Category: Night

We close out this first decade of the new millenium with a fitting adieu, a Blue Moon on New Year’s Eve. According to popular definition, a blue moon is the second full moon in a month. It happens every 2 1/2 years. But even rarer is a Blue New Years Eve, which happens approximately every 19 years. Enjoy this one, because the next one won’t happen until 2028!

I’ll be celebrating in New Orleans, where the above image was taken on a recent trip.

Looking back on 2009, I realized it was a very prolific year for me. My Fine Art of the Long Exposure lecture became a staple presentation at the B&H Event Space. 60+ people would attend these bimonthly talks on how to create long exposures during the day and night.
I’ll actually be kicking off 2010 with this program at the Brooklyn Camera Club on January 8th and the B&H Event Space on the 12th.

I was also very proud to have my first NYC solo show, Time Exposed, tour John Allan’s Tribeca and Saks’ clubs. I just updated and added 10 more images to the show and moved it to their flagship club in Midtown Manhattan. I’m working on the details of an opening in February so stay tuned!

There are a few spots left for my Night Photography Workshop in Pittsburgh on January 30th-31st. I’m excited to explore the Three River Bridges and North Park area with the students. We’ll look at how to overcome the challenges of night cityscapes, shooting in contrasty scenarios and mixed lighting situations. The second night will be an exploration in longer exposures and star trails as we shoot in Pittsburgh old North Park which combines some great architectural park buildings with the diversity of the park itself.

Finally this was the year Gabriel turned digital. I thought I was going to be the last one standing, but I purchased the Nikon d700 back in July and haven’t shot a roll of film since. Not to say I won’t, I just wanted to fully immerse myself in the digital capture world. I don’t want to turn this into a film vs digital debate, it should always be about the image. I still see the use of Medium and Large Format film cameras to create images unique images. The slowing down and not seeing instant results can be a liberating experience instead of the rapid capture of digital.

So tonight, have fun cavorting under the blue moon, and I wish you a very successful and creative 2010!

When was the last time you took a Night Walk?
No flashlights or artificial light guiding you down a path.  After a few moments, your eyes become adjusted to the full moonlight as you find your way through a new type of landscape.
I recently visited Andre and Michelle’s 14 acre farmland where we will be hosting the Full Moon Workshop this October 31st.  They hadn’t done a “Nightwalk” on their new property yet, and saw it with brand new eyes.  The soft silverly light from the moon almost cast the landscape into a moonscape as we comfortably surveyed the surrounding area.  They forgot to mention that a good chunk of their land had been turned into a Christmas Tree Farm.  What a surreal sight to stumble upon rows and rows of full grown Christmas trees at night!  It was past midnight when we started the walk, and while we were all fairly exhausted, the nightlight invigorated us and we excitedly continued to explore and plan for the next full moon.
The next morning, I went out and retraced our steps with my camera, tripod, and 10-stop neutral density filter.  Yup, this filter is a must for those who want to turn day into night.  Without causing any other effect than preventing 10 stops of light from hitting your sensor you can easily streak your clouds and get ghosts or movement during the day.
There are a few spots left for the Full Moon Workshop, so if you are interested learning more about these techniques, honing your nightvision, and eating some amazing home cooked meals by Michelle let me know!