Usually I shoot in the morning, but recently I’ve gone out on two occasions at dusk with friends. The trips were prompted by the article, Shooting at Dusk by Chris Hurtt in Adorama’s Learning Center. In a nutshell, Mr. Hurtt has found, about 15-20 minutes after sunset (or before sunrise), a 2-to 3-minute period where city lights and sky light are balanced. We set out to see if we could find this magic moment.
In the river image, I found balance 25 minutes after sunset. For this capture, I also applied a little light painting, using a flashlight, on the foreground rocks. When I compared this image to my other attempts, it stood out. Small things can make a big difference. In the second shoot I never did find balance. We wanted to substitute illumination from the full moon on the bridge for the city lights but it just didn’t work. The light wasn’t there, but I like the image anyway.
Arkansas River at Dusk – NIKON D90/16.0-85.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 – 16 mm, f/11@1″, ISO 200
Old Steel Bridge on Route 66 – NIKON D90/16.0-85.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 – 16 mm, f/11@2″, ISO 200
Rebecca Smith
20 Jul 2011Beautiful picture of the city. I love the bridge on old Rt 66.
Nancy Roderick
20 Jul 2011Great photos Scott!! A Nancy