Post # 11, People and Night Photography

As you have read this blog, you may have noticed that most of these pictures are landscapes, not necessarily portraits of people.  This is an element I wish to add to my pictures: people.  A problem with taking pictures of people at night or in low light is that most shutter speeds are slow, so action is blurred.  This is a cool effect, if desired.  Turning on the camera's flash can freeze motion, but can also be too harsh for contrast.

You can also combine these elements:  give a friend a flashlight, take a picture for a minute or two, and let your friend move around, turning the flashlight on themselves as they move around.

Here's an example:

Or, have your friend make patterns in the air with the flashlight:

This picture is one I took for a photography (Darkroom Photography) class I'm taking this semester.  This is me on my boardwalk outside my apartment, looking out at the night sky.  I put the camera on the tripod, and set it behind me; framed the shot, set the camera to bulb, and pushed the cable release down so it would stay down for as long as I desired.  I then walked into the frame, posed for 20 seconds or so, and walked back to the camera and ended the shot.  I ended up with a ghostly effect:

It should be noted the light from this photo is from the building's floodlight. 

In general, I would like to add more portraits of people to my portfolio, and especially photos taken at night.  I think the effects you can get are pretty cool!