Buzz Off! … Or, Mitigating Mosquitos While Photographing on Spring and Summer Nights

Photographing in the wilderness at night is always a wonderful experience. You’re standing under a dark sky pinpricked with starlight, breathing clean air, enjoying the soul of nature flowing through your … Ouch! … Freakin’ mosquito!

OK, I admit: Photographing in the wilderness at night is mostly a wonderful experience. One of the few downers can be those darn mosquitos, particularly in spring and summer. They buzz, they bite, they bother.

The mosquitoes in Congaree National Park can get so overwhelming that the park maintains a “Mosquito Meter” outside the visitor center.

Mosquitoes also populate some of the most amazing places to photograph at night. We surely don’t want to miss the experience of making night art in spaces such as Acadia, Yellowstone and Yosemite, right? So how can we mitigate the mosquito dilemma?

Recently I had a great opportunity to find out. In April we ran a workshop in Everglades National Park, which is home to about a bajillion of these little buggers. Fortunately we were there during mosquito low season, but in Everglades that just means their numbers are fewer, not zero. Plenty of these pesky critters buzz around at any time of year—enough to drive a night photographer to bed early, if you’re not prepared.

The Anhinga Trail in Everglades National Park is a beautiful place to photograph, night or day. But gosh yes, it has mosquitoes. Nikon D5 with a Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, boardwalk light painted with a Luxli Viola. 30 seconds, f/2.8, ISO 2000.

In the weeks ahead of the Everglades trip, I gathered what research told me were the best ways to keep mosquitos from ruining an outdoor experience. I brought them all with me, intending to test each in the marshy wilds of deep-south Florida.

The risks were great. Any product failure meant certain misery.

Here’s what I learned:

DEET

Ah, DEET. (Better known as diethyltoluamide.) This stuff has a dichotomous reputation. Many people use it as their go-to defense, but many others worry and wonder, “What does DEET kill first, the mosquito or me?” (To be fair, the EPA says not to worry about it.) Those in the middle make the compromise of using products with only a mild percentage of DEET, but the problem therein is that only more robust concentrations are effective for extended periods.

DEET.jpg

A few of our Everglades workshop attendees used DEET and they didn’t have much trouble with mosquitos. Good for them. Great for them! But I’m in that group that prefers not to put this stuff on. I don’t like using bug spray anyway—don’t like the smell, don’t like having it on my hands, don’t like applying chemicals to my skin. So DEET wasn’t even an option for me. Ideally I don’t want a mosquito barrier on my skin, I want a barrier that keeps mosquitos from getting to my skin.

If you’re in the camp of people who don’t mind using DEET, that’s fine, no judgement here. But let me leave you with this warning: After applying it to your body, wash your hands well. You don’t want that stuff getting on your camera gear. It can eat it.

Picaridin

Lance Keimig was running the Everglades workshop with me, and before traveling to Florida he read about picaridin. He liked the idea of the product because while it is a synthetic, it’s a synthetic version of a natural substance. It’s also purportedly effective in lower concentrations than DEET, repels a wider range of pests, is neither greasy nor odorous, and won’t damage plastics (i.e., pieces of photo gear). He liked the idea of picaridin so much that we went to four or five stores to try to find it, finally scoring a bottle at a Bass Pro Shops an hour from the park.

Lance used picaridin throughout the week, and he found it mostly effective—not amazing, but effective enough to keep using it. He was a little leery of the list of warnings accompanying the directions: Don’t get it near your eyes, nor on your lips, nor much on your ears, nor on cuts or skin irritations. Not exactly the worry-free product we’d hoped for, and not viable as whole-body protection, but Lance remained relatively uneaten.

Off Botanicals

I first bought Off Botanicals plant-based wipes while in Badlands National Park with Matt in 2019. We were night-shooting there during a particularly bad mosquito year, and these wipes were the most skin-friendly option I was willing to try. They worked just OK in Badlands, and for only an hour or so. In Everglades they performed the same. Mosquitos stayed away awhile, but Off Botanicals lost its effectiveness way closer to the beginning of a night shoot than to the end.

Badlands National Park can get a good number of summer storms, and with that rain can come massive mosquito problems, as Matt and I experienced in 2019. Nikon D5 with a Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens. 1.5 minutes, f/8, ISO 800.

Badlands National Park can get a good number of summer storms, and with that rain can come massive mosquito problems, as Matt and I experienced in 2019. Nikon D5 with a Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens. 1.5 minutes, f/8, ISO 800.

Thermacell

After a recommendation from a workshop alum and further information from credible sources, I had high hopes for Thermacell. This technology, available in devices of different sizes and shapes, forms a non-odorous cloud shield of about 15 feet in diameter, in which mosquitos can’t fly. If they try, they fall to the ground.

Thermacell’s reputation is that it’s the most effective method available for keeping mosquitos away. (The reputation is solid. I read one article about the top four mosquito repellents, and Thermacell was three of them.) Moreover, you don’t put it on your body—you put it near your body and just stay relatively close by.

But I proactively encountered a few problems that made Thermacell a nonstarter for night photography trips, at least for me:

1. You have to fuel up locally.

You can’t fly with the butane cartridges that fuel almost all of the Thermacell models. The company recommends packing everything but the butane, then buying that when you get on location. That’s more than I want to deal with on a trip. My midlife goal is for fewer logistics, not more.

(The Radius Zone and E55 models run on a battery, but they’re also a little larger than what most people would want to travel with, and they’re best used on flat surfaces. Also, if your shoot is in driving distance, this caveat won’t apply anyway.)

2. Stay away from water.

The active ingredient, allethrin, is harmless to every living thing besides mosquitos. Except that it’s also toxic to aquatic life. Do you know what you find a lot of in the Everglades, and in many, many of the natural settings I work in? Aquatic life. Do you know what I am personally evolved from? Aquatic life. Do you know where to find mosquitos most often? Near water.

Of course, I could still use Thermacell if I’m set up more than 15 feet from shore, but when I’m working around a big body of liquid, I often want to be right next to it, whether for photographing reflections, composing an angle up the coastline, getting as close as possible to an alligator, etc.

A good example of a bad place to use Thermacell—right next to Nine Mile Pond in Everglades National Park, which is full of aquatic life, including the alligator you can see if you look closely. Nikon D5 with a Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 lens. 22 stitched frames shot at 6 seconds, f/2.8, ISO 5000 and 20 seconds, f/2.8, ISO 5000.

3. Stay still!

Here’s the big one: The 15-foot mosquito-free bubble takes 15 minutes to create, and is stationary. If I move to a different spot, then I need to move the Thermacell unit and then wait another 15 minutes to create another bubble.

That’s not a deal breaker alone, but the above also means that if I start wandering during long exposures (as I’m wont to do), or if I traipse about while light painting, or if I meander to talk to whomever I’m photographing with, then I’ll lose my protection. (On the other hand, I could maybe charge admission for others to meander to me?)

All of that together summed to this: I never took my Thermacell paraphernalia out of its package. (And because Amazon won’t accept return shipments of butane products, I lost the $80 I spent on it. I’m thinking this Thermacell kit will become a gift for someone who has a patio, where I’m sure it will live a long, happy, mosquito-free life.)

RynoSkin

RynoSkin is a clothing base layer that mosquitos (as well as ticks, no-see-ums and other biters) purportedly can’t bite through. I bought a full outfit: shirt, pants, socks and gloves. I was lookin’ snazzy.

I was skeptical, mostly because I had read several Amazon reviews that reported mosquitos bit right through the RynoSkin layer with no problem. But I tried it anyway, and was mostly happy—just not happy enough for this to be my favorite solution.

While wearing RynoSkin, I did not have a problem with mosquito bites, despite being surrounded by them on the Anhinga Trail, a real mosquito haven of the Everglades. Not one bite in 6 hours.

However, while wearing RynoSkin, I was warm. After all, it’s a base layer, in warm weather. RynoSkin did a decent job of not being as warm as it could be, but it was still a little too warm for comfort. I was constantly aware that I was wearing it.

There’s one positive caveat, however: The gloves worked great, and I can’t think of a better solution for keeping my hands bite-free. Hands are important in photography—we use them a lot—for changing lenses, for adjusting camera settings, for picking up Nikon lens caps off the ground. With the RynoSkin gloves on, I could meddle with my gear as much as I wanted without mosquitos being able to bite the hands that would otherwise swat them. The RynoSkin gloves get a permanent home in my bag.

Netwear

A screen keeps bugs out while letting air in. It does it well for a house, and it does it well as clothing. Yes, you can buy a net to cover your whole person. You can go from snazzy to dapper in one quick-change.

I didn’t test this option, because I didn’t want to. I figured it would be effective, but I prefer couture with a tighter weave, I like quick access to pockets (where I keep my flashlights and stuff), and I’d be concerned about the net catching on plants, tripod parts, python teeth, etc. So I made neither the financial nor time investment in a net suit. One of our Everglades attendees did, and she remained comfortable, mosquito-free and happy for the whole workshop.

However, I do own, and did use, a mosquito-net head covering. There’s just no viable alternative, in my opinion. RynoSkin does make a face mask, but that doesn’t seem like a comfortable option to me, and it also leaves the skin around the eyes exposed.

The head net, on the other hand, does not uncomfortably hug my skin, allows plenty of room for breathing and keeps mosquitos from reaching my face. Two potential irritations:

  1. It tends to hang right on your nose and cheeks, which I find uncomfortable—so I wear a ball cap under it, and the brim keeps the net a few inches away from my face. (You can also buy a head net attached to a hat, but I didn’t.)

  2. A head net reduces visibility a bit. Not the best thing when you’re working at night, particularly in places where you could potentially trip over a prehistoric creature. But if there’s anything Everglades has more of than gators, it’s skeeters, so I wore the thing.

Permethrin

Ah! I found my sweet spot, and I knew it almost immediately—after I hawed and hemmed about it for a few days.

Permethrin was recommended by another workshop alum who insisted I try it—as in, she sent a bottle to me even after I said no thank you. But now? Thank you!

You spray permethrin on your clothes, allow it to dry for four hours, and then go about wearing those clothes as you normally would. You don’t need to re-treat the clothes terribly often, as the application lasts for about six washes, or about 6 weeks.

I was skeptical. I didn’t want to be spraying bug repellent on my clothes—especially bug repellent that sticks enough to survive modern laundry detergent and a super-speed spin cycle.

But the alum and my research assured me that once permethrin dries, it’s completely nontoxic to everything, including mosquitos. So … wait, what? If it’s nontoxic to mosquitoes, then how does it prevent them from biting me? Because mosquitoes won’t land on permethrin-treated fabric. And if mosquitoes won’t land, then they can’t bite. It’s the mosquito barrier to the skin that I mentioned earlier.

Permethrin is available as a spray that you use to treat everything from shirts to pants to socks to shoes. (And I suppose gloves, now that I think about it.) You probably don’t want to apply permethrin to everything you own, but you could select one or two outfits of outdoorswear, treat them, then set them aside to change into when working in mosquito territory. After half a dozen washes or weeks, repeat.

I liked the permethrin solution for these four reasons:

  1. My treated clothes didn’t smell.

  2. I didn’t need a base layer.

  3. I didn’t need to carry any extra paraphernalia.

  4. Mosquitos never landed on me.

Permethrin in its liquid form does happen to be toxic, so you’ll want to wear rubber gloves and safety glasses when applying it, and you’ll want to work in a well-ventilated space, such as outside. If you prefer not to apply it yourself, you can buy pre-treated clothing at specialized outdoors stores such as REI and Amazon. This option comes with an additional advantage: the professional application lasts about 10 times as long.

My Final Strategy

Going forward, at least for now, I’ll be employing a mix of the above solutions in my effort to photograph at night without mosquitos bites. Namely:

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  • I bought a pre-treated permethrin shirt from REI. I like how it fits, so it has become part of my travel kit when photographing in places where I might encounter mosquitoes.

  • I self-applied permethrin to my favorite hiking pants. I may treat other clothing in the future, but for now I’m happy with one mosquito-proof outfit (i.e., these pants plus the aforementioned shirt). I don’t wear it all day; I keep it in my accessories bag (with my rain gear, first aid kit, etc.) to change into when needed.

  • I wear a head net on top of a baseball cap.

  • I keep RynoSkin gloves in my bag for when the mosquitos are active enough to go after my hands.

I haven’t worried about mosquito-proofing my trail shoes because, though I know it’s possible, I’ve never been bitten through them. However, permethrin also wards off ticks, so I’ll consider treating a pair of shoes the next time I’m heading into tick country.

And that, my fellow photographers, is how I’ve been staying free of mosquito bites while out on night shoots. I hope something in here helps you do the same. If you have any further tips or strategies that work for you, feel free to share them in the comments below or on our Facebook page.

Chris Nicholson is a partner and workshop leader with National Parks at Night, and author of Photographing National Parks (Sidelight Books, 2015). Learn more about national parks as photography destinations, subscribe to Chris' free e-newsletter, and more at www.PhotographingNationalParks.com.

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Size Matters: Understanding Image Resolution, and Why and When to Boost It

This week we’re showcasing post-processing. Want to learn even more about developing your digital photographs? Join Tim Cooper and Chris Nicholson on the Seattle waterfront this July for a weeklong Post-Processing Intensive workshop, including night shooting along the city shores of Puget Sound.


As we discussed in a recent blog post (“Supersize Me: Adobe Brings Us High-Quality Quadruple Enlargements”), Adobe’s new Super Resolution is a fantastic new tool to enlarge images for print. But how do you know when it’s needed? For a full understanding of image enlargement, we need to take a deep dive into file size, resolution and image resizing.

File Size and Resolution

The size of a file is talked about in several different ways. You could talk about the megapixels, megabytes or even file dimensions (width x length). For example, a photo from my Nikon Z 6 can be said to be a 25-megepixel file, or a 45-megabyte file, or a 6048 x 4024 file. In Figure 1 you can see how the Metadata panel in Lightroom shows a Z 6 image as having a file size of 44.93 megabytes and dimensions of 6048 x 4024.

Figure 1. Metadata panel in Lightroom.

If any of this seems unintuitive, then think of a piece of 4x8 plywood. It measures 4 feet wide and 8 feet long. Its area is 32 square feet. In addition, it has a certain weight.

Likewise, my Z 6 file is 6048 x 4024. It measures 6,048 pixels wide and 4,024 pixels high. Its area is 25 megapixels (6,048 pixels x 4,024 pixels = 24,337,152 pixels = 24.34 megapixels). Its “weight” is 44.93 megabytes.

Figure 2. 6048 x 4024 = 24.34 megapixels.

“Resolution” is the number of pixels in an image, expressed either as a total number or as dimensions (width x height). My Z 6 creates an image with a resolution of 25 million pixels (25 megapixels). But while megapixels is a great term for advertising camera models, as photographers we’re better served thinking in file dimensions.

Image Sizing

Screens and printers create images in very different ways. Screens are measured in pixels per inch (ppi) while printers are measured ­in dots per inch (dpi). Regrettably, these terms are often seen as interchangeable, even though they are not.

Screen Resolution

For example, my BenQ SW270C is a 27-inch monitor. Its resolution is 3840 x 2160. This means that the screen has 3840 pixels across its length and 2160 pixels from top to bottom.

Figure 3. Pixel dimensions of a BenQ SW270C photo monitor.

When you enlarge your image in Lightroom or Photoshop to 100 percent, you see only a portion of the photograph. This is because images from modern cameras have a higher resolution, or a higher pixel count, than the monitors they are displayed on.

At 100 percent magnification, one pixel on the monitor represents one pixel of the image. For this reason, 100 percent is sometimes called “actual pixels.” Figure 4 shows what is really happening behind the scenes: The image is much larger than the screen resolution can show at 1-to-1, so we see only the portion of the pixels that fit onto the screen.

Figure 4. The actual image size compared to the resolution of the monitor.

When you are viewing at 100 percent you are getting a very accurate view of the quality of your image. This is why it’s important to perform certain tasks such as noise reduction, sharpening and spot removal at this magnification.

These days tablets and phones are also used to view imagery. These devices have even less resolution than your computer monitor. Because modern cameras have such high resolutions, and because screens have comparably smaller resolutions, it’s very rare that you would need to enlarge or use Super Resolution on your photos just to view them on computer monitors or mobile devices.

Print Resolution

Printing, however, is a different story. Printers need a bigger file to create a quality image. To understand why, let’s look at the printer’s resolution. All printers (even the professional ones at labs) have a resolution of 300 dpi, with the sole exception being Epson printers, which print at 360 ppi.

The easiest way to understand the relationship between ppi and dpi is to look at the image in Photoshop’s Image Size dialog (Figure 5). To get there:

  1. In Lightroom select your image and choose Photo > Edit In > Edit in Adobe Photoshop.

  2. Once your image opens in Photoshop, choose Image > Image Size.

Figure 5. The Image Size dialog in Photoshop.

Notice the familiar pixel dimensions of 6048 x 4024. To see how large a print you can make from this file (without enlarging), simply change Pixels to Inches, and enter the ppi of your printer in the Resolution field. In this case (Figure 6), I can see that I could make a print of 13x20 inches on a 300 dpi printer without having to enlarge the image. (Or, as we see in Figure 7, I could make an 11x17 print on a 360 dpi Epson.)

Figure 6. This file could be printed at 13x20 on most printers.

Figure 7. The same file could be printed at 11x17 on an Epson printer.

Resizing Your Photographs

Changing the size of your images is completely normal. It actually happens often without you even realizing it. If you send a full-size JPG to Bay Photo and ask them to make a 30x45 print, they resize it. Every time you upload an image to Instagram, unless you specifically pre-size your image to 1080 pixels square, then it’s resized for you. Images you see on any website have all been resized.

Simply put, resizing is either throwing out or adding pixels to an image to make it fit its eventual use.

For example: Instagram currently displays images at a resolution of 1080 x 1080. To display my Z 6 image of 6048 x 4024 pixels on Instagram, it needs to be downsized (throwing out pixels). Conversely, to make a 30x45 print on a 300 dpi printer, my native resolution (as we saw in Figure 6) of 13x20 is not enough. I’d need to upsize it (adding pixels).

The act of upsizing or downsizing is also called “resampling.” Resampling can be done to an image in Photoshop or when exporting from Lightroom.

Resizing in Photoshop

When you want to resize an image using Photoshop, open the Image Size dialog seen in the above examples. If the Resample box is checked, then changing the pixels or inches will add or remove pixels from the image. Figure 8 shows that with the Resample box checked, changing the pixels to 1080 in width downsizes the image from 139.3 megabytes to a mere 4.44 megabytes.

Figure 8. The Image Size data shows how changing the width to 1,080 pixels downsizes the file from 139.3 megabytes to 4.4 megabytes.

Likewise, if you were making a print, you would open the Image Size dialog, change Pixels to Inches, and type in the desired width or height. Figure 9 shows that changing the height of this image to 30 inches will enlarge the file (adding pixels) from its original size of 139.3 megabytes to 696.6 megabytes.

Figure 9. The Image Size data shows how changing the height to 30 inches upsizes the file from 139.3 megabytes to 696.6 megabytes.

Notice that the aspect ratio in both cases has stayed the same. This image (as with most digital cameras) has an aspect ratio of 2x3. As long as the chain icon (circled in red in Figure 10) stays locked, then changing either the height or width will also change the other proportionally.

Figure 10. The chain icon on the left is locked, which keeps the aspect ratio constant. On the right the chain is unlocked, meaning you could disproportionately squeeze or stretch your image while resizing.

Resizing in Lightroom

If you want to resize with Lightroom instead, then you need to export the image (Figure 11):

  1. Select your image and choose File > Export, or click the Export button at the bottom left of the screen.

  2. In the Image Sizing section, check the Resize to Fit box and type your desired pixel length.

Figure 11. Exporting and resizing an image using Lightroom.

You have many choices within the Image Sizing box (Figure 12). If you want to size an image to use it on a screen (such as a monitor, website, Instagram, etc.), then all you care about is the number of pixels—the Resolution section, or pixels per inch, is irrelevant. Whether that’s set at 72 or 300 will have zero impact on your file and how it appears on a screen.

Figure 12. Options for resizing within the Image Sizing box.

However, if you want to size that file for print, then the Resolution section of this dialog becomes very important. Here’s the process:

  1. Select your image and choose File > Export, or click the Export button at the bottom left of the screen.

  2. In the Image Sizing section (Figure 13), check the Resize to Fit box and change “pixels” to “in” (i.e., inches).

  3. Type your desired length.

  4. Choose either 300 or 360 for Resolution (to match the dpi of the printer).

Figure 13. The proper settings for enlarging a file to make a 30x45 print for a 300 dpi printer.

As we saw earlier, if I wanted to use a file from my Z 6 to make a print larger than 13x20 on a 300 dpi printer, or 11x17 on an Epson printer, then I would need to upsize that file. Of course, if I crop the file, then I might need to upsize even for smaller print sizes. Figure 14 shows the same file that has been cropped. Now I could make only a 10x15 print—for anything larger, I would need to add pixels by resampling.

Figure 14. Our example image has been cropped. Now the maximum print size would be 10x15 at 300 dpi. If I wanted to print larger, I would need to upsize the cropped photograph.

Super Resolution

The problem with all of this is that from the beginning of digital photography, enlarging, or resampling, has been an obstacle. No one has yet found a way to add pixels to the resolution of an image that results in the same quality as the original, smaller file.

But programmers have always been chasing that goal. In the late 90s, third-party solutions such as Genuine Fractals were the answer. Then Photoshop caught up, and could produce the same quality with its upsizing algorithm. Then Adobe made that even better with the Preserve Details tool. All of these options (and more) were better than the previous best options, and that improvement continues with Super Resolution.

In short, Super Resolution is a superior way to enlarge your images, in the cases where you need to do so—which, as you’ve seen above, is only when you are making large prints.

A trip to Photoshop’s Image Size dialog will give you all of the information that you need to make the decision to upsize or not. If the answer is yes, then, for the best results, refer to my previous post on using Super Resolution.

And then what comes next? Keep an eye out for another upcoming post on this topic, wherein we’ll further explore image upsizing and demonstrate how to properly sharpen your upsized images for printing.

Tim Cooper is a partner and workshop leader with National Parks at Night. Learn more techniques from his book The Magic of Light Painting, available from Peachpit.

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In the Bag: Packing for a 3-Week Night Photography Trip

Note: As mentioned in the post below, Matt is about to embark on a 3-week night photography trip with Gabe. Follow their adventures via our next three installments of “NPAN Conversations” on the National Parks at Night Instagram account.


This is gonna be some trip! I’m about to leave for 3 weeks in the American southwest, where I’m co-leading a night photography workshop, attending a night photography conference, scouting some new locations, and creating some photo and video content in the field. And I need to pack for all of that in one bag.

What goes into one bag to cover all of that for one trip? Today I’m going to share that with you!

With all the uncertainties of the past year and of the next few weeks, it’s still exciting to curate and cull my gear for a trip. To be more specific about my needs, the following are my goals for the trip and the events I’m packing out for:

With all that on the plate, how do I pack smart, and how do I pack so that my bag is light enough to walk with for a few miles?

The first step: the bag. Introducing my new backpack, the Shimoda Action X50—aka “the Kitchen Sink 2.0.”

There’s a ton of surprises inside. So I made a video walk-through/breakdown of my gear and why it made the cut:

(a few hours later…)

Whew! Thanks for watching. On YouTube, there is a complete gear list with links, or you can download it here:

How are you gearing up for your next trip? What is essential? What did you leave by the wayside and why didn’t it make the cut? Let us know in the comments or on our Facebook page.

Matt Hill is a partner and workshop leader with National Parks at Night. See more about his photography, art, workshops and writing at MattHillArt.com. Follow Matt on Twitter Instagram Facebook.

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Five Questions: Super Resolution, Ghosts, Intervalometers and More

If you have questions, we have either answers or opinions, and we’re not shy to share either.

This installment of our “Five Questions” series features inquiries about Adobe’s new Super Resolution, the work of Alexey Titarenko, Milky Way lenses for the Nikon Z 7, intervalometer recommendations, and the efficacy of carrying two Coast flashlights.

If you have any questions you would like to throw our way, please contact us anytime. Questions could be about gear, national parks and other photo locations, post-processing techniques, field etiquette, or anything else related to night photography. #SeizeTheNight!


1. Seeing Quadruple

Question:

Regarding your post about Adobe’s new Super Resolution feature, I was surprised to see the headline mention “quadruple” enlargements. I thought the new feature was “2X.” Did I read it wrong or misunderstand the feature announcement? — Robyn

Answer:

It’s just a math thing. You are correct that Super Resolution doubles the pixel count of an image in both the horizontal and vertical linear directions. For example, a 200 x 300 image would become 400 x 600.

That results in the total area of the image being quadrupled. In that same example, the resolution would go from 60,000 square pixels to 240,000 square pixels—i.e., quadruple, or four times the number of pixels. See the image above for a graphical representation. — Chris

2. Ghosts in the Composition

Question:

I am trying to mimic Alexey Titarenko’s work, especially the movement he puts in. I used native ISO, an appropriate aperture and a long shutter. Would you mind giving me help in this type of work? — David C.

Answer:

I assume you are talking about Alexey’s “City of Shadows” series. Interesting human movement happens in exposures from 1/15 to 15 seconds, because most people can’t hold truly still for more than 1 to 2 seconds.

In order to create the “ghosts and shadows” effect that Alexey is getting during daytime, you need to use a 3-, 6- or 10-stop neutral density filter to allow for a long enough exposure. Operating under overcast skies will help, as will lots of experimentation.

A lot depends on how much stillness you want to show in the chaos of movement. That is important. For example, for Alexey’s shot of the handrail, it was critical that the rail remain sharp amid the mass of bodies moving past. It works beautifully. However, many of his other photographs feature just a little movement, which allows him to capture a “soul” that is still.

On the other hand, reaching longish shutter speeds like that at night is easy, because you’re already working with minimal light. In fact, the challenge in dark conditions is actually adding light so you can see the human subjects in all that darkness. For more info on how to do that, see my blog post “Photographing Phantoms.” — Gabe

3. Z 7 Milky Way Glass

Question:

I have a Nikon Z 7 and would like to try Milky Way photography this summer. I have the Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S lens and believe the f/4 aperture will not be fast enough to prevent star streaking. Would the Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S or the Irix 15mm f/2.4 be an acceptable alternative? — Jerry

Answer:

You’re right that the f/4 lens will be very limiting for star-point images in general. They would require you to shoot at an ISO of 12,800, which I would not recommend with the Z 7 unless you’re planning to stack multiple frames in software such as Sequator or Starry Landscape Stacker. Since you have a Z 7, I suggest going with a native Z lens. Though I haven’t shot with most of them, word is that they’re all truly outstanding.

I have not shot with the Z 20mm f/1.8,  but I love that focal length for Milky Way. So I think that either that lens or the more-expensive Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 would be your best bets.

The Irix lenses are excellent, though they require an adapter to use on a Z-mount camera. (Irix will no doubt release Z-mount lenses in the future, but we don’t know how near that future is.)

If you’re still stuck about which lens to buy, you could always rent to try before committing. We can recommend Borrow Lenses or Lens Rentals. — Lance

4. Intervalometer Recommendation

Question:

I just reviewed your 2017 article on wired versus wireless intervalometers. Are you still recommending the wired Vello Shutterboss II? — Hadley

Answer:

Yes, it’s still on the recommended list for wired intervalometers. Though it does share the one weak spot of all wired intervalometers, which is the connection point to the unit, which often wears down over time.

If you’re open to a wireless solution instead, my favorite intervalometer overall is the Phottix Aion. Not only does it not suffer from that weak spot, but it also allows for exposures of fractions of seconds, which is useful when shooting with NPF Rule shutter speeds.

To learn more about the Aion, see my post “A Better Intervalometer.”

Though I do champion my favorite, either of the above options will suffice. You really can decide based on your personal priorities and be happy and successful either way. — Matt

5. Are Two Coasts Better Than One?

Serpent—Borrego Springs. Nikon D4s with a Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 lens set at 24mm, light painted at close range with a Coast HP7R flashlight. Three exposures at 15 seconds, f/4, ISO 6400.

Question:

I notice that you guys seem to all have both Coast HP7R and HP5R flashlights. I want to buy a more powerful small flashlight than I have now. Do you own both because the HP7R is too powerful for some applications? If you were to buy just one, which would it be? — Mark

Answer:

Yes, we all own both the HP7R and the HP5R because the difference in power is useful for different applications. The HP7R is a very bright flashlight (300 lumens), while the HP5R is less bright (185 lumens). Both have a second power setting that drops the output by 90 percent, so the combination essentially gives us four different lumen options.

How do we use this versatility? One example: If we’re shooting the Milky Way under a new moon (pitch black, no moonlight at all), then our apertures are very wide (f/2 or f/2.8) and we are using very sensitive ISOs such as 3200 or 6400. That makes 300 lumens overkill and more difficult to control, whereas 185 lumens can be very effective. You just don’t need a powerful flashlight for that kind of sensitive exposure.

An opposite example is when we’re shooting under the much brighter conditions of a full moon, when our apertures may be set to f/5.6 or f/8 and the ISOs to 100 or 200. These less-sensitive exposures require a stronger flashlight to paint the scene.

The different flashlights can also be more or less useful when considering the distance of the subject from where you’re light painting. A rock formation 100 yards away obviously requires a more powerful light than a flower 2 feet in front of you.

So yes, it’s nice to have both models to cover all the possible situations. But if you are looking to purchase just one, I would recommend one of these strategies:

  1. Purchase the more powerful HP7R and use some neutral density gels to knock down the power when needed. You can get a sample pack that contains all you might need for less than $10.  Remember, you can always make a bright flashlight dimmer, but you can’t make a dim flashlight brighter.

  2. Decide which conditions you favor for night photography. If you mostly shoot under a new moon, get the HP5R. If you find yourself doing a lot of work under brighter conditions (full moon, city scenes), purchase the HP7R.

Either way, both of these Coast flashlights are excellent night photography tools that are worth every dollar you spend on them. — Tim

Chris Nicholson is a partner and workshop leader with National Parks at Night, and author of Photographing National Parks (Sidelight Books, 2015). Learn more about national parks as photography destinations, subscribe to Chris' free e-newsletter, and more at www.PhotographingNationalParks.com.

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS FROM NATIONAL PARKS AT NIGHT

Pixel Perfect: 3 Workshops (1 Brand New!) for Leveling Up Your Processing Skills

Post-production. It’s the second rail of photography. But so many photographers chug along knowing only the very basics, honing just enough skill to get images off the camera and onto social media.

It’s understandable. In the film days, most people didn’t develop their own negatives nor make their own prints. So the transition to do-it-all-yourself in digital might not have been an obvious jump, nor even desired. Or maybe it’s that most modern photographers were introduced to post-processing via early versions of Photoshop, an anvil of software that’s hard and heavy to comprehend. Or maybe some photographers are just new to the game and haven’t yet had time to learn the keystrokes and mouseclicks that turn a series of 0s and 1s into an artistic masterpiece.

Regardless of the reason, plenty of folks with a great photographic eye could use more assistance learning how to turn RAW files into great photographic images.

National Parks at Night is here to help:

  • Since 2016 we’ve published post-production blog posts.

  • In 2019 we launched and ran our first Post-Processing Intensive workshop.

  • In 2020 we launched our first Lightroom Live online courses.

  • And now, in 2021, we are thrilled to announce our first Photoshop Live online course!

Here’s a rundown of all the post-production courses and workshops we’re running over the next few months. Want to level up? Come join us!


Photoshop Live

This sentence constitutes the very first time we’re publicly mentioning this brand new course—Photoshop Live: The Next Step in Post-Processing. This summer and fall, on a computer screen near you, we’ll teach how to take precise control of your images with skills such as:

  • understanding the architecture of Adobe Photoshop, including the different editing and selection tools

  • the strategy and best practices of using layers

  • mastering advanced local adjustments and masking

  • creating and editing star trail photographs

  • stacking light-painted images

  • blending Milky Way shots with blue hour foregrounds

  • and more!

We’re capping each session of the course at 12 attendees, so each will have a good amount of personal attention to their questions. And as a bonus, each attendee will receive one hour of one-on-one time to with an instructor.

tim promo benq.jpg

We’ll be running this course in sessions of four classes, each 2 hours long, on Tuesdays and Thursdays for two consecutive weeks. As of now, we’re offering three sessions:

Session 1: July 13, 15, 20 and 22 (waitlist only)

Session 2: October 19, 21, 26, 28

Session 3: December 7, 9, 14, 16

This Photoshop course is a perfect successor to our Lightroom Live course, the next session of which will be held in May (see below). So you could take both courses and—in just 16 online sessions—become proficient in these two pillars of digital photography!

For more information, see our Photoshop Live webpage by clicking here:

 

Lightroom Live

We launched this course last spring, and we ran three sessions of it in 2020. Now we’re offering it again—an online course designed to teach Adobe Lightroom, the most important piece of software for photographers, focused on the two most important modules, Library and Develop.

Learn everything from how to import and organize your images, to how to develop them with both basic and advanced tools and techniques. We’ll cover:

  • understanding the Lightroom catalog

  • making full use of the Library module in Lightroom, including keywords and collections

  • gaining a complete understanding of Lightroom’s Develop module

  • mastering advanced adjustments using the local adjustment tools

  • and more!

Again with this course, the session will be capped at 12 attendees in order to ensure personal attention. Each attendee will also receive one hour of one-on-one time to with an instructor, plus a free copy of our video Lightroom: Correcting Your Catalog Chaos.

Just like with Photoshop Live, we’ll be running Lightroom Live in four classes, each 2 hours long, on Tuesdays and Thursdays for two consecutive weeks. The dates are May 18, 20, 25 and 27.

For more information, see our Lightroom Live webpage by clicking here:

 

Post-Production Intensive: Seattle

If you want a really deep dive into both Lightroom and Photoshop, in a vibrant and beautiful location, then join us in Seattle this July for the only Post-Production Intensive workshop we’re running in 2021.

While the online courses mentioned above each entail 8 hours of total instruction, the Post-Production Intensive workshops involve 6 full days of on-site, hands-on instruction in Lightroom and Photoshop.

Moreover, on at least a couple of nights, we’ll head out as a group to photograph the urban scenery of the Seattle waterfront. That’ll be pretty easy to get to, as we’re staying in a gorgeous hotel right on the city shores of Puget Sound, in walking distance from great shoot locations, scrumptious food and plenty of baristas pressing that famous northwest espresso.

For more information, see our Post-Processing Intensive: Seattle webpage by clicking here:

 

Other Opportunities

We also have other ways to learn about post-processing! Including:

Night Photo Summit Replays

In February we ran the very first online conference dedicated to night photography, the Night Photo Summit! All 43 presentations from the online conference are available as streaming videos with the purchase of a Replays ticket.

Of those 43 presentations, half a dozen are heavy on post-production, from basics such as “Capturing and Processing the Milky Way” by Tim Cooper and “Noise-Reduction Strategies for Night Photography” by Michael Frye to more advanced topics such as “Blue Hour Blends & Composites” by Jess Santos and “Creating a Basic Time-Lapse Video” by David Marx.

Meteor Shower e-Book

Four meteor showers in 2021 will rate as decent to excellent for photography, including the Eta Aquarids in May! Do you know how to shoot and process a meteor shower radiant? You can learn in our e-book Great Balls of Fire: A Guide to Photographing Meteor Showers.

Blog POsts that were and Will Be

As mentioned earlier, we’ve written a few blog posts on post-production, all available to read for free anytime you want. Some examples:

To see what we’ve done in the past, here’s a link to all our posts. Scroll down to the Post-Production section to see the 22-and-counting titles we’ve written about the topic.

And … you caught the “and counting” part, right? We have more on the way! (Tips on printing, anyone? How about using Sequator for sharp stars? Keep your eyes peeled right here.)

Chris Nicholson is a partner and workshop leader with National Parks at Night, and author of Photographing National Parks (Sidelight Books, 2015). Learn more about national parks as photography destinations, subscribe to Chris' free e-newsletter, and more at www.PhotographingNationalParks.com.

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS FROM NATIONAL PARKS AT NIGHT