooting at night" - but it's still a win for Pentax because of the extra power that is built into the K5.
No other Pentax camera, not even the 645D accepts two batteries.

I love the challenge of being tired, hot, cold, wet, scared or emotional when I am taking pictures.

Shooting in the cold/night is also one of my favorite things to do, but living in Florida really limits that.
There is a special experience when you leave your warm winter house, to go outside to take pictures in the winter night.
The silence and clear air. The crunching of the frozen ground.
The fact that not many critters or people are moving about at night - preferring to be inside warm and cozy.

When the environment is hostile, it takes special effort to keep a creative fire burning.
As a human, we want to be safe and secure, and it's a wonderful rush to be taking pictures and using a different part of your brain against the primal urges that tell you to stop!

As more and more iPhotography folks overrun the industry, folks who take their "ancient" DSLR cameras into these kind of situations will become rare and the images taken will transcend anything you can put an Instagram filter on.

Tell me how a smart phone can get star-trails behind a barren frozen tree on a moonless night in freezing temps, with a 90 second exposure and shallow depth of field?

Sounds like another win for Pentax.

[Old Man]

Everyone above me has already said it, but I will join in, "excellent work Lauren". I just may one of these days, move up from my K10's to a K5iis.

[LaurenOE]

Thanks!