A few days ago, I set out with my trusty nephew Ben to Niagara Falls to continue my efforts to make some good night-time photos. Here are the six of the best I took (out of more than 100-- you gotta love digital cameras with roomy SD cards!).
Niagara Falls is a great place to experiment with these kinds of shots, since in addition to the grandeur of the setting itself, there's a interesting mix of lights playing on the Falls, along the Rainbow Bridge, and across the Canadian skyline.
I also discovered the Black & White setting on my camera, and it appears that it is more forgiving for night photography, I think because it emphasizes contrasts between light and dark better (though I guess that could be a subjective opinion).
I also liked how I could maximize the silhouette effect by playing around with the zoom in black and white.
This next one is of Ben looking out over the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side of Goat Island, which is where we were wandering around. The green light emanating from the cliff is intended to illuminate the Falls which were cascading just a few feet to Ben's left.
As we were crossing the bridge over the rapids back to the mainland, I got this shot of the rapids feeding the American Falls about fifty yards beyond the bridge in the background.
Ben took a bunch of pictures too that night, most of which were better than mine-- I'll have to see if he'll let me share some of them here. Meanwhile we're trying to think of some other spots where we might go to continue our photographic experiments. Anybody have any suggestions?
Niagara Falls is a great place to experiment with these kinds of shots, since in addition to the grandeur of the setting itself, there's a interesting mix of lights playing on the Falls, along the Rainbow Bridge, and across the Canadian skyline.
I also discovered the Black & White setting on my camera, and it appears that it is more forgiving for night photography, I think because it emphasizes contrasts between light and dark better (though I guess that could be a subjective opinion).
I also liked how I could maximize the silhouette effect by playing around with the zoom in black and white.
This next one is of Ben looking out over the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side of Goat Island, which is where we were wandering around. The green light emanating from the cliff is intended to illuminate the Falls which were cascading just a few feet to Ben's left. 
As we were crossing the bridge over the rapids back to the mainland, I got this shot of the rapids feeding the American Falls about fifty yards beyond the bridge in the background.
Ben took a bunch of pictures too that night, most of which were better than mine-- I'll have to see if he'll let me share some of them here. Meanwhile we're trying to think of some other spots where we might go to continue our photographic experiments. Anybody have any suggestions?
3 comments:
I have always loved the view along Route 5, coming into Buffalo - looking across the lake at the Buffalo sky line.
Or - how about some pictures of the woods. Coming from Pennsylvania, I love the woods. Perhaps Sally could give you some ideas of where to shoot your pics.
Mom
Wow. You nailed those black and white photographs. They have a timeless quality to them.
-Michael
Thanks Michael!
I appreciate the encouragement. I'm having a lot of fun working out how to get better pictures. I was even contemplating upgrading my camera until my bike was stolen and I had to replace that instead (because riding is an even bigger "necessity" than photography while I'm on vacation).
Dr. John
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