The further west or south you go in December, the longer the day (and the twilight), especially if you’re heading down the South Island  before the solstice. We noticed this on our way to the Catlins (South Otago), via the West Coast. Although summer solstice marks the longest day, not many people know the earliest sunrise precedes the solstice, while the latest sunset follows it, by some days.

We began our trip with a full moon approaching, but sad to say, neither our travel arrangements nor the weather were conducive to moonlight photography. However, we had pleasant digs at Arthurstown, right by the Hokitika River,  and this view back towards the town was a short walk from there. I had hoped to feature the distant dairy factory  more prominently by moonlight, without knowing that at night the place would be brightly illuminated, swamping anything that moonlight could offer. Moonlight is so feeble that it generally competes only with distant artificial lighting.

Balancing the flash at close range with the ambient twilight can be troublesome, especially if depth of field is also important for your composition.  I used f16 on my standard lens here,  overlooking the optimal f22. Extra lighting is essential for this type of photo; although it doesn’t need to be by flash, I find it highly convenient.

50mm lens, ISO 500; 1/8 sec at f16; flash

 

Posted by Barney Brewster

Tags: composition, flash, long exposure, moonlight, Nikon D700, south westland, summer, twilight, water

Categories: Twilight photography