Night

The Great Wall of CVS

Shutter Speed:  10/273 sec.

White Balance Setting:  Incandescent

F Stop:  f/3.5

ISO:  800

Back Streets of Gotham

Shutter Speed:  10/10 sec.

White Balance Setting:  Incandescent

F Stop:  f/3.5

ISO:  64



A multitude of wonderful things can occur at night.  Things that can arouse senses such as fear, happiness, and pride.  Along with an array of feelings can follow a sense of adventure.  Being surrounded by the dark allows one to open up and bring out their true intentions.  When in regards to photography, this opens up the possibilities to capture this sense of adventure, and witness people in their true domain.  We can see the light of people's intentions, especially those in commercial business, by the lights illuminating the way.  These lights line streets, glow from neon signs, and illuminate walkways to dreary homes still inviting visitors.  A good example I found in producing such lights came from the CVS pharmacy located at 24th and Grand.  It's neon signs form a beacon for those travelling the city at night, inviting those in search of beer, wine, toiletries, and photo printing to be done.  These lights intrigued me as I walked the snow packed streets on a cold November night.  They reminded me that all one needs to do is look to the distance to find what they need, shining by a neon glow.  By its glowing red signs and illuminated wall, I knew I had to increase my ISO rating to allow for increased clarity.  This increased my shutter speed to allow for mor incoming light.  The second example found in my passage through the night was that of the illuminated parking lot of a dreary apartment complex.  With my camera's incandescent setting, the blue parking lot light appeared green, mixing with the old orange glow from other lamps surrounding the lot.  The cold atmosphere mixed with the gloom arising from the green light reminded me of Gotham city and Batman.  This image was captured by dropping the ISO rating down to 64 and using a mailbox to steady the camera.  This allowed for a slow shutter speed, but increased clarity due to steadiness.  The night, especially mixed with the cold, opens a portal to new exploration.  Despite fear, one should experience it to its full potential.

Both pictures were taken with a Nikon Coolpix S550 without a tripod.