Night photography is a special world that can be quite difficult but also quite rewarding. Photographers who accept the challenge of this kind of photography often create some of the most striking images because of the bright colored lights and deep shadows. See the color pages for examples of night shots.

You may think of night photography as taking pictures in the dark, but that is not true. Night photography has very special demands. While shadows will be deep and dark, bright light abounds. Car headlights, neon lights, store windows, and street lights can quickly overexpose your photograph. The trick is to find a middle ground where you can balance these extremes.

While you may think of night as being black and white, it is often quite colorful, due to the different light sources (and color temperatures) as well as the neon lights. In addition, you will find a myriad of signs and windows that are lit from behind. This kind of lighting is often quite dramatic and not available during the day.

For the spirited photographer, a tripod, night scenes, and slow shutter speeds can add up to an adventure in photography. The lights of a car crossing a bridge will illuminate the entire length of the bridge if the camera is set to a thirty-second exposure, for example. While the bridge and camera do not move, the headlights do move and the total effect is to light a good deal of the bridge. Cars steaming down highways make beautiful night shots. A shot taken with a slow shutter speed makes their headlights look like a flowing river of light.

The only limit to night photography is your imagination. With a little creativity, you can paint with light — that is, let light wash across the picture area. With this kind of photography, you will make many mistakes, but there is virtually no cost because you can erase all your errors.