There’s more to night photography than stars and hikes. The vibrance of color can be found in capturing the stars, a city skyline at twilight, or even star trails amidst a forest. While night photography is a beautiful form of photography, there are many components when setting up on-location—while shooting in the dark no less.
Join Gabriel Biderman on location at the historic Bannerman Island on the Hudson River as he puts the Tether Tools Case Relay System to task for over five-and-a-half hours of rigorous and demanding photography. Join Gabe as he shares insightful and useful tips on how to approach and assesses a scene, plus how to prepare and plan for a long exposure sequence.
Gabriel’s Tips on How To Assess and Execute a Night Photoshoot
- Scout with your legs; Look high and low
- Set up your tripod and camera
- Try several lenses such as a 24mm and 14mm for your shot when composing landscape vs skyline
- Compose your image and determine whether it will be horizontal or vertical
- Assemble the Case Relay System to have continuous power throughout the night
- Take high ISO with shorter exposure test shots
- Take the plunge! Commit to a series of short exposures or a single long exposure
- Watch and confirm your exposures are running properly
- Set intervalometer for one-second intervals and infinite exposures (for time lapses and star-stacking)
Below are Gabriel Biderman’s long exposure shots along with exposure times.