Night Fever – South Bay Noir By Photographer Anthony Barrera
Vincent Thomas is my favorite place to be at night. It's quiet and its void of people. The sounds of the harbor, and the glow of the lights coming from the city are beautiful. Sometimes fish are jumping in the inlet where cruise ships sometimes dock. The sounds of distant traffic on the bridge and the blue bridge lights shimmering off the water are always a thing of beauty, after I'm finished for the night, I walk to the car, satisfied with my encounter I can go home to a hot cup of coffee and my computer to see what treasures I've brought home from the night.
My favorite kind of light is Neon. The soft warm glow it casts on the buildings is a beautiful addition to the scene highlighted by the camera. Long exposure shots bring out the magic of the neon and the glow from the neon lights paint the street and buildings with its rich glowing light and as cars pass, they leave their signature light trails.
Long exposure photography requires, planning, discipline, patients, and some gear. This kind of photography is different from the “Point and Shoot” photography you usually see. Some of the planning would include looking at the tide tables, sunrise/sunset schedules, and of course the weather. If the moon happens to be included in your night, you'll need to see a moon phase table to keep you updated on the moon’s position. Patients and discipline come in time. I've waited hours for the moon to rise or the sun to set, or the traffic to be just right for that one great exposure. I've even waited for the wind to subside and people to leave, so I could get that one perfect shot. But the results can be stunning.
I see a beautiful hidden world at night, a world I can manipulate with my camera. A place where I can make people turn into shadows and become part of the scene. In the cool of the night, I find peace in the quiet shadows, the beauty they hold is what I look for, mastering the settings on my camera help me to do that.
During day trips I've taken up to 100 shots, at night I've gone out and returned with only a few exposures. The reason is some exposures take a few minutes to expose then another few minutes to upload to the camera. So, while I'm waiting, I have time to check my iso and other settings and enjoy the evening. At night, I've been surprised by coyotes, foxes and had a snake crawl over my foot when I was trying to take a picture! Last year, at Cabrillo beach I was taking some long exposures and as the sun came up, it revealed a homeless man sleeping in the bushes next to me!
In the darkness, the camera shows the hidden world of shadows. The sea becomes flat and misty, stars become bright, distant lights suddenly glow warm and bright and the far away lights of the harbor illuminates for the camera, what the eye cannot see.
At night the world slows down, the color of the day gives way to black, white, gold, and grey and shimmering dancing lights of red, blue, and white. When it comes to gear, I travel light. The gear required to take night photos are a good sturdy tripod, a camera that can be put into manual mode, and a good working knowledge and understanding of the iso, aperture and shutter speed setting on your camera. I seldom use filters but have some in my bag. Another nice thing to have is a warm jacket and a flashlight .
I've been taking pictures since I was eleven years old. I started with a 110 camera usually taking photographs of my home or out of my bedroom window. After I began working, I volunteered to take photographs with the company’s camera, usually of the industrial equipment they manufactured. After that, I used a Fuji film camera. One day, I was taking photographs down by the Exy Johnson in San Pedro and I dropped my Fuji camera into the water. After that painful lesson, I started using a Nikon D-800. Now that I work graveyard shift, my photography revolves around the night, and since I am obsessed with the beauty of the peninsula, I started Bella Pacific Photography and The San Pedro Minute on Facebook to show off our area. Bella Pacific depicts our area in photographs and The San Pedro minute, is its sister page covers the peninsula in video. So, like most, I try to show the region’s beauty, not just sunsets and sunrises, but the hidden hard-to-reach coastal areas or the seldom visited areas or the camera angle not taken. I'm blessed to live here, and I am hoping to share the beauty of the peninsula and the night with all of you. Anthony can be reached through Bella Pacific Photography .
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