Nighttime Photography
On this page I’m showing you photos that I took long after dark. Most of my nighttime photos are landscapes shot under moonlight and occasionally using some form of artificial light. I like taking my camera out late at night for three reasons: Shooting these scenes requires a lot of experimentation to get the exposure right (Most shots require a 15-20 second exposure, and it’s too dark for the camera’s light meter to be of any help); the quality of light is different at night; and I like the adventure — and the quiet — of being alone in the wilderness in the middle of the night.
Shot from a cow pasture in Ramah, Colorado. We had a small light on the windmill, and the sky was magnificent on this moonless summer night.
The Milky Way
We had planned to shoot the Milky Way on this night, but rainy weather got in the way. During a break in the rain, we put a small light on the front of the barn to get this result.
Barn in Westcliffe, Colorado
Our son Brian and his wife Meg live in Fort Collins, Colorado, and Horsetooth Reservoir is on the west side of town. Brian and I photographed the reservoir on a chilly night in late December 2023.
Horsetooth Reservoir
Clear Creek flows through Golden, Colorado. One night while we were living in Golden, I walked along Clear Creek and took this photo under a full moon. I like the effect the long exposure had on the water.
Clear Creek
Badwater Basin, in Death Valley National Park, is 282 feet below sea level, the lowest point in North America. The salt flats were eerily quiet as I walked out a mile to the spot where I took this photo.
Badwater Basin
The nearby Ubehebe Crater — 600 feet deep and 1/2 mile across — in Death Valley National Park is responsible for the black volcanic soil in this photo.