Low light levels, mid-grade attempts
Above/featured: Comet Neowise (C2020/F3), from Burnaby Mountain, BC – 16 Jul 2020 (UTC); more details below.
One of my first lessons in photography was: covet as much natural light as possible. I’m the first to admit I’ll chase that light very hard, especially during winter conditions when days are often grey, dull, and short. Sometimes, sacrifices have to be made to get “that light.”
But diminishing light offers different challenges and opportunities to the variety of ways a person might think about a scene or situation before them. Getting the desired effect might require opening the aperture wide, upping the ISO level, lengthening exposure time, or adding light with an artificial flash. If a person’s journey goes down a “dark” path, what might a combination of internal ability and intuition mixed with external planning and happenstance create?
I made all photos below between 2008 and 2021 with these devices: Canon EOS450D/Rebel XSi (450D), Canon EOS6D mark1 (6D1), and Fujifilm X70 fixed-lens prime (X70). I used no artificial flash for these pictures. For each image, I’ve provided camera settings: exposure time, aperture, ISO, and full-frame focal length. Where two focal lengths are listed, they are the APS-C number (Canon crop factor 1.6, Fujifilm crop factor 1.53) and the full-frame equivalent.
With the creeping light of dawn behind me, I have this west-facing view on a late-winter early-morning from Cerro Pachón near the southern edge of the Atacama desert. Visible from top to bottom are: the setting “Belt of Venus” in purple; the setting shadow of the Earth in dark blue; the setting full-Moon reddened and flattened, respectively, by atmospheric scattering and refraction; and lights on the ground from copper and gold mines next to the town of Andacollo. Región de Coquimbo, Chile – 15 Sep 2008. 450D: 1/5-sec, f/14, ISO200, 53/85mm.
Southern-hemisphere night sky over Cerro Pachón in Chile: at left is the dome enclosure for Gemini Observatory South; at centre is the constellation Orion; and at right in the constellation Canis Major is the bright star, Sirius, visible to the naked-eye. Photo, 24 Oct 2010 with 450D: 30-sec, f/4, ISO1600, 18/29mm.
Cross of the Third Millennium in Coquimbo, from across the bay in La Serena, Chile – 7 May 2011. 450D: 70-sec, f/14, ISO100, 70 to 300/112 to 480mm.
U Kasáren, in the Hradčany district: Prague, Czech Republic – 30 July 2013. 450D: 1/30-sec, f/2.8, ISO800, 50/80mm.
U.S. Thanksgiving, fireworks over the Macy’s/Bon Marche building: Seattle, USA – 25 Nov 2016. Still image from 6D1 640×480 video: 108-sec total at f/4, ISO10000, 24mm.
Ballet BC’s 32nd season Program One preview: Alexis Fletcher, in “Eight Years of Silence”, created and choreographed by Cayetano Soto. Vancouver, Canada – 2 Nov 2017. 6D1: 1/200-sec, f/4.5, ISO25600, 120mm..
Blue Swallow Motel on Route-66 (highway US-66): Tucumcari, NM, USA – 7 Oct 2018. 6D1: 1/400-sec, f/8, ISO20000, 24mm.
Located north of Seattle, London Bridge Studio is where many notable albums have been recorded, including Pearl Jam’s debut album “Ten”. During an inside tour, the track “Jeremy” is played in full-volume over the same console and mixing board where the track was originally recorded and mixed. Shoreline, WA, USA – 5 Mar 2020. X70: 1/50-sec, f/4, ISO5000, 18.5/28mm.
Comet Neowise (C/2020 F3) with visible nucleus and tail, at altitude 12 degrees and azimuth 335 degrees (north-northwest). Also labelled are stars in the Ursa Major (UMa) constellation, high-altitude noctilucent clouds over the northern horizon, and lights atop transmission towers on Mount Seymour. Night sky from Burnaby Mountain, BC, Canada – 15/16 Jul 2020. X70: 2-sec, f/2.8, ISO6400, 18.5/28mm.
Action around train station “Messe Nord/ICC” facing south, with the Berliner Funkturm (Berlin Radio Tower) at upper right. At lower centre-right is the arrival of the Ringbahn (S-Bahn Berlin’s Circle Line) S42 train. Berlin, Germany. Photo, 27 Nov 2021 with X70: 2-sec, f/16, ISO4000, 18.5/28mm.
Acknowledgements to Sofia for LAPC no.186 during the week of 12–18 February 2022. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-mpD.
Fotoeins Fotografie 
21 Responses to “Low light levels, mid-grade attempts”
Impressive collection, all of them are pretty special. I do like the mood on the Prague one, if I had to pick one, it would be that.
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¡Hola y gracias, Sofia! I’m not surprised many really like the “street lamps at night” in Prague. I also liked that scene when I made that image, but it may or may not surprise you to know that image isn’t my favourite in the post 😅 Thanks again for stopping by!
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😀
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The Prague alleyway is my favourite, super shot 🙂
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Hi, Alison. I’m not surprised many like the “street lamps at night” in Prague, which I also really liked when I made that image. But it might surprise you to know the Prague image isn’t my favourite in the post 😅 Thanks for stopping by!
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🙂
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Love the laneway in Prague.
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Hi, Teresa. I’m not surprised many like the “street lamps at night” in Prague, which I also really liked when I made that image. But it might surprise you to know the Prague image isn’t my favourite in the post 😅 Thanks for stopping by!
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Now you’re just showing off Henry! Wonderful captures all – terrific post.
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Hi and thanks, Tina! For most, every person’s blogsite post with images comes across at minimum as a “humble brag” (by definition), and I think that’s a good thing 😅
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I love these, especially that grand photo with the fireworks
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Thank you very much for your comment and for stopping by!
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Wonderful as usual, Henry. My favourites? Prague and Chile!
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Hi, Ann Christine. Many like the “street lamps at night” in Prague, which I also really liked when I made that image. But the Prague image isn’t my favourite in the post 😅 Did you like the full moon in Chile or the “many lines and dots” in Chile? Thanks for your comment and for stopping by!
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I liked both, maybe the lines and dots a bit more in fact!
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Thanks, Ann Christine. I enjoyed getting that image; I might’ve had more fun in the actual attempts than the image itself.
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😁
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Wow! I noticed Pearl Jam rather unexpectedly… How fascinating that you were there. And I see there is a special post from there, yeah! Thanks!
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Hi and thanks, Manja. Music history, or at least personal music history, might change and come-and-go, but given its place in rock music, the studio I visited and photographed is a very special place.
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WOW. Great low-lights, all. Love that comet, the moon, et al. Well done.
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Hi and thanks, John!
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