Low Light

This incredible lightning storm was captured from the top of a multi-storey car park. Three shots were blended in post, spreading the lightning across the frame and balancing the composition. We like how the bolts are brightly rendered, but not blown out. This is a truly stunning image!

A great example of intentional camera movement (or ICM). The punchy sunset colours on the horizon add plenty of contrast between the blueness of the water and sky, and the moon provides additional interest, while placing the image at last light. A stunning photo!

These boxing mountain hares were captured in the dead of night. A backlight was positioned behind the brawl, with a secondary light source used to illuminate the subjects from the front. The result is a striking contre-jour effect, pulling the hares from the black background and outlining even their tiny strands of fur. ISO3200 enabled a fast shutter speed, freezing this jaw-dropping moment.

A lovely image of the Northern Lights. The aurora stretches evenly across the frame and the figures provide a sense of scale, amplifying the vastness of the night sky. The beams from the head torches act as leading lines towards the sky.

A full moon and the epic landscape of Red Rock Canyon State Park in California has been combined to create a moody nighttime scene that wouldn’t look out of place as the establishing shot in a horror movie. We like how the moonlight has been captured highlighting the rocks and few dark clouds, adding texture to the sky. A stunning image.

This silhouette of a stag and three hinds works really well. A stag is such a recognisable animal, it's instantly apparent what the silhouette depicts, while care has been taken to capture the head at a 3/4 angle where the antlers don't overlap, which looks more flattering. The beautiful pink sky in the background is the icing on the cake.

This blue hour photograph of a little gas station in the middle of nowhere is fantastic. The wide focal length has framed plenty of space, amplifying the sense of isolation, while the lone cat adds to the sense of loneliness. A stunning minimalist image!

This 90-minute star trail exposure was captured in the rugged Richtersveld landscape in South Africa. The super-long exposure has caused the stars to trail due to the Earth’s rotation and the perfectly circular trails were created by lining up the frame with the southern hemisphere’s pole star. The remote location has made for a stunning image, thanks to the almost non-existent light pollution.

While undoubtedly impressive, it can be difficult to anchor light painting within a wider image. But in this example, the dancer's silhouette combines with the streaks of light to create a beautiful, abstract representation of a dress. It’s not easy to create such a seamless example, with the ‘painter’ having to guesstimate how the end result will look. A stunning image!

Buttermere’s lone tree is one of the Lake Districts most popular subjects, and this Milky Way image is a stunning take on this beloved scene. The April shoot had to be planned meticulously so the core loomed directly over the lake and the conditions enabled an unobstructed view of the night sky. The galaxy and ground were captured in separate shots before blending them together in post.

Deep sky photography never fails to impress us and this incredible image of the Lagoon Nebula is a prime example. It was captured by mounting a D750 onto a telescope and is made up of 10 images, each requiring a three-minute-long exposure. An out-of-this-world image!

Adding a large subject beneath the night sky is a great way to create additional interest when capturing astrophotography. And few objects are as relevant as a radio telescope, like this example from an array in New Mexico. This image also stands out thanks to the beautifully crisp core and subtle editing to tease it out from the rest of the stars. This image also boasts very little light pollution. A great shot.

Ogoy Island on Lake Baikal is a popular photography subject and this image is certainly no exception. The distinctive shard-shaped rock is sandwiched between the Milky Way and a thick slab of ice. A prominent crack through the ice acts as a leading line, guiding the viewer towards the subject and then the starry sky beyond.

We really like the cinematic mood created by this stylized low-light portrait. A single-direction light source has created deep, film noir shadows, while the reenactor adds to the vintage vibe. The wide 38mm focal length has allowed for plenty of context and the way the subject is looking off, out of the frame creates a mysterious narrative.

This delightful portrait of a rescued, young fox cub is proof that you don’t have to have an expensive lighting setup to take stunning portraits. The soft, diffused natural light pours in through the window creating a Rembrandt style lighting effect, with soft highlights and deep shadows. An amazing image!