Night and Low-Light Techniques for Digital Photography [Paperback]

Peter Cope (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2005

The techniques illustrated in this handbook inspire photographers to take photographs when they would otherwise put their camera away—in low-light and nighttime situations. A comprehensive discussion of color and tone teaches photographers how to change their overall perceptions in low-light environments and adjust their exposure settings and filters to suit a variety of light levels. The most adverse lighting situations are covered, such as floodlit cityscapes, lightning, sunsets, stage shows, and fireworks. Tips on taking advantage of the digital environment's ability to manipulate and enhance low-light images both during and after the photo shoot are offered and technical information on both cameras and the latest software is discussed.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Explore the world of night photography without the usual drawbacks experienced with a traditional film camera."  —Shutterbug

"Discover how to capture evocative images at night and in low-light conditions."  —PCPhoto

About the Author

Peter Cope is the author of The Digital Photographer's Pocket Encyclopedia, Digital Photography Workbook, Into Your Digital Darkroom, Photoshop User's Encyclopedia, and Secrets of the Digital Darkroom.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Amherst Media, Inc. (December 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158428174X
• ISBN-13: 978-1584281740
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,263,969 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars In the Dark, December 9, 2005

By 

Conrad J. Obregon (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Night and Low-Light Techniques for Digital Photography (Paperback)

There are enough differences between film and digital media and cameras that different approaches exist with regard to photographing under specialized conditions. Conditions of night and low-light certainly fall into that class, and these are the conditions that this book tries to address.

Cope's approach is subject-centered, that is, he examines photography from the point of view of what is being photographed rather than from an equipment point of view. He begins with a brief discussion of light and color, in which he focuses on white balance. White balance is a control that many digital cameras have that allows for adjustments for color temperature of light. Then he moves on to a consideration of landscape photography, with an emphasis on sunset and sunrise. He next discusses photography in an urban environment, and then special events, like concerts, Christmas and fireworks. After discussing portraits, he talks briefly about the tools available for digital photography including cameras and photo-editing software. There are a few appendices including ten tips for low-light photography and a discussion of reciprocity failure. His book is essentially a catalog of reduced-light photographing conditions.

As a user of a digital single lens reflex, I was looking for tips on how to use my camera in reduced light conditions. Specifically, I was interested in what I consider to be the most useful of digital functions, the histogram (a display on many cameras showing the distribution of tonal values in a picture) and the highlight function. I realize that low-end digital cameras may not have these functions, but I also think that people in the market for this book will have cameras that are so equipped. I also know that these functions can be particularly useful for reduced light photography although they have certain quirks. Yet this book had only a brief reference to the histogram function in the description of camera controls, and none to the highlight function.

Instead of concentrating upon using the special capabilities of digital cameras in reduced light situations, the digital aspects were usually only mentioned in post-capture processing, and then at a level of detail that was too general to be of much help. (However, he did spend more time on blending modes in Photoshop than most authors of similar work.)

Another example of his approach was in the discussion of reciprocity failure, a phenomenon of film, resulting from long exposures. He does acknowledge that a similar phenomenon exists for digital cameras in the form of noise. But he fails to discuss any way to deal with the problem. Yet many cameras offer an optional noise reduction function (although at a cost in terms of how quickly one can make exposures). Moreover, some editing software also offers post-capture noise reduction.

In another review, I faulted Lee Frost's "The Complete Guide to Night and Low-Light Photography" as being outdated because it did not consider digital methods, but I think the digital photographer would be better served by reading that book than this one.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars No tips, November 23, 2010

By 

Jim (Meridian, ID, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Night and Low-Light Techniques for Digital Photography (Kindle Edition)

Lots of talk, but when it really comes down to it, I don't know anything new that will actually help my photography.

8 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Get the information from the net, December 14, 2005

By 

A. Harbert - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Night and Low-Light Techniques for Digital Photography (Paperback)

For the cost of the book you can pay for one month of an internet connection and get all the extrememly "basic" information you need. Cope offers nothing beyond the very minimal information you can get from just fooling around with your camera for an hour.

There are much better books out there and the web for the price.