Shooting in the Dark: Beach Cities at Night By Photographer and Contributor Tim Truby
There's something about night photography that's different. Night is when the world sleeps. And that darkness brings us close to the dream world , even our subconscious.
Darkness isn’t a huge challenge for the eyes, but it is for a camera. Suddenly you're playing with f-stop, shutter speed, tripods. And the camera "sees" objects in far different way.
I first got my head around using the night creatively on a trip to Venice. We were just settled in at a little B&B, jet lagged after 13 hours of flights. And I couldn't sleep. So at midnight, I grabbed the camera and a little Gorilla tripod and wandered the canals.
What a difference a night makes. Empty streets, a city in shadow, canals smooth as a dark mirror. On that trip, the night became a playground for shooting.
Midnight, Venice Canal
By midnight, the touristy, daytime Venice was transformed into the Venice of dreams.
My nighttime exploration started in Venice. Ten years later, I shift into that creative space, easily, and often here on the coast.
Facets of Light, Cabrillo Beach
Last August's Blue Moon got me thinking: "It'll be a big moon tonight, where do I go?" Well, the moon was gonna be rising in the southeast, right over Cabrillo, so ....
And there it was, still low enough to spread its soft radiance over the beach and the Pacific. And from the hill, I could see folks using the fire pits -- plus a multitude of other light source, artificial lights flooding Cabrillo from the building there, street lights, and LA Harbor glowing in the distance.
I wanted a composition framed from above to capture all those light sources at once. And there's something distinctive about this shot. It's like the scene is a gem with facets for each light source.
Folks seem to get it as well. In the last four months, this image was picked for group shows at Crafted in San Pedro, December's Winter Show at the PV Art Center.
And "Facets of Light" was just chosen for the New Year Show at Gallery of Hermosa. It's up now through Feb 16 at 138 Pier Ave. in Hermosa.
Big Tree and the Lighthouse, Pt Fermin
A few blocks east from Cabrillo is another distinctive landmark, Pt. Fermin. The Fermin lighthouse is often photographed, especially at sunset. Here it's a secondary player, framed by the big tree.
One of the key rules of photography is to "listen to the light." And from this particular angle, the tree and lighthouse both display two light sources, each with its own color temperature. The front side of the tree has a warm, earthy glow. The backside lighting is harsh and a bit foreboding.
Early Morning, Abalone Cove
Abalone Cove under the full moon isn't difficult to capture with a tripod. It lights up the pre-dawn morning. In the distance, you'll notice lights at Terranea.
There's a 3 second exposure, which smoothes the waves out. And, with the low tide, the stepping stone rocks are revealed, leading into the darkness below. It's a view that's rarely seen.
Blue Hour, Bluff Cove
The quiet darkness of Bluff Cove is juxtaposed against the glow of the Beach Cities at dinner time. This is another long exposure (77 sec.) shot, reflected in the lack of waves.
Neptune Fountain, Malaga Cove
The fountain at Malaga Cove is one I pass whenever I'm heading up coast. But at night, when the lights go on, you might notice the drama and a mythic quality. The god gesturing in the harsh light, the teal-green pool, the lit path on the right side. And the water play of the mermaids. A piece originally from a famous Italian sculptor of the Renaissance.
Through a Restaurant Window
After popping into the Gallery of Hermosa Opening last Friday (yes it was nicely busy), I wandered down Pier Ave, camera in hand.
I have a new Fuji camera now, after years with Canon. And I'm starting to use more prime lenses. They're better at low light than zooms. And at f1.7, I get nice bokeh.
Meaning if I focused on the seasonal lighting in the window -- the restaurant lights and customers take on this dreamy blur.
Soap Bubble and Surfer, Hermosa Beach
It's been a while since I shot the surfer dude statue down by the pier. But when there's a very large soap bubble floating just behind the statue, the moment needs to be shared.
The bubble's Geppetto-like creator, is just out of frame.
Case of the Disappearing Biker
That Friday ended at the Riviera Village overlook of beach and peninsula, a hand-held shot at .5 sec. That half a second is why you can see bike lights on the left side of the frame -- but the biker is too blurred to be seen.
Night, Santa Monica Pier
Night was just coming on with the yellows give way to orange on their way to Blue Hour. I was there on the beach with a Paul's Photo group. And after sunset, the Ferris Wheel lights flipped on. Providing spinning wheel reflections in the water.
This spot was a perfect vantage point for the interplay of carnival light and nature's light show — if you don’t mind the tide brushing up to your ankles.
Tim Truby Bio
Tim has spent most of his life engaged in various creative activities – earning an MFA in Theater, directing and acting in plays and on film. After that he fell into professional writing, photography, product management for local high tech companies.
Then eight years ago he decided to devote himself to travel and landscape photography, starting with two travel photography books, Photographing Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks and Photographing Arches, Canyonlands and Capitol Reef National Parks.
Tim’s landscape photo art has been chosen at several OC Fair Photography Contests, the European Photography Awards and the Muse Photography Awards. He’s been in various juried and gallery shows including bG Gallery in Santa Monica and at the Palos Verdes Art Center’s 2022 Winter Show. Contact him at 310-480-7237 if you’re interested in his work.
