A Splash of Darkness

I do enjoy a bit of night photography. 
The challenges are different from shooting in daylight and it is like having to learn how to take a photograph all over again.

I benefitted from going on a couple of evening courses a few years ago, which gave me the basic tools with which to experiment. 

To date, the shot I took back then of the Isle of Dogs is still the most visually arresting night shot I have created. But I have managed a few decent efforts since then.

Isle of Dogs, London, from the beach at Rotherhithe

f/11 ----  30 secs  ----  ISO 100  ----  28mm

I like capturing trails of light, and roads with vehicles moving along them are great for that.

Light trails of a bus passing the Langham Hotel, Eastbourne
Technical data for this image appears to have been lost but I'm guessing
at about f/11 @ 5-10 secs with an ISO of 100 and a focal length of around 28mm

I came across a new challenge recently on a visit to Folkestone. Both the inner and outer harbours were bordered by light sources whilst being, in themselves, in shadow. 

In Folkestone, the bright lights of the hotel did more to accentuate shadow than to illuminate the harbour

f/5.6  ----  5 secs  ----  ISO 100  ----  24mm

I actually had to start think about angles and light direction. It was a great, if unplanned lesson but I think I got some decent results in the end.

Judge for yourself.

The outer harbour, Folkestone, was deep in shadow, requiring a much longer exposure with a wide aperture

f/2.8  ----  30 secs  ----  ISO 100  ----   70mm