P#6 Q#6: What Are the Secrets to Great Night Photography?

Enhance your night photography by using great subjects

Jim Zuckerman: More secrets than I've already given?

When I lecture, one point that I always make -- and it seems so foolishly obvious, but when you think about it, it's not. Great pictures come from great subjects. For example -- I'll get back to twilight, but let me give you this analogy.

If you are old enough and were lucky enough to have been in the position where you could photograph Marilyn Monroe whispering into President Kennedy's ear and they were both giggling, it would be considered a Pulitzer Prize winning picture, and you'd make enough off of that one picture to retire.

But if you had my wife whispering into my ear, it would be a nice picture for us but nobody else would care. The difference is subject.

If we extend this to, let's say, butterflies. If you had a picture of a little brown butterfly, and you had great depth of field, good lighting, and nice composition people would say, "That's a really nice picture." If all things were equal and you had photographed a Morpho butterfly which is neon blue, people would go, "Wow, that's awesome."

What's the difference? Subjects.

So, if you photograph downtown Topeka, Kansas versus the Manhattan skyline, there's going to be a significant difference in visual impact.

What I'd like to share is that if you put yourself in the situation where you can photograph great subjects, let's say great twilight subjects, you'll get great pictures.

Like San Francisco, like the Eiffel Tower, like the Philadelphia skyline -- the Philadelphia skyline is really beautiful.

If you photograph great subjects at twilight, you'll get great pictures. I photographed ancient ruins in Egypt like Abu Simbel and the sphinx that had been illuminated at twilight and they're just awesome.

Any of my students standing right next to me in those situations could have taken the same pictures that I did. But the whole point is putting yourself in a situation where you have great subjects. That's my secret.

Let me tell you that there's one other spectacular shot -- you probably know it, but -- if you go across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, just as you exit the bridge there. There's a little road and it goes up to the top of the mountains there, and you get what I think is one of the most spectacular views on the planet.

That is the Golden Gate Bridge right below you with the city of San Francisco in the background. It is breathtaking. It literally takes your breath away. That bridge is so huge and orange, and with the lighting on it, and the traffic below, and the city beyond, it's outrageous.

That's one of the great twilight shots that I think you can take.

In summary

Great photographs require great subjects. Try to focus on great subjects to improve your twilight and night photography.