Re: Night Photos

[P3D Dave Williams <daverw@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Nov 6, Ferg wrote:

> I would like to take photos of the city at nighttime, with 4 to 8 second
> exposures.
> Does anyone have any suggestions for the type of slide film to use?

> Ideally, the night scenes would have perceptible detail in the dark areas
> and not be washed out in the areas that are lit up, while giving a warmth
> to any neon lights .

        I've done a lot of night cityscapes, and I've had good luck with
Ektachrome 100 Plus. Mainly because I needed a film available in both
35mm and sheet film, so I could test my exposures before doing the scene
in large format.  I've been happy with Sensia 100 in daylight, but
haven't done any night shooting with it yet.  I'm gearing up soon,
because this is the best time of year around here (Kansas City) to do
this type of work.
With the sun setting earlier, the lights in the buildings are all still
on at my preferred shooting time, giving more impact to the scene.  I
like to shoot just after sunset, when the sky is still a rich blue.
        I shoot with a tripod you can park a truck on (a big Bogen) and bracket
from 4 to 30 seconds at f16.  I use the B setting with a locking cable
release, hold a card over the lens until I release the shutter, then
time the shot by moving the card, then cover the lens again before
closing the shutter, to minimize vibrations.  The longer exposures make
for some nice traffic patterns with car lights.  If the sky is totally
dark, I've gone with exposures as long as 3 minutes at f16.  Kansas City
is on a river, and a long shot like that results in nice flowing
reflections in the water.
        Of course Kodachrome is great for this kind of work, too. F16 is the
sharpest aperture on the particular lens I use for this kind of work, so
I adjust my exposure times around that.  Your lenses my have a different
sharpest aperture.  Usually it's a stop or two in from either extreme.

Good shooting!

Dave Williams
Kansas City


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