Wednesday, November 3, 2010

night colours

the colour of night

My friends, this post was very close to being a textbook example of what NOT to do when shooting night photography.  Even with an arsenal of great tips for shooting at night (thank you, Kat!), just about everything I shot was a failure on every level.  In the end, I resorted to shooting photos of my daughter at bedtime, planning to tie it in with a post about storytime being my favourite time of day with her.

But even that photo failed.  She looks adorable, but technically it was not up to snuff.  And my standards are pretty low.

So, shuffling my feet, I cheated and dug into my archives and unearthed a photo taken last March in Shanghai, China.  Although no one I know is in this photo, it is a moment rich in my memory as I was travelling with my entire family - parents, sister, nieces, husband, daughter - the trip of a lifetime.  We had just reached Shanghai that day - our last destination - and were all exhausted after long and uncomfortable bus and plane journeys.  The air was chilly and the garish lights of the skyline were a culture shock after some of the rural scenes we had experienced during the previous weeks.  But the change of scenery energized us.

The colours in Sassylittlelulu's photo of a serene lake are far from garish but share the same intensity as the neons of Shanghai, and if I were there experiencing that scene in person I would no doubt be breathing in gulps of air at how fortunate I was to be there, just as I was in Shanghai.

cheers,
mosey

Indigo Lake
indigo lake by sassylittlelulu

16 comments:

Kat Sloma said...

Both have gorgeous color. Just amazing. The reflection in that Shanghai shot is incredible, and thanks for the story to go along with it.

Anonymous said...

Shangai lights are beautiful and you captured them perfectly.

urban muser said...

sometimes ya just gotta dip into the archives! it's a really great shot.

Unknown said...

yes, i am an occasional archive-dipper myself. but these two photos so beautifully capture vivid night color, that i think you made the absolute right decision. gorgeous.

Sassylittlelulu said...

Wow I am honored to be a part of you Musing today. I love the reflection in the Shanghai photo and how the water connects the two photos.
When I shot the photo at the lake, which is in a small town called Brady, Texas, I was also with my whole family and it was my son who drew me down to the water to "see what we can see" as we put it. It was a stolen mother-n-son moment and I was breathing in it's beauty!

April said...

These pictures are beautiful! I go into my archives for some of my pictures too, no worries. Oh and I started laughing because I totally took a picture of my kid while he was sleeping last night, incase I can't get out to get a different one, hehe

michel said...

no judgement here! I love this. and now that I know the story I love it even more. I remember climbing out of the jungle in northern laos landing flat in bangkok after 2 days of travel. the shock was greater then than it had been landing in bangkok the very first time. there is something so energizing about your city lights and soft and tranquil about sassylittlelulu's shot. great pair

Anonymous said...

amazing color in both photos! and that reflection of the city is stunning.

Naomi said...

Oh my--what lovely photos!

Lianne said...

I was there with mosey in Shanghai and remember that night perfectly - it was such a wondrous hour along the waterfront - captured perfectly. And the lake photo is a wonderful connection!

blue elephant photography said...

i love the intensity of colors on both!

GailO said...

This would be my granddaughter's most favorite of night time photos...it is so PINK! Love the reflections of those gorgeous colors. And I'm sure you are being overly hard on yourself about the night photos recently taken:)

Kirstin said...

Great story. Beautiful night pictures. And I love the title of your post...matches both pics so perfectly.

Lisa said...

Your not alone about shooting in the dark.. Stunning images. Wow.
I have a problem seeing in the dark. Im sure if I take a night course I will need to have some help to see my settings.

Holly { Soupatraveler } said...

fabulous shot! the colors in both are incredibly rich...and archives or not, a total winner!

Tammy Lee Bradley said...

Wonderful colors. I could stare at these all night. *sigh*

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