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Natural photography is characterized by being a type of photography that is influenced by a greater number of external factors. There are elements that are beyond our control, something that does not happen in studio photography for example. That is why it is so important that we try to anticipate certain situations and circumstances to take advantage of the right moment and get the most out of our work and our time. There are times when it is not possible for us to obtain extraordinary images and times when the circumstances we need do exist. Knowing this in advance will give us a great advantage especially if it is a night photography session.
Now, I propose a series of tips that will help you make the process much more fluid, easy and precise:
Visit the stage before forming to start your session
Visiting the location during the day will help us to plan our session much better and to know what elements make up the stage, what geography the place has and what areas are more appropriate to position ourselves with our camera. What it is about is to explore the possibilities that the place offers us in order to be able to face the possible difficulties that may occur. If it is a new place for you, it is recommended that you photograph it in bright light so that you can plan at home and with greater peace of mind your plan and the areas you will occupy.
Check the weather forecasts
On the internet there are numerous pages that will help you to keep precise control over the weather. We will have to monitor the area and at the time we plan to go. In this sense, we must try to find the most accurate information in order to avoid surprises. Here are some online tools, many of them offer information of this type in real time.
- Weather: This alternative offers us the option of consulting the weather forecasts with total precision for any area of the world. It also includes the option to check the exact day and time.
In addition, it also offers us the possibility of accessing different maps that measure different variables such as rain, temperature, clouds or wind. In this way we can have a precise idea of how the storm will evolve throughout the period of our session.
In addition, consulting the solunar tables will provide us with precise and very relevant information since we will know exactly what phase the moon is in and when it is going to rise. There are numerous pages that offer this type of information and that include the hours of the summer and the sunset of the sun and also of the moon for every day of the month and for each geographical point. They also provide relevant data such as age, phase of the moon and the percentage of luminosity. On the other hand, it would be advisable to download magnificent programs like Stellarium to learn more about the stars, constellations and their location.
Another program that can also be very interesting for this type of session is The Photographer's Ephemeris, designed by a renowned landscape photographer and which will provide us with more information about the ephemeris of the sun and the moon. We will simply have to place our position on the map and it will automatically indicate the ephemeris lines from where the stars will come out and put. Among its functions, the possibility of knowing even the projection of shadows and lights that will occur in our location during the day and night is striking. Without a doubt a perfect tool to have everything controlled in a millimeter way. It is available for both computers and mobile phones and tablets.
Calculate the hyperfocal distance
We must also take into account if our session will need the hyperfocal distance and if in that case we will need to carry out some calculations to put them into practice and choose the most appropriate parameters. There are numerous web pages that will help you to facilitate this task. One of them is Dofmaster from which we can create a table taking into account parameters such as distance, the type of sensor our camera has and the model. These are fully configurable online calculators to adapt the calculations to our circumstances. In addition to the results, it also includes a series of diagrams or notes that will help us understand everything better.
Be cautious and try to go unnoticed
Last but not least, keep in mind that depending on which area it is, this type of session can be more or less dangerous. If it is a question of natural environments, it goes without saying that first we must inform ourselves well of what kind of fauna inhabits the place, if it will be necessary for us to carry a special instrument and take into account the necessary provisions if it is to be a long session. It is advisable that we try to work on nights with a full moon because of the clarity it offers and trying to turn off any light when we move because otherwise our vision will suffer unnecessarily.