Volume 3, Issue 1, 16 March 2023 | |
Carpe Noctem! - Seize the Night! | |
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Hello and welcome to the
Carpe Noctem! newsletter
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Even though this was a very mild winter in New England, I really didn't get out to take night photos all that often.
Luckily, my daytime job takes me around the world from time to time, so I get to shoot amazing places and landmarks such as Cologne's cathedral that you see here. Including star trails, which one can easily see on a clear night, because the city is not only very clean, but also actively trying to save energy by turning off public lights. That is why the cathedral is rather dark (except for some lights in the steeples). It makes for a different character of night photos.
Other than Cologne, I got to shoot a wonderful old castle near Limburg, Germany, read about that at the end.
There is an announcement of a summer workshop in the Boston area, travel eBooks I created, a link to my newly established Amazon store and an update of content on my Patreon channel.
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You are receiving this newsletter, because you signed up for it or gave me permission to add you to the distribution list on one of my workshops, presentations or online events. You can unsubscribe at any time, simply scroll to the bottom to find that link. If you want to continue receiving it, thank you for your interest, you will remain on the list without further action. | |
Spring/Summer Workshop: Daytime Long Exposure Photography | |
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If you live in the Boston area, please consider joining me for my next workshop on daytime long exposure photography at the Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester, MA.
Starting on June 7th, 2023, and every Wednesday for 9 weeks between 6 and 9 p.m., this workshop introduces students to the technique of taking very long exposures during the day.
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The workshop will alternate five classroom sessions with four photo shoots. We will shoot in the Boston area, with classroom sessions at the Griffin Museum, which include a comprehensive introduction to the topic, recurring photo reviews and life editing sessions.
Post-processing techniques will emphasize the powerful Lightroom / CameraRaw masking features, as well as trichroic conversions, HDR and panorama creation.
Daytime Long Exposure (DLE) Photography is a wonderful addition to any landscape skill set. DLE captures time, or the effect of time, making images look serene and very different from the momentary exposures that we are used to taking.
If you know anybody who would be interested in this photography niche, please refer them to the below link.
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Merchandise
I started to create content that is available for sale.
The first available product are travel map eBooks that you can purchase and download. These maps are specific to one regional location and very detailed with a location name, description, GPS coordinates, category and an image. The categories are defined by me and can be things like "landscape", "landmark", "church". "urban exploration" or "drone spot". The descriptions give the user a short paragraph of text about the unique character and why I added it to the map. Whereas most of the locations can also be visited and photographed during the day, I also have night time photography on my mind when I select and describe them.
I use clickable Google maps, where each location pops up the image and description with coordinates and other info, and you can use that to get directions to the location. Each downloadable eBook contains that overview map as well as a table with 40-60+ locations each, and clickable GPS coordinates that you can use to find the location and get directions when you are offline (the mobile GPS still works!). In addition, there is general information about the region and a few tips & tricks to be considered. I started this with three maps for Iceland's most visited areas:
- Reykjavik and the Reykjanes Peninsula
- South Coast
- Snaefellsness Peninsula
and I will soon add another one for the North Coast to it. Beyond Iceland, I plan to publish maps for other areas, a lot of stuff in New England, Death Valley etc. If you have any suggestions what maps you might want to see, simply reply to this email.
These maps are a great preparation for your trips into these regions. Check them out:
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I have all the photography gear I'll need! (said nobody ever!!) | |
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I often get asked what equipment I use, how to make light painting tools, or what lenses, cameras, backpacks etc. I recommend. I use a lot of links in my posts to that effect, but having to repeat myself so often, I decided to centralize it all in my own Amazon storefront.
What is an Amazon storefront you ask? It's simply a set of collections where I compile products that I prefer, recommend, find good and that you can buy on Amazon. After all, there is very little you cannot buy there, so it makes for a nice centralized resource.
I structured the content into several lists by topic. Each item in a list has a small popup comment of mine, which tells you why I recommend that particular product, if you hover over that icon that looks like a pause sign. Looking for a warm flashlight, a fast wide angle lens, how to make light flutes or perhaps you need a new laptop? Click on the image to see my recommendations. Don't forget to bookmark it!
As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases with the links I provide throughout my posts.
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Patreon Update: What's been added? | | |
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My Patreon channel is a crowd funding site where you can learn about night, long exposure and infrared photography from me, while supporting me at the same time.
There are now over 250 articles from the past three years. Here's a selection of what has been added since my last newsletter:
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- Location Report: Ausable Chasm - Upstate New York
- Camera Sales, 1950 to 2021, an Incomplete Story
- What's in Jürgen's bag, Part 1 - Nikon Lenses
- The 5-Minute Technique: Remove Hot Pixel Noise
- Trip Report: Dry Tortugas
- What's in Jürgen's bag, Part 2 - Third Party Lenses
- Daytime Long Exposure Landscapes in Death Valley
You can find some public posts that you can read without signing up, if you keep scrolling down that page, to see my writing content and style.
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My last trips took me to Germany and the one regret that I have is that I didn't start night photography earlier. I grew up in Germany, and there are *so* many castles, urban exploration sites, landscapes and landmarks that I could shoot on a daily basis and never run out of ideas.
So, whenever I go back, I make it a point to have at least a couple of night shoots there, and my brother is a willing victim to tag along, camera and tripod in hand.
For the one night we could spend together, we went to Burg Braunfels, a Medieval castle rebuilt in 13th-century Gothic style. It is actively being used as a museum and location for open air concerts and events, but it has several walk-through ways for the public to use, even at night, to get from one side to the other. Along with automatic lighting that comes on right in that moment when you set up your tripod.
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I tried to make the most of the bright lights by including them and creating effects of "lights from around the corner", one of my image projects. Turn camera on, run up to trigger the light switch, then wait for a minute and repeat. We got a good workout running on wet cobble stone and light painting the shadows with our flashlights.
Halfway through our session came along a friendly gentleman who asked what we are doing. We explained night photography to him and it turns out that he was the director of the museum, going back to the inside courtyard for some late night work. We chatted a bit and he asked us to submit some of our photos for their marketing use. In return, he promsied us to let us into the courtyard next time we come around. I love when opportunity strikes unexpectedly. :)
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Until next time, please find me online here.
Have a wonderful spring!
And, of course, with lots of (night) photography!
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