Tag: low light

Shorter days and Xmas markets

With the hours of daylight lasting only for the duration of the blink of an eyelid, it is only a matter of time before the inevitable festive countdown begins, as Christmas decorations adorn our towns and cities.

Under normal circumstances, I would say that the countdown starts far too early but with the omnipresent spectre of Covid, the vibrant colours and feelgood factor are a pleasant distraction.

Before anyone hurls the ‘bah humbug!’ tag in my general direction, I do look forward to the local Christmas market, a perfect place to not only indulge in my pursuit of photography but also an opportunity to take in the wonderful aromas from the myriad of food stalls selling their wares over the next few weeks.

My sense of smell is tantalized from all directions, the subtle spiced aromas of a Thai food stall one minute, that fried onion and home made burger the next, with the essence of winter spices from the mulled wine counter just around the corner.

As I make my way around, one or two of the stall holders allow me to take their photos before the after work crowds arrive, up to a couple of years ago, this would have been a swift candid photo but more and more I am enjoying the engagement with those who so generously indulge my requests.

I am sure I will be making one or two more visits to the Xmas markets over the coming weeks but for now I will leave a selection of my favourite images.

One frame – Beautiful light


Saturday had been a busy day, with no chance of getting out with the camera, so I decided to get out early on Sunday before the forecast band of rain set in.

I had meandered slowly through the city centre, honing my low light skills, heading towards Exeter quayside as the night began to fade into day.

It was as I neared the Haven banks area, I noticed the changing light, a dull orange / yellow hue hung over the water, my pace quickened to capture this brief unusual light show.

I have taken shots of this particular view countless times in my twenty plus years here in Exeter, this one is easily my favourite.

Photography from the dark side

With autumn stepping into Summer’s vacant shoes, I reluctantly bid a fond farewell to those long, light evenings, but welcome the opportunity to capture the colours and moods of one of my favourite seasons of the year.

With woodland and riverside walks high on the agenda, hopes will be high to capture that colourful carpet of fallen leaves before they fade to winter mulch, golden leaves on lichen cloaked rocks teasing us with a show of colour before the barren winter months to come.

It is also at this time of year that I try to embrace the inevitable darker evenings, by honing my favourite photographic genre, low light and night time photography.

Emerging from summer photography mode into the discipline of low light work, my skills area little ring rusty, it is time to re-hone the skills with a couple hours night shooting around Exeter.

With me, I have my Olympus EM5 MKII with a recent new addition, the 17mm F1.2 Pro lens, with the EM5’s image stabilization and the wide aperture, I want to see how this combo performs with hand held shots.

As usual, the Ricoh GR3 tags along, small enough to fit in a pocket, it is a great little camera to stand on some of the street furniture, that act as a substitute tripod.

No night time foray is complete without the obligatory traffic trail shots, I do my duty with the ricoh perched on top of a metal pavement bollard, a passing bus giving a nice abstract look to the scene.

The olympus with the 17mm perform admirably too, my first shoot with this lens, so experimenting aplenty here.

I have deliberately chosen a less busy Thursday night for tonight’s foray, tomorrow will see more looking to start the weekend, I am happy in an emptier city.





The ricoh GR3 perched comfortably on random street furniture, at least I do not have to carry my improvised tripod around!

These shots all hand held with the 17mm wide open at F1.2

With a little of the ring rust shaken off, I have a couple of ideas for some night time photography projects in the coming months, after all, I may as well take full advantage of the longer hours of darkness.

It’s beginning to look a lot like ….

With Halloween and Guy Fawkes night only just behind us, mid November sees the seemingly ever earlier build up to the festive season.
My home city of Exeter is no exception, the festive lights were put up before the end of October for last week’s official switch on.

While I feel hesitant to celebrate the festive season too early, I do look forward to the annual Christmas market, held in the grounds of Exeter’s magnificent cathedral.

As a self confessed and unashamed foodie, I love the atmosphere and aroma’s that come from the myriad of food stalls and of course, as a photography addict  I like to take my camera when I visit.

I like to arrive just as dusk approaches, the coloured lighting of the market stalls add a lot of character to potential images.

Armed with just my trusty 100f, I make a lap of the market to scout possibilities, usually lingering around the various food stalls, offering such culinary delights as Thai curries, chillies, wraps, burritos and bratwurst to name just a few.

The delicate spicy aromas of the curry shack hit my senses first, then the sweet smell of cinnamon from the mulled wine stall, then of course the strains of Christmas playlist can be heard over the PA system.

A few of the stall holders are more than happy to pose for photos, the simple act of asking for photos has been something I have done for the first time on a regular basis this year, in the past, I may have attempted more candid shots but been very self conscious, now I feel that I have earned a shot by asking, often offering to post on their social media accounts in return.

The market will remain until a week before Christmas, plenty of time for me to sample even more delights.

Dusk in the city

With the evenings slowly pulling in, it is a sure sign that autumn is just beyond the horizon, making more opportunities for some low light forays in the coming months.
This in mind, yesterday evening, I decided to get out for an evening outing to hone the skills ready for the coming seasons.

After being used to walking through the town in darkness for my early morning outings, it seemed weird to hear the cacophony of party goers on their way to their Saturday evening revelry, for once I have to share the city streets.

My initial plan is to head to the quayside, a favourite venue of mine during the day, hoping for some light trails across the bridges but decide this is a little formulaic and look to find other opportunities.

From the quay, I make way my back up to the city centre, taking a few shots on the way,
I am being very selective in my choice of shot, just looking for something other than the usual night time city shots.

69343046_10219191170028408_268493618447122432_o69552233_10219191169028383_951148304727539712_o69977837_10219191171028433_2739493427455459328_n69271911_10219191170308415_1615526307435642880_n

Tonight’s outing was very much a scouting mission, looking for ideas for night time compositions I may use at a later date, honing the skills for a more thorough shoot, during the longer hours of darkness.

The shots above are the pick of my 60 minute foray, all taken with my trusty X100F, all hand held with an aperture of f2-2.8, iso  adjusted as needed.