Mark

A how-to series about “Twilight Photography”.

So you ask, where do you start with Twilight Photography? Well, let’s start with some of the terms and tools you will need or consider for the shoot. Tethering, Tripod, Remote, Capture One Pro 20 software, Canon camera, fast 85mm 1.2L, ISO, White Balance, Tint, Bokeh, and Monitor Calibration are things you will read about in this article.

Twilight Photography, Tethered Photography — Canon 5D Mark IV, and 85mm 1.2L ISO 400 1/20th @ ƒ/1.2 9:07 PM.

I like to tether my camera to my laptop, so to do that, you need at least a USB capable camera and a USB cable to tether to your USB port on your computer. TetherTools sells the connectors 15′ to make the connection. Your camera may ship with a USB connector, but it will be limited in length. You could also use your rear screen on the camera, but tethered is preferred for reasons detailed later in this story. For those shooting for a print publication, you may consider laptop calibration. I use X-Rite’s i1 Display Pro.

The software to tether is your choice. I use Capture One Pro 20. Lightroom Classic will also work. You will need to make sure your camera is supported. https://www.captureone.com/en/resources/tech-specs

https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/kb/tethered-camera-support.html

So, now that you have the background tools for twilight photography, let’s explore the photoshoot. Get an early start on August 30! Sunset on this day was 7:30 pm. I collaborated with my sister on this project for her blog www.happyhappynester.com. We started to set up at about 6:30 pm. Around 8:30 pm, the photo began to take shape. Still plenty of natural light at this point.

I decided to use an 85mm 1.2L Canon lens wide open @ 1.2 aperture using my Canon 5D Mark IV camera. An 85 1.4 will also give you a nice effect wide open. If you have an APS-C like a Canon 7D series camera, a 50mm 1.2L lens will provide you with a similar bokeh effect. A 50mm 1.4 will also give you a nice effect. Whatever the lens you shoot, shoot it at the widest aperture for maximum bokeh.

Canon 5D Mark IV ISO 400 1/125th @ ƒ/1.2 8:47 PM.

I also like to shoot Raw+Jpeg. Raw images are more flexible for processing. I also shoot at a white balance of 5200 K. For those that aren’t too technical, Auto White Balance should be okay.

Use a tripod. It provides camera stability. I use a Canon remote release, but alternately you could use a two-second self-timer to avoid camera shake.

While you are shooting the session, the images will appear on your laptop, and you can edit them and check focus and composition, which is much easier than the 3″ screen on the back of the camera. The software allows tweaks as you shoot, which can be helpful.

Twilight Photography, Capture One Pro 20 — Canon 5D Mark IV ISO 200 1/160th @ ƒ/1.2 8:30 PM.

This image has little LED lights in the lantern and candles, so you continue to shoot until the lanterns glow nicely with the twilight. This balance happened about one and a half hours after sunset! The ISO is 400 for the last images, which produced a 1/20th exposure time. The final color temperature was about 4850K and tint of around 9. Probably more info than you care to know.

I hope this gives you a better understanding of how to approach twilight photography. If you have any questions, please comment below. Thanks and happy shooting!

Canon 5D Mark IV ISO 400 1/50th @ 1.2 8:59 PM.

A Processing Approach

How to series on photographing. Part Two: Image Processing.

Late afternoon hike. Alamo, California. Leica M10 Monochrom 35mm 1/250 @ ƒ5.6 ISO 800.

Adobe Lightroom Classic first.

So now that you shot an image with the correct exposure, what is next? Well, you will need to process the image in editing software. I will demonstrate in both Adobe Lightroom Classic and Capture One Pro.
I will demonstrate importing to Adobe Lightroom Classic first. This demonstration will be for Leica Monochrome images. Color images will have a couple of more tools to consider for image adjustments. More on this at the end of the discussion. I import images to an external SSD drive. I found a youtube video that shows how to set up an external disk catalog.

Take the memory card and mount it to your computer. Open the folder of images and copy them directly to the LR Images folder you made from the video. Then launch Lightroom Classic. On the menu, go to File-Find Catalogue. Find your external drive and open up the folders you just made, and you should find a .lrcat document with a Lightroom icon. Click or double-click that icon to select it. Then in the Library mode (designated by the menu on the top), click on the Import button on the bottom left column. Select your image(s) and click Import. In the menu, click on the menu tab “Develop.”

In the right-hand column, you will look for “Curves.” I like Curves because it’s a global tool in that when you create a steep curve, you increase overall contrast, and when you flatten the curve, you decrease the total contrast. Using this tool will allow toning an image without a pitfall of possible glow around specific parts of your image. You may look for a youtube video to demonstrate how a curve works in photo editing. You can experiment with the other tools, but know that the Curves are powerful and help you avoid image glowing.

Once I like the look, I right-click on the image to edit in Adobe Photoshop. In Photoshop, I will add a very slight color tint using Image-Adjustments-Selective Color. You will select the circle Absolute at the bottom for more color movement. You will edit by scrolling the color to Whites, Neutrals, and Blacks. In Whites, you can adjust the highlight tint to your liking. I like to minus 1 Cyan, add 1 Magenta and add 2 or 3 Yellow. In the Neutrals minus 1 Cyan, add one magenta and add 1 or 2 Yellow. And about the same for the Shadows. Visually look at the image for fine-tuning to your liking. Save your image, and that’s it.

So if you shoot color and want to convert to Black & White, you will need to click at the top Treatment row from “Color” to “Black & White in the left-hand column, then use the color sliders to fine-tune the filter effects. The use Curves to adjust the contrast and tones.

For those using Capture One Pro 20.

Launch the program and in the Menu scroll to New Session. Name the session and select a location on your external hard drive. Then mount the memory card and copy the images into the session on your external drive into the “Capture Folder.” Open the Capture One Pro 20 application and under the Library icon on the left, make sure the session you created is selected and click the Capture folder to see your imports.

Capture One Pro has two items in the left column “Exposure” tab. Level and Curves. I

Capture One Pro has two items in the left column “Exposure” tab. Level and Curves. I use curves for global contrast and image enhancements and Levels to sometimes globally open up the middle to three-quarter tones.
Global edits will stop halos in your image. In curves, you have two chances to make curve edits, One in Luma and one in RGB. Use Dynamic Range sliders sparingly to avoid halos. I also add grain to my images, which is in the magnifier glass icon named “Details.” Make sure you make these adjustments at 100% to see the effect you are giving.

Also, under the “Color” icon in the left-side column, you can add tint to your image. Scroll to Balance and select the three-way color wheel. I like to add a touch of warmth in all three, but experiment and use the sliders sparingly to create your expression. That about covers the fundamental aspects of image toning for both programs. If you shoot color and want to edit in Grayscale, Under the Color icon, you have a Black & White tool. You will need to check the Enable Black & White button. Comment if you have any questions or comments. Thank you!

An Exposure Approach

An early evening hike. Alamo, California. Leica M10 Monochrom and 35mm ISO 200 1/125 @ ƒ/8.

How to series on photographing. Part One: Camera Exposure.

A good day to you where ever you may be. Today will start a new approach to my blog. I will post photos I’ve made plus add what goes on making, and processing an image. It will provide a base and apply processing skills to your photos. I use the Leica M10 Monochrom camera, but capture techniques are somewhat universal to every camera. I primarily process my photos in Capture One Pro 20 but will add Lightroom for those who don’t have C1P 20.

Starting with camera exposure first, I like to shoot Raw images. The Raw image is the most flexible. To make things simple, When selecting an ISO or film speed, the lower ISO is better. I shoot images from 200 ISO to 3200 ISO. Currently, I’m not using a tripod. Everything is handheld. I have to rely on a higher ISO when the light is low. The shutter speed I use is 1/125 or 1/250. I gather that most cameras have Liveview. Liveview or EVF on a mirrorless camera is a way to view the image you are composing. Some settings on the camera will give you more information for photos. I like Exposure Simulation and Peaking. Exposure simulation shows your exposure, and Peaking allows you to see if you are “Clipping,” either highlights or shadows. In digital photography, I expose to maintain highlight detail. Highlight detail is the most important to me because it is not recoverable in most cases.

Don’t worry if the photo looks a little dark using this technique. You will process the image to reveal the shadow detail. I’ll show you how in the next post. The sample in this article exposed without having to adjust the shadows, which is a good thing. Enjoy the week, and stay safe. I hope to post a follow-up later this week.

Summer hiking in the East Bay.

Summer is upon us, and I’m finding myself roaming the hills in Alamo and Danville to occupy myself during this pandemic. The trails are wide and allow for passing with at least six feet of distance. These photos are with my B&W camera.

This view is of Mt. Diablo. The oaks trees are plentiful, and rolling hills in the foreground covered with dry grass.

Wispy clouds that I thought were very expressive. I composed the image with a profile-like cloud to the left with the oak trees in the foreground.

This image was mostly about the flow and glow on the clouds. I balanced the clouds with the hills and trees.

This composition caught my eye back in Spring, and I made this image in B&W. The trail gracefully winds throughout the image.

I made these photos while visiting my sister’s family. I usually end up trying to keep up. This image was composed as they were farther on the trail.

The sun peering through the trees makes a dramatic impact. The light rays illuminate part of the dry grass.