'Tis the Season to be Gifting: Our Guide for Night Photographers

Well, the holidays are upon us. How can I tell? I’ve eaten turkey-based foodtstuff six days in a row.

With that in mind (the holidays, not turkey), I and my National Parks at Night partners started thinking about things we’d like as gifts. … Oops, I mean things that other night photographers might like as gifts.

So we put together a list of great products related to photography, the night sky and the national parks, then thought about why we love these items. Then we wrote it all up and published it as our very first "National Parks at Night Holiday Gift Guide."

This Gift Guide is our gift to you. We’re providing it as a free downloadable PDF ebook, so you can read it and reference it on any device, anytime, anywhere. Inside you’ll find products from major brands such as Nikon, Manfrotto and Apple, along with great little finds from smaller companies and startups. You can download it here:

Feel free to share the guide, too. Blog it. Tweet it. Facebook it. Email it to a friend. Print some copies and stand in Times Square shouting, "Hear ye hear ye read all about it! Amazing gifts for night photographers!" Holidays are for happiness, so spread the cheer.

If you prefer to read the guide in our blog, that's okay too; we're also publishing it right here, below. (Though, we will say the ebook version looks cooler. It has a lot more pictures, plus it contains two discount codes that don't appear anywhere else online, including this website.)

We hope that perusing the items in the guide will inspire you to give some great gifts to the night photographers in your life. And if you’d like to give us one or two of these things, we won't argue!

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2016 Holiday Gift Guide

Raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles—none of these are likely on the holiday wish-lists of night photographers. Why? Because those don’t help us shoot in the dark. (Though we might welcome warm woolen mittens.)

However, the photography industry is full of products that do help us, or that we covet at least for the fun of owning and using them. In one way or another, all help us make better photos, and all help us have more fun in the dark.

If you’re searching for the perfect gift for the nocturnal photographer in your life, then we’re here to help. The following includes a few of our favorite things for seizing the night.

—Gabe, Tim, Matt, Lance & Chris

p.s. — If you decide to purchase any of the items in this gift guide, please consider using the links included, as many help earn a small commission that supports the National Parks at Night workshop program.

Apple

iPad Mini 4

A tablet is one of the most useful ancillary tools in modern photography. The iPad Mini 4 is certainly among the best in the category, and easy to carry in a camera bag. Use it for apps that help you scout national park locations—such as Chimani, Photo Pills or Photographer’s Ephemeris. Or use it for apps that help you produce better night photography—such as Tack Sharp or even Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. Also use it for keeping up with emails, making photo notes on-site, or carrying your portfolio of fantastic night images everywhere you go.

B&H Photo Video Pro Audio

Gift Card

We promise you—if you want to let the photographer decide, there’s no gift card they’d rather have than one from the mothership of all camera stores, B&H. Cards are available in varying amounts, can be used online or in-store, and they fit perfectly in a stocking.

Coast Portland

HP7R

Hands-down, our favorite flashlight for light painting. The HP7R outputs up to 300 lumens of bright light in a perfectly even beam, allowing for smooth painting of objects near or far, and features three power modes and a slide focus for honing or broadening the illumination. It can be powered by either alkaline or lithium batteries, and rechargeables can be recharged right inside the casing using the included micro USB connector. Moreover, the HP7R is impact- and weather-resistant and comes with a lifetime warranty.

(For a 25% discount available only through National Parks at Night, use the code “PARKSATNIGHT.”)

CreativeLive

Night Photography Week Online Course

CreativeLive offers some of the very best photography education on the internet, and our favorite (though we admit bias) is the Night Photography Week bundle we created with them in 2016. From the entire National Parks at Night crew, learn about gear, scouting, astrolandscapes, light painting, night portraiture and more. The course comprises nearly 18 hours of instruction in 82 class segments, plus bonus materials that include information on camera and light-painting gear, lists of apps to help with location scouting and night photography, and articles about topics such as camera settings and the 400 Rule.

Digital Silver Imaging

Museum-Quality Print

The end product of successful photography is a beautiful print, but in this busy modern age too few of us have time to dedicate to our digital darkroom. So the perfect gift for the photographer in your life could be a top-notch print of his or her work. Digital Silver Imaging is the place to get it. DSI combines the best of digital technology and chemical-based silver printing to create works of stunning quality. The proof is in the print, or in the clientele—regular DSI customers include museums, collectors and photographers with a discerning eye for perfection.

(For a 15% discount available only through National Parks at Night, use the code “NPAN16.”)

Gitzo

GH3382QD Series 3 Center Ball Head

For the past couple of years Gitzo had been promising an A-grade ball head, and then they delivered an A+ instead. The GH3382QD Arca-type compatible head is low-profile, low-weight and can hold a 40-pound camera/lens combo with no creep or fuss. Moreover, loosen the screw-knob lock and due to the tungsten disulfide coating, the ball moves 360 degrees as smooth as silk.

Intervalock

Intervalock

If you’re tired of your intervalometer dangling from your tripod, blowing in the wind, shaking your camera and ruining your long exposures, the most elegant solution we’ve seen is the Intervalock. Secured to a tripod leg by a Velcro strap, this portable pocket will keep almost any model of intervalometer still and accessible.

Light Painting Brushes

Deluxe Starter Kit

Light Painting Brushes offers a comprehensive set of unique light-writing tools that is sure to stir the creative juices of any night photographer. Their Deluxe Starter Kit includes universal flashlight connectors, along with tools for creating light orbs, light sculptures, light graffiti and anything else you can imagine.

Lonely Speck

SharpStar2

One of the challenges of photographing astrolandscapes is focusing on the sky in the dark. That’s where Sharpstar2 saves the day (er, the night). Based on astronomy technology, this special filter uses a Bahtinov Mask to help you achieve perfect focus on the stars. Simply verify the focus pattern in your camera’s Live View, and sharpness is assured.

(For a 10% discount available only through National Parks at Night, use the code “NPAN10.”)

Manfrotto

190go!

Night photographers need support that is strong and stable, as well as easy to use in the dark. We also like a lack of weight, particularly because we’re often carrying two tripods into the field for multiple long-exposure setups. The Manfrotto 190go! exceeds all these needs as the perfect tripod for either a primary or secondary support system (or both!). It closes down to less than 18 inches and is available in aluminum and superlight carbon fiber versions. Plus, to create an all-in-one night photography support solution, add an Easy Link attachment to hold a focusing light.

Mappinners

National Parks Scratch Off Travel Map

For the national parks buff, little is more satisfying than tracking where you’ve explored. Mappinners helps with its National Parks Scratch Off Travel Map. This 36x24-inch awesome wall decoration features scratch-off spots for all 59 U.S. national parks, so you can track your footsteps across the country’s greatest natural spaces.

National Park Service

Annual Pass

We photographers love to visit national parks, and for good reason: They contain some of the most wonderful wildernesses in all of the land, ready for our cameras and creative minds. But gosh, those entrance fees can add up. That’s why a National Park Service annual pass is an ideal complement to any photographer’s pocket. For just $80 (or $20 for seniors—lifetime!), the holder can enter any NPS unit for free.

National Parks at Night

Photography Books

Four of the National Parks at Night instructors have written definitive guides to popular photography subjects, all of which make excellent gifts. Moreover, the complete set can keep the photographer in your life well informed and educated about topics ranging from national park locations to how to shoot in the dark.

• Photographing National Parks, by Chris Nicholson

• HDR Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots, by Tim Cooper

• Night Photography And Light Painting: Finding Your Way in the Dark, by Lance Keimig

• Night Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots, by Gabriel Biderman

2017 Night Photography Calendar

We’ve compiled a ton of information useful to night photographers—including the dates of new and full moons, national park night-sky festivals, celestial and astronomical events, astronomy holidays (yep), as well as inspirational quotes about the night sky—and combined it with some of our favorite national parks night photographs. The result? “Seize the Night,” our very first wall calendar!

Nikon

D750

Put simply, you can’t get a better camera for night photography, particularly at this price point. At under $2,000, the Nikon D750 has everything a night photographer could want in a body right now: It has low noise at high ISOs, ISO invariance, ability to pull tremendous detail out of underexposed images, and a T (time) setting on the shutter speed dial, as well as being lightweight and compact. But really, it’s all about the image quality, and the D750 outshines all the other options under the stars. To level up the gift, add one of the best lenses for seizing the night, the Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8.

Palette

Aluminum Professional Control Surface Kit

There are the usual ways of manipulating adjustment controls in Lightroom and Photoshop—a mouse or a touchpad (ack!) to name the very most common two. Both can be tedious. But you know what’s a lot easier? Using the sliders, dials and buttons provided with a Palette Aluminum Professional Control Surface Kit. Assign each tool to whatever adjustment you want, and digital editing gets much more intuitive. Other size kits are available, and the module configuration is completely customizable. Palette also works with Illustrator, After Effects, InDesign, Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro.

Peak Design

Everyday Backpack

For spacious and convenient storage in a robust yet exquisite design, look no further. The Everyday Backpack, available in two sizes, holds just about anything you need when venturing into the field or into the office. It’s adaptable, partly due to moveable dividers, and partly due to the integration of Peak Design’s Capture Clip points that allow you to quickly attach or detach cameras or accessories. And while it’s great at holding whatever you need it to, the MagLatch clasp and the dual side-loading, weatherproof, zippered access points facilitate getting those things in and out quickly. Also, look into the optional Field Pouch, a perfect size for storing light-painting tools.

Tether Tools

Case Relay Camera Power System

Long night exposures can deplete a camera battery pretty quickly. The best power-loss prevention is a hearty external battery. Tether Tools offers an ideal solution with its Case Relay, a light and portable setup that, when combined with their rechargeable 10,000-mAh Rock Solid External Battery Pack, can keep you powered-up all night.

Tyler Nordgren

Stars Above, Earth Below: A Guide to Astronomy in the National Parks

Tyler Nordgren—an astronomer, astronomy professor and avid night photographer based in California—offers a fresh perspective on our favorite topic: the night skies of the national parks. In Stars Above, Earth Below: A Guide to Astronomy in the National Parks, Nordgren touches on many of the night-sky wonders we encounter in our most precious spaces, helping us better understand what we’re so passionate about photographing. Also check out Nordgren’s series of “Half the Park is After Dark” posters from his dark-sky awareness campaign with the National Park Service.

Vallerret

Trigger Mitt

Night photographers often find themselves in finger-numbing conditions, so yes, those warm woolen mittens we mentioned earlier really would be handy. But even better is the Trigger Mitt, a set of gloves designed specifically for photographers working in cold conditions (like, ya know, night). More accurately a half-glove, half-mitten, the Trigger Mitt is designed to keep unused photo fingers together and warm, while allowing the thumb and pointer to move freely. A thin but comfy layer of insulation keeps the Mitts more pliable than the ski gloves that so many photographers use, ensuring that you maintain a great feel for your camera.

Vello

Shutterboss II

An intervalometer is practically required gear for the night photographer—so important that it’s even a good idea to carry an extra. The Shutterboss II is one of our most preferred. The backlit display is easy to read at night, making it simple to configure for continuous shooting, self-timer, long time exposures and interval shooting.

X•Rite

i1Display Pro

Once the photos are home in the computer, we want them to look right—and helping us do that is X-Rite. The i1Display Pro works with all modern monitors, ensuring color accuracy throughout your entire workflow, from screen to print or projector. Features include Advanced Filter and Optical Systems, and an ambient meter that can adjust your display output in changing light conditions.

For more information about gear mentioned in this post:

Chris Nicholson is the author of Photographing National Parks (Sidelight Books, 2015). Learn more about national parks as photography destinations, subscribe to Chris' free e-newsletter, and more at www.PhotographingNationalParks.com.

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Upcoming workshops from National Parks at Night

No Legs to Stand on: How to Take Night Photos Without a Tripod

About a month ago, fellow NPAN instructor Chris Nicholson and I had the honor of teaching at the Out of New York Photography Conference. During the event we led a night walk, but when we met the students, there was a surprise for us—none of them brought tripods!

Tripods had been listed as required gear on the instructions list, but … well, I guess things happen. We could have cancelled the walk, but Chris and I chatted and decided on a different tack: Let’s teach how to overcome the challenge of shooting at night without a tripod! There are thousands of makeshift tripods on the streets of NYC—so we went out to find them.

What happened next was a magical “letting go” and a total embrace of what the night has to offer. We started by leaning our cameras against poles, buildings and even mailboxes (yes, there are a few left in NYC!). We challenged the students to place the cameras higher and lower than their normal point of view, and the sidewalks and stairs became our stabilization. We searched for movement in cars, people and water fountains, and we braced our cameras against chairs, tables and benches.

It was one of the most fun nights out that I have had in a long time. We were constantly searching for something stable, and we were smiling back to each other when—Eureka! We got it! This forced all of us way out of our normal clicking boxes, which is always an excellent place to be.

With that in mind, I wanted to share a few of the tips that helped us survive a night without tripods. As much as good support is some of the most important night-photography gear, these tips will help you in a pinch, not to mention stretch your creative capacity.

Bursting for sharpness

Burst Rate is your friend. I like it for a few different reasons—it greatly helps your “hit rate” when shooting handheld below 1/60 second (but no longer than 1/4 second). Set your camera to its fastest frame rate, hold the camera as still as possible, then fire off a bunch of frames.

Your first couple of shots will be blurry because of the shake created by triggering the shutter, as will your last few because of taking pressure off the shutter release. But if you keep your finger on the button for 10 to 15 shots—you’ll most likely get 2 or 3 in the middle that are acceptably sharp.

Above you can see the two bursts of approximately 10 shots I did at shutter speeds of 1/8 and then 1/4 to get more movement in the cars. The starred frames are the ones sharp enough to use and the ones flagged with an X are too blurry. (Click the “Next” arrow to see the two sharpest frames.)

To gain a little more stability, here’s a more advanced technique: If your camera has a strap, wrap the strap around your neck, and then extend your arms and the camera until the strap is taut (see below). The tautness will help you keep the camera a little more stable while shooting your burst.

And as for all those extra photos, you don’t necessarily need to delete them. It will require more editing afterward, but you could see how they look as an animated GIF. That is my second reason to shoot in burst mode—I love creating little GIFs or flip books of these moments.

Animated GIF created from a burst of photos.

Grounding for stability

Of course, everyone has their limit to how steady they can hold a camera. I can typically shoot as slow as 1/4 second, but if I need to go 1/2 second or 1 second, I’ll tuck in my arms and try to lean against a wall to create more stability. Breath in and then trigger that burst on the exhale. Your hit rate will be substantially less with these longer exposures—maybe 1 in 10 frames will be sharp enough to use.

I typically don’t advise hand-holding for exposures longer than 1 second. When opening the shutter for that long, you need find something solid to place your camera on. Be creative. In an urban environment, find stable objects like we used in NYC. In the wilderness, use the ground, a boulder, a ledge, a tree stump, a sturdy branch, etc.

Hand-held at 1/15.

If you happen to have a cable release, great—use it. But chances are, if you forgot your tripod then you probably didn’t bring your cable release! In that case, use the camera’s self-timer—generally 2 seconds is sufficient. That way any vibration caused by you pressing the shutter release will subside before the shutter opens.

Also, many modern cameras have a built-in intervalometer. This is a good solution for shooting car trails, or anything else with lots of constant motion. When using the built-in intervalometer, turn off the self-timer. Set the interval timer to fire every 2 seconds for 10 to 20 frames or more. The first shot might be blurry because of manually triggering the camera, but the subsequent ones should be sharp.

I hope these tips will help you keep on clicking for longer exposures even when you forget your tripod. We had so much fun that night that we are thinking of offering an annual no-tripod night walk—stay posted for that!

Traveling light

Lastly, one final tip. If you didn’t “forget” your tripod but rather just don’t like the idea of carrying one around, then at least consider investing in a travel or lightweight model. Even though the above tips can save your night, using the right tool for the job—a quality tripod—will guarantee you get the steadiest shot possible.

Our favorite travel tripod at NPAN is the Gitzo 2545, which weighs only 4 pounds and can hold up to 26 pounds of gear (which is well under pretty much any DSLR and lens combo). This tripod can easily fit into a messenger or tote bag and is a professional joy to always have with you. It is pricey, but that’s because it’s one of the best. Moreover, it will last you a lifetime.

If you are on a budget, check out the Manfrotto 190go! tripod (available in aluminum or carbon fiber), which you can match with the head of your choice.

Gabriel Biderman is a Brooklyn-based fine art and travel photographer, and author of Night Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots (Peachpit, 2014). During the daytime hours you'll often find Gabe at one of many photo events around the world working for B&H Photo’s road marketing team. See his portfolio and workshop lineup at www.ruinism.com.

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Upcoming workshops from National Parks at Night

Level Up: Re-Editing Your Night Photography Images (Video)

I made a screencast for you, dear readers and passionate night photographers. I'm about to join Tim Cooper in Arches National Park next week for one of our final workshops for 2016, and I thought I'd reveal some of my creative process.

It's important to revisit processed photographs from time to time to apply new tastes and techniques. You'll grow faster by identifying old mistakes you made while making better versions of your favorite images, and you may also be able to improve old work because you now know more post-processing techniques or simply because you're better at them.

When you re-edit photos, you'll leave the experience strengthening your new abilities, with more confidence, and with a further developed aesthetic. Give it a shot. I guarantee you'll learn something about yourself, and maybe make a good image great.

My challenge to you: 

1. Re-edit one of your favorite images.

2. Write a blog post on your website.

3. Post a link in the comments. We'd love to see what you do!

Here is the video. Grab a cup of coffee and lean into it. You'll watch along as I re-edit three images from Arches and talk through how I've leveled up since I first shot and edited them.

Example images

Below are the images from the video, much larger so you can see the before and after. Click to view.

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Image 01 from the video, before and after.

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Image 02 from the video, before and after.

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Image 03 from the video, before and after.

How I Got the Shot: Under the Bridge in Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Under I-80, Cuyahoga Valley National Park. © 2016 Tim Cooper.

The Location

Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a gem in our system of parks. It has a completely different flavor and feel than its western counterparts.

Being located so close to Ohio’s metro areas of Akron and Cleveland, it provides a host of photographic opportunities that other more remote parks may lack. Old train stations, bridge spans, barns, farms, railroad tracks and turn of the century towns all provide unique light painting subjects. This is one of the very many reasons I’m excited to be leading a night photography workshop in Cuyahoga Valley with fellow NPAN instructor Chris Nicholson next May.

During a recent visit I tried my hand at light painting the I-80 bridge span that floats over part of the park like a Roman aqueduct. I knew this would be a challenging shot that would require different white balance settings and multiple exposures to give me time to paint the entire underside of the bridge plus the headstock and piers. Here’s how it went …

Getting the Shot

The first order of business was to determine a rough composition and exposure, so I arrived at the location just after sunset. This allowed time to focus and compose in the fading light. My initial exposure was at ISO 100 for 90 seconds at f/13 (Figure 1). I used my Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G lens on my Nikon D4s. The overcast sky created a heavy blue cast that was apparent when I left my camera’s white balance set to daylight as seen in the image below.

Figure 1: Test shot to determine composition and sky exposure

By the time I was finished fine-tuning the composition and settings, the scene became dark enough to begin light painting. I made my first exposure to capture the proper brightness and color of the night sky. The sky was a mix of low clouds that were picking up the pink/orange cast of the sodium vapor lights of nearby Cleveland, so I set my white balance to 3900 K to keep the color cast from being overly pink/orange.

The exposure was ISO 200, 5 minutes at f/8. This longer exposure would allow enough time for me to move around while painting the underside of the bridge. The image below (Figure 2) shows the night sky from this exposure, which is the sky I used in the final composition.

Figure 2: Sky exposure

The next order of business was to nail my light painting. I used my 300-lumens Coast HP7R flashlight to paint the underside of the bridge. I placed a warm gel inside of the Coast LF100 filter holder so that my bridge would have a warmer look than the sky. After some experimentation I decided that the gel I had with me wasn’t warm enough, so I changed the white balance setting on my camera back to Daylight (direct sun).

I began painting by moving about 100 feet to the right of my camera so that I could paint the bridge at an oblique angle. I was able to cover the entire right half of the bridge in about 2 minutes. After painting from this position I moved about 100 feet to the left of my camera and painted the other side of the bridge. During the remaining minute I crossed the road and shed a little light on the near bridge piers.

Notice in Figure 3 that the light on the underside of the bridge comes from both camera right and camera left. Working from so far off axis from the camera kept the painting on the underside of the bridge from looking flat.

After experimenting with light painting, I found that ISO 400, 5 minutes at f/8 provided the right amount of time and illumination for the underside of the bridge.

Figure 3: Light-painting underside of the bridge

My first exposure (my first "real" exposure, not the test shot) from earlier provided the night sky. The second provided the illumination of the underside of the bridge. For the last exposure (which remained at ISO 400, 5 minutes at f/8), I focused my attention on the bridge piers (Figure 4).

Crossing the road, I again went off camera right and painted the nearest pier at steep angle. I then moved to camera left and painted the other pier. Painting at an angle to your subject always provides a richer, deeper image that reveals more texture in the subject. Due to the sheer length of the bridge I was unable to paint the distant piers from an angle so I had no choice but to paint them from the front. Light dims over distance so I spent the bulk of the exposure illuminating the far piers. The close piers received the same amount of light in far less time.

Figure 4: Light painting bridge piers

Sometimes our subjects are just a bit to big to paint in one exposure. In these cases, it’s helpful to know a little about post-processing. My final image (Figure 5) is a composite of the photos seen in Figure 2 for the sky, Figure 3 for the underside of the bridge and Figure 4 for the bridge piers. I used Adobe Lightroom for the initial tonal and color edits on the images, and then finished the composite in Adobe Photoshop.

Figure 5: Final Image

Learn more techniques from Tim Cooper’s book The Magic of Light Painting, available from Peachpit.

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UPCOMING WORKSHOPS FROM NATIONAL PARKS AT NIGHT