Low Light = Better Images

I remember when I saw the light, or actually lack thereof.  While perusing images in various publications over the course of several months I seemed to end up looking at images captured in low light.  Nighttime, artificially illuminated interiors, campfires and my favorite – twilight.  This was way back…about a dozen years ago…when digital was just starting to grow.  Film, specifically slides or transparencies, was the media of the day.

So there I was walking around Manchester, Vermont at twilight.  There was a building with a brightly illuminated interior and appropriate exterior lighting to match.  The sky was turning the purply-blue of twilight just after sunset.  Took some light meter readings, set up the tripod, scribbled notes and clicked away.  This was the start of about six months of this cycle and a great learning opportunity.  Unfortunately the feedback took days or weeks while waiting to get the film developed.

Enter digital with instant feedback.  What took me six months to master would now be compressed into a much shorter time.  One of my favorite classes to teach is night photography.  Students walk away from an evening with some nice images of subjects after the sun goes down, after their cameras traditionally would have been in the bag.

The photo above was captured at Portland’s Yard, Garden & Patio show from one of the display gardens.  The lighting is kept low in this area to help accent fire pits, path lights and other “outdoor” illumination.  I found the different light sources intriguing; the fireplace, the spa and light highlighting the artwork on the wall.  I hope this inspires you to keep your camera out of the bag a little bit longer in the evenings. 

Inspiration from Portland's Yard, Garden and Patio Show

Once again I attended the Garden Writers Association meeting at the Oregon Convention Center.  I was surrounded by inspiration.  First, at the actual show itself, ideas flowed from display gardens, other artists and, of course, plants.  Plants on display, for sale and used to fill out sample gardens.  The above image of a floating display of “helleborus” stopped me in my tracks. 

I knew there was little chance of an amazing image with convention center lighting and no tripod but there was no way to pass up a capturing this gem.  While standing there, it was interesting to see others drawn to this display (arranged by Lucy Hardiman at Perennial Partners).  It was placed at the corner if the table, no doubt by design, to draw folks like me to the area.  It worked. 

Elevated the ISO a bit, held my breath and grabbed a few frames of pure inspiration.  I’ll have to admit, never really gave these plants much of a look before now…how could I have missed this?!  It took viewing at them in a completely different way for me to finally see them.  Shame on me. 

Thank you to all the sponsors, partners and fellow GWA members at the meeting who were also responsible for refilling my inspiration tank.