Night photo at an abandoned mine in the Mojave Desert. Pentax K-1 camera.
Much of the camera industry has pivoted toward mirrorless cameras. However, there are compelling reasons why the Pentax K-1 an excellent choice. Find out about this unusual high-quality camera that often flies under the radar on the Nightaxians YouTube podcast.
Above: Joshua Tree National Park/Pentax K-1.
Above: An abandoned water park/Pentax K-1.
VISIT ME, VISIT ME!
BOOKS AND PRINTS: Head on over to the Ken Lee Photography website to purchase books or look at night photography and long exposure prints and more. My books are available there and Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Target, Booktopia, Books A Million, IBS, and Aladin. If you enjoy the book, please leave a nice review, thanks!
NIGHTAXIANS VIDEO YOUTUBE PODCAST:
Night photographers Tim Little, Mike Cooper and I all use Pentax gear. We discuss this, gear, adventures, light painting, lenses, night photography, creativity, and more in this ongoing YouTube podcast. Subscribe and watch to the Nightaxians today!
Intervalometers are inexpensive and invaluable, so why not throw one or two of these in your bag?
But what is it? An intervalometer is basically a remote shutter release that offers more controls. It allows you to tell the camera shutter when to shoot, how long the shutter should stay open and how long the shutter should remain closed until it opens again.
Night photographers use these to create star trails, time-lapse, a succession of images to “stack” to reduce noise in high ISO photos, and more while avoiding vibrations.
Intervalometers come in different forms, including wired and wireless, with some allowing you to control your camera using an app on your smartphone. I use a wired intervalometer because they are inexpensive and very reliable.
This is my trusty Vello Shutterboss II for my Pentax K-1, hence the punny “Kentax” name. Never run away from a great pun.
Understanding the settings of an intervalometer
Let’s go over some of the settings so we can better understand what they are and why we use them. I use a wired Vello Shutterboss II, and many wired intervalometers currently available have similar or identical controls. Look for the black horizontal line, which tells us which setting we are viewing or adjusting.
Self (self-timer delayed-release)
The first setting is the self-timer. This allows you to set the amount of time it takes for the camera to initiate the sequence you have programmed into the intervalometer.
This helps us with anything from doing selfies to getting into position to light paint a tree or abandoned building. This intervalometer allows you to set the time anywhere from one second to 99 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds. Wow! Below, it is set to 0 seconds, so the camera will start clicking right away.
Long (timed exposure length)
How long do you want each exposure to be? Right here is where you set it! This one is set for two minutes. This is especially handy because most cameras have a maximum exposure length of 30 seconds and offer a limited amount of long exposure times.
Intervalometers allow you to specify a shot between one second and 99 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds. And yes, that means that you cannot photograph anything shorter than one second.
Interval
The interval setting allows you to control the time period between two or more shots. If you want to do time-lapses, perhaps you might want some time to pass between shots. On the other hand, if you want to do star trails for “stacking” later, you want the shortest possible time between shots.
The interval shown below is set to one second, the shortest time between shots possible on most intervalometers.
No. (Number)
The number simply stands for how many photos you wish to take in your sequence of shots. Below, I have this set for 10 consecutive shots. You may set it anywhere from 1 shot to 999 shots. After running the sequence, the camera will stop unless set it to infinity. This is typically signified by two dashes (—). On this setting, your camera will shoot and shoot and shoot …
How night photographers use an intervalometer
Now that we know what the four basic settings are (I’m not going to go over whether you want a beep or not), let’s apply this to some real-life night photography scenarios.
Star trails
Many night photographers love to show the perceived movement of the stars caused by the earth’s rotation of long periods of time. Taking a succession of shots and “stacking” them together for post-processing is a great way of achieving this while minimizing noise.
In the photo above, I set my intervalometer at four minutes and photographed the starry night sky for two hours in total.
The settings would have looked like this:
Self (Self-Timer Delayed Release): 0 seconds
Long (Timed Exposure Length): 4 minutes
Interval: 1 second
No. (Number): 30
Stacking to reduce noise for milky ways
Many night photographers use intervalometers to take 15-20 photos in succession to reduce noise for their high-ISO Milky Way photos. For the above, I set my intervalometer to take photos for 20 seconds each.
For this photo, the settings are:
Self (Self-Timer Delayed Release): 0 seconds
Long (Timed Exposure Length): 20 seconds
Interval: 1 second
No. (Number): 31 (the slightly strange number tells me that I most likely set the device to click away on “infinity” while I grabbed a snack!)
Never dangle your intervalometer
I’ll leave you with this important bit of advice: Never let your intervalometer dangle from your camera. Several things may happen — none of them good!
The intervalometer jack may get pulled out of the camera
This may stop the entire shooting process you’ve set into motion. You don’t want that to happen, do you? No. No, you don’t.
The intervalometer may swing
This isn’t so great either. It doesn’t take much wind to get your intervalometer to start tapping against the tripod and cause shakes and vibrations.
The intervalometer cable will weaken
This occurs over time when the cable gets increasingly stressed. As it is, this is a common point of failure for intervalometers, so why hasten its death?
Pro tip: Velcro to the rescue!
I would never leave you hanging (apologies for the pun). There’s an easy solution, and it’s called Velcro. Yes, that’s right, add a strip of Velcro to the back of your device and to your tripod leg. No more swinging.
BOOKS AND PRINTS: Head on over to the Ken Lee Photography website to purchase books or look at night photography and long exposure prints and more. My books are available there and Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Target, Booktopia, Books A Million, IBS, and Aladin. If you enjoy the book, please leave a nice review, thanks!
NIGHTAXIANS VIDEO YOUTUBE PODCAST:
Night photographers Tim Little, Mike Cooper and I all use Pentax gear. We discuss this, gear, adventures, light painting, lenses, night photography, creativity, and more in this ongoing YouTube podcast. Subscribe and watch to the Nightaxians today!
People are hungering to get some outside time. Getting some fresh air while still being able to socially distance if necessary is particularly appealing after the pandemic. One fantastic U.S. destination is West Virginia.
Below, I’ll offer a mix of natural beauty, unusual locations and parks with, er, slightly too many photos of waterfalls, just to mix it up a bit and offer you a variety of photographic opportunities.
Almost Heaven, West Virginia
Jackson’s Mill, West Virginia
If you want to enjoy the outdoors, it would be hard to do better than West Virginia. After all, it’s sparsely populated compared to many states on the East Coast. And not only that, it’s covered in beautiful forests, lakes, waterfalls, rivers and more.
It’s frequently mentioned in Outside Magazine as one of the best white water rafting destinations in the nation. And the Mountain State is also popular for rock climbing, especially in locations such as Dolly Sods and Seneca Rocks.
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve
This very new National Park will put the gorgeous New River Gorge area on more people’s radar. Consider coming here before the crowds eventually descend upon the area.
Fayetteville is probably one of the best places to access the National Park. Often included in lists as one of the best small towns in America, Fayetteville has beautiful bed-and-breakfasts and Airbnbs, charming people and delicious food. I especially love Pies and Pints, Secret Sandwich Society and Wood Iron Eatery. Get breakfast at Cathedral Cafe, where you quite literally eat in a former cathedral with stained glass windows.
This area is popular for white water rafting and checking out the amazing suspension bridge, the New River Gorge Bridge. One popular access point for photographing the bridge during sunset, fog, or any other time is to walk down the path to the lookout point from the Visitor’s Center.
The New River Gorge Bridge is such a landmark that it can be found on the West Virginia version of the quarter!
Many people explore paths that walk on the many paths that parallel the New River. They offer short walks to ledges that provide stunning views of the river. Some of these areas are popular for wedding photos. Fayette Station Road winds through the gorge and provides great views, including along the lower bridge, offering a great vantage point for watching rafters as well.
The New River Gorge area is rather large, and you could easily spend many days wandering through the forests, soaking your feet in the streams and admiring its many waterfalls.
One of the most accessible waterfalls is the gorgeous Cathedral Falls. This is located near the town of Gauley Bridge, and can be reached from Route 60 on the east side of the New River.
Thurmond
Nearby Grandview overlooks the New River bending, with Thurmond stretching around the bend. These are some of the most beautiful views of New River Gorge National Park.
Thurmond, West Virginia, a former boom town.
And of course, you can also drive to Thurmond. During the first two decades of the 1900s, Thurmond was a classic boomtown. Now, it is virtually a ghost town, remarkably well preserved. Talk to the friendly rangers at the Visitor’s Center in the former depot to find out more about its history.
The enormous coal tipple at night, Thurmond, West Virginia.
You may photograph here day or night. However, trains run regularly, so you must stay off the tracks and stay alert when exploring Thurmond. The almost ghost town looks great in black and white as well as color, and looks great when cloudy as well as other times.
Hawks Nest State Park
Not far from New River Gorge National Park is this 270-acre park. This has a nature museum, an aerial tramway which take you down to the river, hiking trails, waterfalls and some rather challenging white water rafting. If you enjoy quirky roadside attractions, stop by the nearby Mystery Hole, where the “laws of nature have run amok.”
One of my favorite hikes in the area is the rail trail. I like to take the tram down to the river and hike up a mile to Mill Creek Falls. Along the way, you can also see the foundations of an old water tower, an old trestle bridge and an old mine. If you continue on this trail, you will walk back up to the town of Ansted.
Babcock State Park
The famous Glade Creek Grist Mill, although during this particular summer, there was not much water flowing.
Glade Creek Grist Mill, one of the most photographed destinations in West Virginia, is located in Babcock State Park. The most popular time is during the fall, when the trees turn color and the water is flowing. This is about 30 miles southeast of Cathedral Falls along the New River Gorge.
Camp Creek State Park and Forest
Camp Creek State Park is a very accessible, charming park with an easy walk that follows the creek.
Brush Creek Preserve
Brush Creek Falls, not far south of Camp Creek State Park, is another place with beautiful waterfalls. There is often more water than this in the fall, but this reveals the beautiful rocks behind the water.
Not far off the Highway 77, right by the diminutive Brush Creek Preserve, is a gorgeous waterfall. This is a short walk from the preserve and is well worth a visit.
Charleston
In a state engulfed in endless rolling mountains, I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised that the capital of West Virginia isn’t a sprawling metropolis. Still, this city laid out among the banks of the Kanawha (which seems to always be pronounced “Ka-GNAW” locally” River has plenty of things to visit.
The gold-domed historic State Capitol building dominates the city’s riverfront, and at 292 feet (89 meters) is the tallest building in West Virginia. This is part of a historic area listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. This was designed by Cass Gilbert, who also designed the U.S. Supreme Court, the Woolworth Building, and much more. The building is five feet taller than the dome of the U.S. Capitol. And yes, the top of the dome is actually covered in gold leaf. While there, visit the West Virginia State Museum to see one of the greatest quilt exhibits on the face of the planet.
Charleston has many things to do. Visit the Capitol Market, an outdoor market and collection of shop selling anything from chocolates, books, wines, or produce. Outdoor markets always provide vibrant colors, perfect for exquisite photography.
Wander inside 240,000 square foot Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences, a center for performing and visual arts as well as sciences located on Clay Square. This is very kid-friendly, and offers many interactive science exhibits as well as traveling exhibits. There’s also two theaters in the center.
One of my favorite places to walk along the brick walkways of Capitol Street and the surrounding area. Capitol Street is filled with good boutique shops, galleries, and restaurants. In March through December, the area hosts ArtWalk events that celebrate local talent with free tours of shops and galleries featuring paintings, sculptures, photography, and music. There are plenty of photographing opportunities here, especially during the ArtWalk.
I’m particularly fond of Taylor Books. This is an independent bookstore, coffee shop, cafe, and art gallery. The buyers for this bookstore seem to have discerning taste, as the book selection is fascinating, compelling, and diverse. It also features a wide variety of local artists, authors, and books about West Virginia and the Appalachian region.
Some of my favorite restaurants in Charleston include Pies and Pints, Tricky Fish and Books and Brews. The latter has amazing pepperoni rolls as well as pizza and local brews. And books, of course. So many books.
Blackwater Falls State Park
This beautiful park is located approximately three and a half hours northwest of Fayetteville in the Allegheny Mountains. The park is named for the amber waters of Blackwater Falls, a 57-foot cascade tinted by fallen hemlock and red spruce needles. The falls, along with Elakala Falls, Lindy Point and Pendleton Point Overlook, are some of the state’s most photographed spots.
Blackwater Falls is a short 0.4 mile walk. There is a large lookout that offers a good vantage point for photos. I like taking photos of waterfalls when the light is not harsh, such as early mornings, early evenings or if it is cloudy.
Also well worth the look is the more delicate Elakala Falls. There’s actually several falls as you follow the path down. The first waterfall is extremely close to Blackwater Falls Lodge. This waterfall doesn’t have the volume of water of nearby Blackwater Falls, but it’s absolutely gorgeous. During warm months, you might take your shoes off and take photos from the water so you can get closer to the falls and achieve a straighter view.
If you are using a tripod or Gorillapod and it is overcast or in the shade, as Elakala is, you may be able to take long exposure photos of waterfalls with just a circular polarizer.
Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum
Located in Weston, this National Historic Landmark served the mentally ill beginning in the mid-1800s. The area is very large, and consequently, there are many tours. You can discover fascinating stories of Civil War raids, gold robberies, the “curative” effects of architecture and the efforts of determined individuals to help better the lives of the mentally ill. They also offer paranormal tours and even a night photography workshop in May.
Dolly Sods Wilderness
Dolly Sods. Photo by Mark ‘Indy’ Kochte/IndyVision.
This is located in the northeastern part of the state in the Monongahela National Forest. Filled with hiking trails, this is a popular place that offers beautiful vistas perfect for photography, and dark skies for night photography. One of the most popular viewpoints is Lion’s Head Rock. This is a popular area to view the setting sun.
Seneca Rocks
Seneca Rocks attracts rock climbers from all over the world. Gunsight View at noon. Photo by Mark ‘Indy’ Kochte/IndyVision.
Seneca Rocks is one of the best-known natural landmarks in the state. This is close to Dolly Sods Wilderness and located in Monongahela National Forest, is scenic and popular with rock climbers and night photographers due to its dark skies. You can also photograph these rocks from Route 28 and U.S. Route 33.
Alternatively, you could check out the views from Spruce Knob, the highest point in the Mountain State. You may hike 14 miles from the base to the summit. Or simply drive to the top. From the parking lot, it’s only a quick quarter-mile walk to the observation point.
4th of July fireworks from the Gunsight, Seneca Rocks. Photo by Mark ‘Indy’ Kochte/IndyVision.
West Virginia Penitentiary, Moundsville
The foreboding exterior of West Virginia Penitentiary in Moundsville.
This imposing Gothic-style prison is located in the far north of West Virginia. It has a fascinating, violent history, and operated from 1876–1995. Many of the tour guides worked as prison guards, so you get a firsthand account of the penitentiary. It’s well worth a visit.
As a bonus, you may arrange for night photography if you wish. A warning, though: This is by far the creepiest place I have ever photographed at night!
West Virginia Penitentiary at night, Moundsville.
West Virginia Penitentiary at night, Moundsville.
The roads less traveled
One of many beautiful scenes in the back roads of West Virginia, probably one of the better states for country driving.
Perhaps one of the greatest pleasures of West Virginia is to get off the highway and travel through some of the back roads. These never disappoint. Travel through small charming towns, rolling green hillsides, verdant forests and much more. I hope this inspires you to get outdoors and explore West Virginia.
Part of the fun is eating and meeting people too. This is Hillbilly Hot Dogs, home of the enormous Homewrecker. Not to worry, they have much smaller portions as well.
Trees. So many trees. If you love trees, West Virginia is surely paradise.
VISIT ME, VISIT ME!
BOOKS AND PRINTS: Head on over to the Ken Lee Photography website to purchase books or look at night photography and long exposure prints and more. My books are available there and Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Target, Booktopia, Books A Million, IBS, and Aladin. If you enjoy the book, please leave a nice review, thanks!
NIGHTAXIANS VIDEO YOUTUBE PODCAST:
Night photographers Tim Little, Mike Cooper and I all use Pentax gear. We discuss this, gear, adventures, light painting, lenses, night photography, creativity, and more in this ongoing YouTube podcast. Subscribe and watch to the Nightaxians today!
What lens is good for night photography? It turns out there are quite a few. And not all of them are crazy expensive.
Please note that I am not discussing astrophotography, deep space photography of celestial objects or photos involving an equatorial mount or tracker. Those would have different considerations. I will give examples based on a full-frame sensor. Focal lengths for crop sensors would be correspondingly smaller. However, the general approach would be the same.
Wide aperture
The speed of a lens refers to how large its maximum diameter is. A lens with a larger maximum aperture is called a “fast lens” because it can achieve the same exposure with a faster shutter speed.
Generally speaking, most night photographers also prefer a lens with a larger aperture such as f/2.8, f/2.4 or even wider. This lets in more light. This is especially crucial if you are interested in photographing stars, which are quite faint.
However, for night photography during a full moon, such as when one is photographing abandoned areas over the course of several minutes or more, a wide aperture lens is not necessary. Many people photograph at f/8 and ISO 200 during this time.
Ultra wide-angle lens
This image was created with a Pentax 15-30mm f/2.8 ultra wide-angle lens at 15mm, at the launch area of an abandoned missile base overlooking Los Angeles. Although this is considered a “fast” lens at f/2.8, I wanted to show that night photos can be created at much smaller apertures such as f/8. This has the added bonus of having a broader depth of field, keeping more of the scene sharp and in focus. During full moon photography, you can use the autofocus feature quite often, or a bright flashlight to illuminate a foreground object and use autofocus. Settings: f/8, ISO 200, 3 minutes.
The most common choice is an ultra wide-angle lens. This allows you to include much of the night sky. Also, if you wish to photograph the stars as pinpoints — such as in the case with the Milky Way — an ultra-wide-angle lens allows you to use longer exposure lengths without overt trailing of the stars.
This Milky Way photo in the Mojave Desert was photographed with an Irix 15mm f/2.4 prime ultra wide-angle manual focus lens. This has the added feature of having a detent at infinity, allowing the photographer to instantly lock the focus to infinity, which is ideal for photographing stars. Settings: f/2.5, ISO 4000, 20 seconds. Stacked to lessen the amount of noise.
If photographing Milky Ways is your thing but you don’t have the budget for one of the other more expensive zoom lenses, this is a great choice. The Blackstone (B&H | Amazon) and Firefly (B&H | Amazon) lenses by Irix are both very affordable.
They’re also considerably lighter than their ultra-wide zoom lens counterparts and do not have a bulbous front element, which means that it accepts screw-on filters. Rokinon and Laowa also make ultra wide-angle lenses that are worthy of consideration and are not crazy expensive.
This photo in Joshua Tree National Park was taken with a Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 ultra-wide lens at 14mm. This is also quite a sharp lens, and like the aforementioned 15-30mm f/2.8 lens, has autofocus. The downside of this lens? It’s heavy and has a bulbous front element Settings: f/8, ISO 400, 3 minutes. Five photos stacked for a total of 15 minutes.
Fisheye lens for night photography
A fisheye can be a great choice. Many fisheye lenses have a 180-degree view and therefore, if pointed straight up, can photograph the entire night sky. Or they can create very distorted, creative images.
This image was created with a Rokinon 12mm f/2.8 fisheye lens. Instant weirdness. A fisheye can help an image stand out from a crowd by offering a different perspective. Also, a lens like this is relatively inexpensive compared to the other lenses I am discussing here.
Longer focal lengths
It’s perfectly OK to use longer focal lengths as well. The stars will trail much faster because you are zoomed in on them and everything else more, but this is perfectly normal.
Longer lenses can be great for compressing the scene, making the background elements look larger and creating drama. And if some of these background elements are stars, fantastic.
This is a night photo using a longer focal length using a Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens. I wanted to “compress” the background cliff so it would seem even larger. Like some of the other examples, I was able to use the autofocus feature of this lens by illuminating the house with a flashlight first. Settings: f/8, ISO 800, 4 minutes. Each photo was stacked for a total exposure of 20 minutes.
Choices, choices
Like anything else, you would choose a lens for its overall usefulness as well as your personal aesthetics. Not everyone, for instance, might want to photograph with a fisheye or a long lens. Or perhaps not everyone might want to have really wide angles all the time. How do you want to present the world?
VISIT ME, VISIT ME!
BOOKS AND PRINTS: Head on over to the Ken Lee Photography website to purchase books or look at night photography and long exposure prints and more. My books are available there and Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Target, Booktopia, Books A Million, IBS, and Aladin. If you enjoy the book, please leave a nice review, thanks!
NIGHTAXIANS VIDEO YOUTUBE PODCAST:
Night photographers Tim Little, Mike Cooper and I all use Pentax gear. We discuss this, gear, adventures, light painting, lenses, night photography, creativity, and more in this ongoing YouTube podcast. Subscribe and watch to the Nightaxians today!
Is there a difference between blending and compositing in post-processing? Some make no distinction between the two. But some do. Let’s have a closer look!
Above: West Virginia Capitol before replacing sky for a composite image.
Above: West Virginia Capitol before replacing sky for a composite image.
A composite is when you combine elements from two different photos into a single image. An obvious instance of this is if you use a program such as Photoshop or Luminar to replace a bland sky with a dramatic sky. This is often done in landscape or real estate photography.
Compositing is also done often in night photography. A photographer might take a really nice photo of the Milky Way from one night and mix it with a landscape photo taken on another night. It’s possible to take a photo of a Milky Way in Utah and add it to a landscape photo of Arizona. Conceptually, it’s similar to someone cutting out a picture of a person from one magazine and pasting it on to another picture, only considerably more sophisticated (hopefully).
Blending
One of the most well-known methods of blending is HDR blending. This is where you might fix your camera to a tripod and take several different exposures of that same scene in succession. Then in post-processing, you would blend those multiple exposures together into a single image. The goal is to render the scene but with a high dynamic range.
HDR blend of six long-exposure night photos. The sign was considerably brighter than the rest of the image, so HDR blending makes the image look considerably more like it looked in person. Read more about how I got the photo here.
A blend of two radio telescopes and the Milky Way. The blend was done so that I would have time to illuminate the two radio telescopes and do so using low ISO so I could keep the noise level down.
Examples of how a night photographer might blend photos
Notice how each of them bear some resemblance to HDR in that they are often controlling some aspect of dynamic range.
Taking a very long exposure low ISO photo of the landscape. After that, taking a shorter exposure high ISO photo of the Milky Way. The first photo may or may not involve light painting as well. The low ISO image is an effective way of keeping the noise level down.
Taking a “blue hour” or moonlit landscape. After that, waiting a while with the camera and lens in the same place to photograph the Milky Way.
Blending several photos over time to show the passage of time, only in one image. For example, you could show the transition between sunset to “blue hour,” or somewhat like above, the transition of “blue hour” into night.
The philosophy between compositing and blending
With compositing, you are taking different elements from different photos, then combining them together to create art.
With blending, you are doing so to address dynamic range and limitations of the camera to try to recreate what you see and experience.
The difference between compositing and blending can be fuzzy. Both can look somewhat similar if you are watching someone post-process. But I believe there’s enough fundamental difference to distinguish between the two. Certainly, night photographers seem to feel this way.
I almost never do compositing of night photos. I believe I’ve only done one or two. However, I have no issues with compositing. For night photography, I would prefer if the artist were up front about composites.
However, it really is all art. Compositing, HDR blending, blending to show long passages of time and photography are all different forms of art. Some attempt to recreate how it looked or felt to be there while others attempt to create a fantasy image. And like all art, some might appeal to you while others might wrinkle your nose in disgust. Beauty, after all, is in the eye of the beholder.
What are your opinions on what constitutes composites or blending? Or for that matter, what constitutes photography and what falls into the realm of digital art? Let us know in the comments below.
VISIT ME, VISIT ME!
BOOKS AND PRINTS: Head on over to the Ken Lee Photography website to purchase books or look at night photography and long exposure prints and more. My books are available there and Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Target, Booktopia, Books A Million, IBS, and Aladin. If you enjoy the book, please leave a nice review, thanks!
NIGHTAXIANS VIDEO YOUTUBE PODCAST:
Night photographers Tim Little, Mike Cooper and I all use Pentax gear. We discuss this, gear, adventures, light painting, lenses, night photography, creativity, and more in this ongoing YouTube podcast. Subscribe and watch to the Nightaxians today!
With Instagram embracing Reels and turning into TikTok, Vero social media app looks better and better for photographers. And recently, Vero added one more reason.
A cloudy yet glorious evening with the Milky Way at Trona Pinnacles, a photo that is featured on Vero.
A brief look at Vero
In many respects, the Vero app seems like, well, a better version of Instagram. They were initially launched in 2015 as an alternative to Facebook and Instagram. In March 2018, you might remember a surge in popularity. This was fueled largely by the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data scandal in which the personal data of millions of Facebook users were collected without their consent.
Vero’s popularity surged again in September 2022 due to Peter McKinnon discussing it on his YouTube channel, which has 5.82 million subscribers.
What makes Vero good?
Vero has some features that separates them from Instagram and Facebook. They have no ads, no algorithms, a chronological feed, a dark background which is flattering to photos, and are attempting to build a community.
And now, they’ve added another interesting feature.
Discovery page
How do you, uh, discover the Discovery Page? On your Home Page, press or poke the Compass Icon (I circled this in red here for your convenience because I’m super nice)
Vero recently added a Discovery page. This is an “explore page” that allows you to discover new photographers easily … or be discovered yourself. This too has no algorithms.
This is a screenshot of the Vero Discovery Page. Here, without algorithms, you can discover new photographers or artists. And they can discover you.
This also seems to be a good sign. With the new surge in sign-ups, the Discovery page is almost a way of rolling out the doormat to new photographers. This means that without ads or algorithms, you can post photos instead of Reels and stand the same chance of people finding you without having enormous followings. This also means that you can discover new artists based on the quality of their work.
Initially, the Discovery Page defaults to a grid view. However, you can also change it to a List View. Hey, maybe this screenshot will get Paul Thoonen some more followers!
Weary of Instagram
Instagram has basically said that they want to turn Instagram into a digital shopping mall, fill it with ads and focus on videos. If you are discouraged by that, it’s worth giving Vero a shot. They have emphasized having a community as well.
A long exposure night photo at the end of the world. And yes, I feel fine.
Despite having existed since 2015, Vero still seems like it is developing. But with the features I’ve described above, it feels like they are on good footing.
I have no plans to drop my Instagram or Facebook account. Even if you are planning on keeping your accounts, Vero offers another platform for you to share your photos and join a community.
Joining Vero
Currently, Vero is free to join. I joined in March 2018 although I have not been active until very recently. Since that time, I have heard that they will eventually introduce a paid subscription model. However, they have not done so yet.
BOOKS AND PRINTS: Head on over to the Ken Lee Photography website to purchase books or look at night photography and long exposure prints and more. My books are available there and Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Target, Booktopia, Books A Million, IBS, and Aladin. If you enjoy the book, please leave a nice review, thanks!
NIGHTAXIANS VIDEO YOUTUBE PODCAST:
Night photographers Tim Little, Mike Cooper and I all use Pentax gear. We discuss this, gear, adventures, light painting, lenses, night photography, creativity, and more in this ongoing YouTube podcast. Subscribe and watch to the Nightaxians today!
I met and photographed Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin and Jack White of … well, all sorts of things. To do this, I had to make it happen. Here’s how I managed to do so.
It never hurts to ask
In 2009, my friend Christal Smith announced on Facebook, “So excited! I am going to be interviewing Jimmy Page and Jack White!” Excited, I mentioned this to my girlfriend. “I’d like to photograph them!”
“She works for The Huffington Post. They have their own photographers. And you just have that little cheap camera.”
“Sure. But I want to photograph them anyway.”
I immediately asked, “Christal, please let me know if you need a photographer. I would love to do this.” She messaged me minutes later. “Actually, I could use a photographer. I don’t have one yet. I can get you in.”
Bam. It was done.
It might get loud
Director Davis Guggenheim filmed a documentary movie, “It Might Get Loud,” featuring Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White hanging out and playing music together. The movie was really, really good.
I’m usually not in fanboy mode. However, this was Jimmy Page, one of my favorite guitarists. Led Zeppelin is one of my favorite bands. Furthermore, Page was notoriously reclusive. But now … now I was going to photograph them at a press conference!
Scotch tape, the diffuser for the rest of us
Davis Guggenheim and Jimmy Page.
I had a very modest camera, a Nikon D50 6.1MP camera I had purchased used in 2005. And I didn’t have a speedlight — only the built-in pop-up flash on the D50. I wondered if I would be able to get decent photos with such a horrible flash.
I stuck several layers of Scotch tape over the pop-up flash diffuser. Then I taped a piece of white paper on top to bounce more light. It wouldn’t look great, but it would provide a look that was slightly better. I repeatedly checked my camera far too often to make sure it was working.
This was 2009. It would be years before I became obsessed with night photography, before National Geographic, before Smithsonian. Years before I would have any clue of what I was doing. But I was going to make this work somehow.
Hanging out with the other journalists
I got there early and sat with some other journalists. One journalist mentioned that he couldn’t sleep at all the night before. This was incredible. Here were seasoned journalists. And they were nervous! I wasn’t alone!
The journalist asked me if I could take a photo with him and Jimmy if the opportunity arose (it didn’t). Everyone was genuinely excited. The energy was palpable. I was twitching with nervous energy.
The other journalists and I talked about our favorite scenes from “It Might Get Loud.” I especially loved the scene in Jimmy Page’s home where he lovingly took out a Link Wray record from his very large record collection. He put it on the turntable. He then smiled profusely while playing “air guitar” to every strum and tremolo. “Wobbles,” he called them. Page, still ever a music fan. Perfect.
Jack White
I’m too far away!
Jimmy Page
Eventually, the press conference began. We were seated. Jimmy Page, Jack White and Davis Guggenheim came in and sat behind a long table.
However, I was too far away. I was sitting in the fourth row. However, it felt like it was far away. And my wimpy little pop-up flash covered in Scotch tape wasn’t reaching that far. It was woefully underpowered.
Jimmy Page
As a kid, I had learned that if you act like you know what you’re doing, people often do not say anything. I promptly got up, strode over confidently and sat on the floor, right in front as if I did this all the time.
This was working! My horrible pop-up flash was no longer holding me back. Sure, I was getting shadows in back from my on-camera flash because the wall was very close. However, I didn’t care. I was going to keep photographing until either the press conference was over or security commandeered my camera. I’d get The Huffington Post those photos.
Wait, there’s more?
After half an hour, the press conference was over. They left. I was elated. I had managed to kneel next to the front row for the entire press conference, shooting photos unimpeded. A big smile crept across my face. This was a good day.
Outside, however, Christal was upset. “We’re not on the list for the one-on-one!”
“One-on-one? An interview?” I had no idea.
“Yes, we’re supposed to have a one-on-one interview with the three of them, but my name’s not on the list!”
We asked several organizers. “The Huffington Post doesn’t usually do press conferences,” Christal pointed out, “so we won’t be able to do an article.”
Four minutes and forty five seconds
One woman who seemed to know and respect Christal, said, “I’ll get you in for five minutes. But just five minutes!”
“We’ll do it in 4:45,” Christal said, “I’ve been on both sides of this. We’ll be out of there in 4:45.” They knew Christal, and knew that she would be good to her word.
I could not believe my luck. I hadn’t even known about this several minutes ago!
Christal Smith interviewing Jimmy Page one-on-one.
Interviewing Jimmy Page and Jack White
Mere minutes later, we entered the room. Everyone was fussing with the microphones, doing things. “Hello gentlemen,” I said.
Jimmy turned to me and said, “Did ya take a picture?”
“Yes, yes, I did, thanks.” I had managed to because I had snuck up front.
“I saw you in the fourth row, it didn’t look like you took photos,” he said.
I was incredulous. How did he notice that? I had indeed been in the fourth row! This was because I had been sitting in front of the first row for almost the entire time until returning to my seat when we were all asked to take photos row by row.
Fanboy mode. Jimmy Page, me and Jack White.
Christal and I couldn’t help ourselves. We took photos with Jimmy and Jack really quickly before Christal got on with the interview. Journalistic professionalism had been cast aside. This was Jimmy Page.
And we were out in 4:45 minutes, just as Christal had promised.
Jimmy Page, Christal Smith and Jack White.
And being ever responsible, I raced back and worked the second half of the day. Sure, I bailed from work that morning. But seriously … wouldn’t you?
Make your own breaks
I had no idea what I was doing, and I had a 6.1MP camera with a pop-up flash. “6.1MP” is not a typo. The images were so small that I had to enlarge one or two portrait-oriented photos for this article. Despite this, I managed to get photos of Jimmy Page and Jack White in The Huffington Post (you can see the article here). I processed them in GIMP using a nine year-old computer running Windows XP with a cheap flat-screen monitor I had gotten for free.
You may not have high-end equipment. However, you can find a way to make it happen.
If I hadn’t asked, I would have never had the opportunity. If I hadn’t strode up front and plopped myself down, I would have never gotten any photos. If I hadn’t modified my pop-up flash with three layers of Scotch tape and a strip of white lined paper I borrowed from a journalist, the light would have been too harsh.
Sometimes, you need to make your own breaks. I hope you, as a photographer, you as a human being, also seize the moment. We never know if we will have these opportunities again.
VISIT ME, VISIT ME!
BOOKS AND PRINTS: Head on over to the Ken Lee Photography website to purchase books or look at night photography and long exposure prints and more. My books are available there and Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Target, Booktopia, Books A Million, IBS, and Aladin. If you enjoy the book, please leave a nice review, thanks!
NIGHTAXIANS VIDEO YOUTUBE PODCAST:
Night photographers Tim Little, Mike Cooper and I all use Pentax gear. We discuss this, gear, adventures, light painting, lenses, night photography, creativity, and more in this ongoing YouTube podcast. Subscribe and watch to the Nightaxians today!
Night photo at an abandoned mine in the Mojave Desert. Pentax K-1 camera.
Much of the camera industry has pivoted toward mirrorless cameras. However, there are compelling reasons why the Pentax K-1 an excellent choice. Find out about this unusual high-quality camera that often flies under the radar on the Nightaxians YouTube podcast.
Joshua Tree National Park, CA. Pentax camera.
VISIT ME, VISIT ME!
BOOKS AND PRINTS: Head on over to the Ken Lee Photography website to purchase books or look at night photography and long exposure prints and more. My books are available there and Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Target, Booktopia, Books A Million, IBS, and Aladin. If you enjoy the book, please leave a nice review, thanks!
NIGHTAXIANS VIDEO YOUTUBE PODCAST:
Night photographers Tim Little, Mike Cooper and I all use Pentax gear. We discuss this, gear, adventures, light painting, lenses, night photography, creativity, and more in this ongoing YouTube podcast. Subscribe and watch to the Nightaxians today!
I was recovering from surgery for a detached retina in my right eye. Here’s what I found.
Flashes and floaters
24 hours after the surgery I experienced floaters and flashes in my right eye, I was on the phone with an eye doctor. When I saw the first flash of light in my peripheral vision, I had thought, “That was strange. Was that the reflection from a car whizzing past?” The second time, I knew something was wrong.
The doctor said that I had lattice degeneration. This is a thinning of the peripheral retina, the tissue that lines the back wall of the eye. This also helps maintain sharp vision. Lattice degeneration is a cause for concern. Here, the retina is more susceptible to tearing, which can lead to retinal detachment. The doctor made an appointment for five more weeks.
Night photo of an enormous sculpture by Ricardo Breceda, located in Borrego Springs, CA.
Distracting
The next time I went out to the Arizona desert to photograph at night, my vision had grown increasingly worse. The flashes and floaters were more prominent than ever before. Worse than that, my vision in the right eye had grown a little hazier.
The squeaky wheel
I called the doctor again. I wanted to see him now, not in several more weeks. However, the receptionist said that he was out of town. I kept the old appointment. However, thinking it over, I felt I really should see a doctor, so I called again. Same message. So I called again, saying the same thing again. This time, I got an appointment with a different doctor the following morning. Sometimes, the third time really is the charm.
Uh, oh!
Night photo of dinosaurs battling. Sculptures by Ricardo Breceda, Borrego Springs, CA.
It didn’t take long. The doctor said, “You have a detached retina.” He explained that since I was nearsighted, I was more susceptible to lattice degeneration and detached retinas. Swell. He made an appointment with another doctor specializing in retinal surgery. In particular, pneumatic retinopexy and a scleral buckle surgery, would be done during the same visit.
Recovery
Recovery involved staying face down for eight days all day and all night. Yes, that means while sleeping. Or attempting to sleep. I am very active and kinetic. Therefore, I was convinced this was one of the Seven Layers of Hell. My face hurt. My back hurt. And of course, my eye hurt. And with that, I also had headaches for the next three weeks. I rarely looked at myself in the mirror for the first few days. I looked like I had gone 15 rounds with Mike Tyson.
The blob
No, this isn’t the blob from my eye. In fact, it was larger than this, and yes, right in the center of my vision. This is one of my macro experiments during the pandemic.
I had a weird bubble in my eye from one of the procedures. This air bubble slowly pushes the retina back into place. However, to me, it looked like an enormous blob. Slowly over two weeks, the blob diminished, then broke into several smaller blobs, then went away completely. I was overjoyed when it went away.
Blurry photo near sunset, Borrego Springs. While my vision in my right eye isn’t quite this blurry, it isn’t far off either.
Choosing the location to do night photography
A month after surgery, I was ready to get outside and enjoy some night photography in the desert. I chose Borrego Springs. One of the reasons was that the magnificent sculptures that I was going to photograph were only between five to 10 minutes from the motel. The other reason was that the ground near the sculptures was level and didn’t have many sharp pointy plants.
Night photo of a sculpture by Ricardo Breceda in Borrego Springs, CA. April 2022.
Other strategies for doing night photography
While my right eye was healing quite well and I was told I could drive, swim, and exercise, my vision was still blurry. To compensate for this, I began using reading glasses. Rather than fumble around in the dark for them, I purchased eyeglass straps so they could hang around my neck when I wasn’t using them.
I also used a Coast HX4 80-lumen Clip Light with the red light on to see my way around. Surprisingly, I didn’t need this too much because it was during a full moon, and I could see reasonably well.
When reviewing my photos, I blew them up more than I usually would just to make sure I had focused properly. I used my reading glasses to make absolutely sure. I often used Live View. With Live View, I found I could also use my reading glasses effectively. If I needed to, I could also shine my light around to see what was going on more.
I also used the autofocus in my camera. I shined a light on the sculpture I was photographing, used the autofocus, and then switched back to manual focus so the camera wouldn’t keep attempting to acquire focus again.
Other thoughts
I was rather pleased that I could photograph so easily in the dark, even with one eye having rather blurry vision. I was able to photograph again the following month as well. I again photographed during a full moon, photographing some unusual art installations in Wonder Valley. And this time, I had also gotten some specially made glasses from the optometrist, so driving at night was much better. I was very specific with what I wanted with the glasses, and they made them with this in mind.
Night photography at the end of the world, or at least Wonder Valley in California. May 2022.
I found that one of the challenges was the extremes between bright lights and dark. If it were mostly dark, I didn’t have that many issues at all. But if there were large bright signs and storefronts in an otherwise very dark environment, that sometimes caused haziness. My new glasses corrected for this. I didn’t have them when I photographed in Borrego Springs, so that’s largely why I chose to photograph a location that was only minutes from the motel.
Technically, my eye has not recovered fully. That takes about six months after surgery. Shortly after that point, I will have cataract surgery. After that, my vision in my right eye should be considerably sharper, and not the blurry mess it is now.
Night photo of part of the enormous rattledragon sculpture by Ricardo Breceda. April 2022.
And yes, I did swim at night. While the Milky Way wasn’t arching over the sky, the full moon and the starry skies were. And that’s still magical. And I felt particularly joyous after spending such a long time staying face down in the house.
VISIT ME, VISIT ME!
BOOKS AND PRINTS: Head on over to the Ken Lee Photography website to purchase books or look at night photography and long exposure prints and more. My books are available there and Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Target, Booktopia, Books A Million, IBS, and Aladin. If you enjoy the book, please leave a nice review, thanks!
NIGHTAXIANS VIDEO YOUTUBE PODCAST:
Night photographers Tim Little, Mike Cooper and I all use Pentax gear. We discuss this, gear, adventures, light painting, lenses, night photography, creativity, and more in this ongoing YouTube podcast. Subscribe and watch to the Nightaxians today!
Light painting is illuminating a subject at night with light. This can be disruptive to others. Or to wildlife. And it’s compounded if it is with a crowd of people, such as what was happening at Delicate Arch in Arches National Park.
Mojave National Preserve, CA, part of the National Park System.
While I have joked about this while discussing photographs of people pointing their flashlights up at the Milky Way, this is actually a real issue borne out of some people’s frustration.
Where can I use artificial lighting in the National Park system?
The National Park Service manages 423 individual units. These 423 also include Monuments, Preserves, Reserves, Lakeshores, Rivers, Parkways, Historical Parks, Battlefields, Forests, and other designations. In 417 of these places, you may use artificial lighting, including light painting.
Joshua Tree National Park, CA.
Where is artificial lighting banned?
This has changed in the past couple of years. However, to the best of my knowledge, the use of artificial light sources to illuminate landscapes, rock formations, or other park features is banned in Arches, Canyonlands, Natural Bridges National Monument, Hovenweep National Monument, Capitol Reef and Grand Teton National Parks. This of course includes “light painting”.
However, it also includes ultra-dim static lighting as well. This ultra-dim lighting is typically as bright as the stars and is virtually imperceptible to people.
Controversy
Arches National Park, Utah.
The ruling from these six units has been controversial among night photographers. Some feel that using very dim lighting from static panels does not disturb anyone, to the point where they are often not discernible except to the very sensitive sensors of a camera set to photograph long exposures at high ISOs.
Joshua Tree National Park, CA
Some photographers point out that it is OK to have cars racing through the parks at night. And in the case of Grand Teton, there’s also a highway, international airport, and private properties within its boundaries, all of which create more light than photographers ever would.
There are multiple sides to this issue. And people from these various sides often make strong points.
Regardless, most night photographers acknowledge that light painting can be disruptive to wildlife and people. Consequently, we choose to respect park regulations and share the space with others.
Inyo National Forest
VISIT ME, VISIT ME!
BOOKS AND PRINTS: Head on over to the Ken Lee Photography website to purchase books or look at night photography and long exposure prints and more. My books are available there and Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Target, Booktopia, Books A Million, IBS, and Aladin. If you enjoy the book, please leave a nice review, thanks!
NIGHTAXIANS VIDEO YOUTUBE PODCAST:
Night photographers Tim Little, Mike Cooper and I all use Pentax gear. We discuss this, gear, adventures, light painting, lenses, night photography, creativity, and more in this ongoing YouTube podcast. Subscribe and watch to the Nightaxians today!
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