Light is magical. And there is no more magical light than during the blue hours. The blue hours are defined as the time periods before sunrise and after sunset.
The blue hour following sunset starts at about 15 minutes after sunset and can extend for a long time depending on weather conditions and the ability of your camera’s sensor to gather light. It’s my favorite because it is the most “cost-effective.” You get more chances to make good images in that great light. Not to mention that it is also a lot easier than getting up in the middle of the night to be in place about an hour before sunrise!
That being said, the blue hour preceding sunrise is the most magical. When I can haul myself out of bed and be in place with of time to prepare my equipment there is nothing like it. Peaking at about 30 to 25 minutes before sunrise (depending on weather), its quality can only be described as mystical. But be prepared to shoot quickly: The light changes every second.
The keys to getting great blue hour shots are to choose your subject beforehand, arrive well before sunrise or sunset, and have your equipment set up and your subject’s composition already decided upon. You also need to mount the camera on a tripod, keep ISO settings low, and use a cable release or the camera’s self-timer to take the shot and avoid camera movement.
On this shot, “The Palace,” I arrived well before sunset to set up. (I also had to travel out of Kings Park since we don’t have neon that extraordinary here). In addition to the above steps, I shot in RAW format. This would give me the most flexibility in developing the picture under these challenging light conditions. And since I was starting to explore the HDR technique I shot several HDR sequences of various compositions. This is my favorite of the night.
The settings for this picture are: aperture of f/8 with 3 exposures at shutter speeds of 1/4 sec, 1/13 sec, 1.0 sec; ISO 100. Source photos processed in the Photomatix HDR program and Photoshop Elements.
Kings Park Photo Club: Next meeting is Thursday, June 20, 2013, 7 PM at the Kings Park Library. Bring a friend!
Photo Tip: “It Worked For Me:” Essential equipment for any camera, and photographer, is a tripod. Don’t leave home without it! It does not have to be large, heavy, or expensive. A simple tabletop tripod or a Gorillapod will do for a point and shoot. An inexpensive but taller tripod will also work for an entry level DSLR. If you don’t have one available, that’s when you’ll need it: Just ask Mr. Murphy!
Thanks for reading. If you have any suggestions for discussion topics, please post them in the comments.
