Available Night Light™

Overview

Available Night Light is an ongoing project to create educational material to teach the fascinating discipline of Night Photography. I began to take my first night landscapes (or nightscapes) in September 2004 while visiting Banff National Park in Canada. I had lined up along the banks of Vermilion Lake at sunset with a few dozen other photographers, and were treated to some very fine light. As the light faded, I packed my gear like everyone else and went home.

Around 11:30pm, before turning in to bed, I glanced out the window and saw the surrounding valley illuminated by a full moon – it was simply glorious. Juanli and I packed the gear again and headed back down to Vermilion Lake.

Not surprisingly, we were alone, and we were able to take images in the moonlight unlike any others I had seen of this iconic location.

I was hooked. At the same time, I embarked upon a learning curve to learn what I can achieve with Available Night Light, as there are no constants, few golden rules, but plenty of scope for expression, experimentation and creativity.

It is not just a photography discipline, it is a lifestyle, opening doors to adventures and a unique time to reflect on life, the universe and everything. Many of Juanli and my favorite memories are now associated with taking Night Images together in some remote location.

The Big Wheel

When you look at a Buddhist Mandala, you see something that is full of order, yet each section is separarte and stands on its own as much as it forms the whole concept. Night Photography is the same, you have to learn a variety of disciplines that all come together to create the whole experience. Having a thorough understanding of Exposure is no guarantee to taking great images if you do not understand the importance of Composition or Processing.

M approach to teaching Night Photography is the same as my approach to teaching The Language of Light – it is a holistic experience intended not just to teach skills by repetition, but to understand the Why.

Creative Night Photography is a progressive course allowing impressive results to be achieved quickly, laying foundations of technique and experience that allow for an expansion of your ability to create meaningful, expressive images under any conditions.

Products

1 – An Introduction to taking better Landscape Photographs at Night, is an eBook that gives a taster for the subject. LINK - Price – US$5.00

2 – Seeing the Unseen – How to Photograph Landscapes at Night – eBook was released in March 2012 – 95 pages US$15.00 – an extremely thorough look into all aspects of landscape photography at night, including Single and Multiple Frame Techniques. MORE INFORMATION

Personal Tuition

While eBooks and online courses can go a long way to teaching a subject, there is no substitute to being out in the dark with someone who can teach you face to face. We live in a glorious place with excellent night photography conditions. The thinner air at above 2500m and no light pollution allow for a perfect experience.

For further details and Terms & Conditions, please see the Personal Tuition Section of this site.

Available Night Light Gallery