Top

186 Miles Project

Night Photography Experiments

by

Doing photography at night is an interesting thing. You need a tripod and a remote shutter release plus you have to shoot with the camera on completely manual settings. It also takes time, you have to think about what you are doing and how you are setting things up. Though I really enjoy being out at night I have not done much night photography so I thought that I would experiment a little.

These photographs were taken on the evening of November 26, 2017, on the C&O Canal towpath at Dam #5 and at the area known as Little Slackwater upstream of the Dam. One of the great things about this area is there are many owls, so I got the joy of an owlish serenade as I was taking pictures.

TC, 2017

Landscape photograph of the Potomac River
A view to the west showing Fairview Mountain (formerly known as Great North Mountain) with some geese flying overhead. It was not quite all the way dark as I was getting my camera and tripod set up but I really like the color in the refection of the mountain, trees, and riverbank
Landscape shot showing a view towards the east on the Potomac River.
Looking down river from the same position as the photo above. It is much darker now and it is interesting how much the moon affects what the camera sees and changes how the light is interpreted.
Lanscape of the Potomac River with a mountian in the distance.
Photo taken in the same spot as the first one when it is much darker. I still caught the great reflection in the river but now you can see the lights on both the mountain and the West Virginia shore and the sky color, with just a little horizon glow, is just stunning.
Night photograph of the power generating plant at Dam #5.
The power plant on the West Virginia side at Dam #5. It was quite dark at this point, and a breeze was going affecting the stability of my camera and tripod so this photo is a compromise between catching enough light and getting a clear image. I kind of wonder what those West Virginians are up to with that weird green glow.
Landscape view of the Potomac River looking west.
This area, both below the Dam in the whitewater and above it on the Little Slackwater has always been one of my favorite spots on the Potomac, I grew up here fishing and having adventures. Arthur and I spent much time here doing the same.
Menu

Navigation