Night Photography

This is an essential workshop for photographers interested in night photography.

The night presents special opportunities for enthusiastic photographers and Night Photography is one of my most fun workshops.

You will experience the delights of a sparkling San Diego cityscape, capture movement in a way you have never done before, and create unique art through painting with light.

The Night Photography workshop series is aimed at new and experienced DSLR camera owners who want to expand their expertise.

Shots in the dark

Many people put away their cameras when the sun goes down, not realizing that the night presents many unique opportunities for getting creative and having fun with photography. San Diego is a great place to be at night. The setting sun reflects off downtown buildings and colors streak across the sky, giving way to a twilight where lights sparkle in the harbor like a chest full of jewels.

In this digital photography workshop series, we will explore many of the ways we can use our cameras in low light to create stunning scenes and visual art. We will set our cameras to capture night scenery effectively, play with the camera settings to create different looks, learn how to combine flash with long exposures in fun ways, and paint scenes with light to create stunning effects.

We will also use black-and-white and hand-held DSLR cameras on a guided walking tour of downtown San Diego to capture a unique "film noir" series of photographs.

What is covered?

The night photography workshop series covers the following subjects:

• Capturing a sharp image in low light
• Using slow shutter speeds and bulb setting
• Painting with light
• Film noir - black and white
• Mirror up shooting
• Timed exposures
• Slow sync flash
• Front and rear curtain flash
• Playing with white balance
• Zoom and shutter effects
• Creative use of shutter speeds

What you need to attend

Your camera should be a DSLR camera. This means a digital camera in which the subject is viewed through the same lens that the picture is taken with and also allows lenses on the camera to be changed. Please bring your camera's instruction manual to the workshop. A tripod is essential for some of the shooting we will be going. I have a limited number that I can loan.

Workshop format

The Night Photography workshop series is made up of three two-hour workshops. We will meet in fun locations around San Diego with a range of shooting subjects. Each workshop starts with an explanation of the lesson plan, in which we discuss what we are trying to achieve that day. We will then all work on a number of practical exercises with short breaks for explanation and summaries. At the end of the workshop we will come together to discuss what we have learned. You will receive course notes, including reference materials and extra tips. Between workshops, you will be encouraged to upload your images to a private gallery and share them with the other workshop attendees.

On completion of the workshop series, you will have permanent access to the member galleries and forums of my site and will be encouraged to share your ideas and images with other past attendees.