Outdoor Photography How To

Not long ago we featured an interesting Photoshop tutorial explaining how to transform ho-hum daylight scenes into spellbinding photographs that appear as though they we're shot at night. Today's tutorial is about the real thing, with several pro tips demonstrating how to capture dramatic landscape imagery after the sun drops below the horizon.

British pro Nigel Danson is a favorite among Shutterbug readers because they marvel at his beautiful imagery and appreciate the transformational shooting and editing technique he provides for emulating his work. Danson recently ventured into the woodlands to try his hand at nighttime landscape photography and he was pleasantly surprised by the photos he captured.

Danson carried his normal assortment of gear, apart from a couple headlamps he used to find his way through the forest and throw a bit of light into the foreground of his images. Conventional flashlights will also work, but Danson's "head torch" enabled him to keep both hands free and operate the camera in the normal manner.

As his companion explains, "we're looking for scenes that we can shoot with a wide-angle lens that will benefit from very simple illumination." The goal was to capture images with an eye-catching, ethereal look. The came upon a big, old, gnarly tree that was ideal for this unusual task.

Danson started with backlighting by placing his light behind the tree , using a 30-second exposure with a 10-second delay so he had time to run back to the camera position before tripping the shutter. As you'll see, the resulting image is quite impressive.

Another effective approach is to use sidelight while painting the scene with light. As you'll see, this approach requires a bit more experimentation but once again, the photograph Danson made is definitely a keeper. As he excitedly exclaims, "this proves that in photography there are so many ways to do something."

Danson's trek continues as he tries other techniques that you'll want to experiment with yourself. There's nothing fancy about his methods or gear, but the photographs are far different than conventional daytime landscape shots you've made in the past. And different is what makes your imagery standout from the crown.

After watching the video be sure to check out the tutorial mentioned above that explains an intriguing Photoshop day-for-night edit.

Then head over to Danson's instructional YouTube channel for more landscape photography tips and techniques.