Photo of the day, April 25th, 2011

This scene was taken in Kensington Gardens, London-just before sunset, in Late February 2011, the very slight blur created the painterly effect I desired with this scene (Click for a larger view)

Capturing Pictures at Night

Night photography can help one create some of the most dynamic images in a portfolio. This type of photography requires a good amount of patience and timing.  Using my canon rebel I learned a thing or two regarding the most sucessful way to capture these moments in time.   Below are some tips and tricks, to help you capture the high contrast images created by an Earthly night.

1. Use a Tripod (or at least a stable surface to rest your camera).  A photographer is nothing without the tools of the trade.  For proper night photography a tripod is a necessity.  They give you the greatest flexibility in angles and allow your camera to remain steady during longer exposures.  The best part is Tripods are relatively cheap.  A basic tripod does the trick in most cases, and most cost nothing more then $30 dollars. (I personally own a Targus tripod, which is great because it can extend up to 3 lenghts and is relatively small when no in use)

2. Use longer exposures.  They allow lighting to become more dynamic, especially when shooting traffic amongst a crowded city.

3. A Flashlight.  This simple tool can light up a scene just enough to help you notice a little more detail behind the lens.  

4. Use your imagination and the city around you.  If you are shy on tools (flashlight/tripod) make use of what is already out there.  Lampposts create excellent ambient lighting, and newspaper boxes make great stable surfaces to use in the absence of a tripod.  

5. The time of your photoshoot also has a hugh impact.  Some of the best night photographs are created during the Twilight hour, where there is still enough light to see the smaller details in the scene.  This hour occurs just after the sun has set.  

These 5 simple tips can help lead to Nightime success behind the camera.  (Click the images for a more detailed view)

Night falls in Prague, Czech Republic

Nightime skateing in Covent Garden, London, England

Street Corner in London, Notice how the streetlamp is the only surce of
light in the scene besides the light illuminating from the windows

My Photo of the day April 24, 2011

sunset over Florence, Italy, Taken April 2011, it os the imperfections that make this photo perfect in my mind. (click for larger view)

Corinne Day

Kate Moss is one of the most recognizable faces in the Fashion world.  This slightly awkward, wide eyed, Brit knocked the glamazon beauties of the 80s off the pages of Vogue, leading the way for a new type of beauty, the "Waif".  Many contribute the new type of look that rocked the fashion world solely to the sucesss produced by Moss, but it was really photographer Corinne Day's images of Kate that set the scene of her sucess years later. 

Corinne's most famous, and most infamous image of a "Waifish" Kate, appeared in the pages of Vogue in 1993, alongside images of real life Drug addicts, creating the Herion Chic moment of the 90s

Corinne was a cutting edge photographer ahead of her time.  A model herself, she enjoyed breaking the rules of convention set by the likes of Anna Wintour and fashion elitists.   Her portrayal of Kate was to show a gritty side of the reality held within her life.  She did not glamorize this girl, but rather just the opposite.  "Fashion photography had always been about fantasy," Day said in an interview.  "I wanted to take it in the opposite direction...The best thing I did for fashion was bringing it down to earth, bringing  a documentary quality to it.  I waned to put in that feeling of youth culture.  After my pictures came out, the sale of Birkenstock sandals skyrocketed!"  Within the opposite of glamour a new generation was born, creating a stigma that will remain within the fashion universe to this day.

One of Corrine's first photos of her muse, taken in 1990