The Blue Hour is a wonderful time to step out, experience the enigmatic beauty of nature and click some breathtaking pictures!
Understanding Blue Hour in Photography
The Blue Hour occurs before sunrise and after sunset. Though it’s called Blue Hour, it actually lasts between 20 – 40 mins before sunrise and between 20 – 40 mins after sunset before it gets too dark. Sometimes, you may also see orange, yellow, pink colours near the horizon.
Take a look at some of the reasons why you should capture photographs during the Blue Hour (along with DSLR Settings):
To Evoke a Feeling of Tranquillity/of Faith: Ganga Aarti at Triveni Ghat, Rishikesh (Uttarakhand)
This was photographed after sunset; sunset timing: 6:10 pm, photo was taken at 6:33 pm.
DSLR Settings – Aperture: f/4, Shutter Speed: 1/13 sec, ISO 800.
To Capture Beautiful Colours of Nature: Rann of Kutch, Gujarat
An after sunset picture; sunset timing: 6:10 pm, photo was taken at 6:35 pm.
DSLR Settings – Aperture: f/5.6, Shutter Speed: 1/30 sec, ISO 3200.
To Enhance your Pic with a Mix of Natural & Artificial Light: Kala Ghoda Festival, Mumbai
This was photographed after sunset; sunset timing: 6:36 pm, photo was taken at 6:55 pm.
DSLR Settings: Aperture: f/4, Shutter Speed: 1/60 sec, ISO 800.
To Avoid Crowd & Get a Good View of the Place: Dawki, Meghalaya
In this picture – you can see the moon as well, it was clicked before sunrise.
Sunrise timing: 05:19 am, photo was taken at 05:10 am.
To give a 3D Feel to the photograph, Foreground Composition was used (Rocks & Stationed Boats serve as Foreground).
DSLR Settings: Aperture: f/5, Shutter Speed: 1/30 sec, ISO 3200.
To Appreciate the Beauty of Nature in Solitude: Kutch, Gujarat
Picture was clicked before sunrise; sunrise: 07:28 am, photo was taken at 07:07 am.
You will notice Rule of Thirds Composition was also used in this image.
DSLR Settings: Aperture: f/3.5, Shutter Speed: 1/50 sec, ISO 400.
Protip:
Since, it will be dark during the Blue Hour, you will need a slow shutter speed so that more light enters the camera sensor. So, use a tripod to avoid a blur image.
We bring you ‘Jo & His Camera’ Comic Strips wherein a Magical Camera gives DSLR photography tutorials to Jo.
Click on the below Image to see the Comic wherein the Camera explains Jo, the concept of Blue Hour with the help of practical examples.
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Creating visual tension makes your photograph dynamic which holds the viewer’s attention. How do you do that? Well, for starters, when you’re composing your pic – do not divide your frame into Horizontal or Vertical Lines; instead go for Triangles/Diagonals & creatively place your subjects in the frame.
We’ve learnt Composition techniques like Rule of Thirds, Centred Composition, Leading Lines, Fill the Frame, Pattern & Texture, Rule of Odds, Colour Theory, Frame within a Frame, Simplicity & Minimalism, Rule of Space, Left to Right Rule, Isolate the Subject, Negative Space, Foreground Composition, Panning, Change your Point of View, Balance & Juxtaposition in our previous blogs. Now, let’s explore Diagonals & Triangles, Golden Triangles & Golden Ratio!
Using Triangles/Diagonals
When photographing a scene, you may find triangle-shaped objects or implied triangles.
Some of the examples include:
Here’s a photograph of the Lakshman Jhula Bridge in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand
You’ll see many triangles in the above scene:
You’ll notice that the Leading Lines Composition was also used in the pic.
These triangles guide our eyes to the different elements of the photo. By giving a sense of movement, they create a visual flow – making the picture more dynamic.
Using Golden Triangles
Golden Triangles Composition is similar to the Rule of Thirds Composition. In Rule of Thirds – we divide the frame into nine equal parts (3 rows & 3 columns) whereas in Golden Triangles – we divide the frame into four triangles.
How to Use Golden Triangles
When framing your image:
Take a look at the below photo for more clarity
A photograph of the Traditional Mud Houses (Bhungas) in Kutch, Gujarat
You can see the frame is divided into four triangles; each triangle contains a different element of the scene. Golden Triangles Composition helps you position/arrange the various elements in the scene in a harmonious way – the symmetry conveys balance and clarity.
Using Golden Ratio
Golden Ratio is also known as ‘Nature’s Number’. Some of the examples that have a Golden Ratio/Golden Spiral include our Universe, Snail, Nautilus Shell, Pine Fruit and Sunflower.
It is also said that Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous painting ‘The Mona Lisa’ is aesthetically pleasing since it makes use of the Golden Ratio.
How to Use Golden Ratio
Here’s the photo of a Cat taken in Megahlaya using Golden Ratio
As humans, it’s natural that our eyes first see a human or an animal in a given photograph. In this case, our eyes first fall on the cat, the main subject which is placed using the Rule of Thirds.
The Golden Spiral gives a visual flow that directs our eyes, beginning from the cat – to the house – to the trees – till the wooden log where the spiral ends. The use of Golden Ratio makes it an aesthetically pleasing picture.
We bring you ‘Jo & His Camera’ Comic Strips wherein a Magical Camera gives DSLR photography tutorials to Jo.
Click on the below Image to see the Comic wherein the Camera explains Jo, the concept of Triangles, Golden Triangles & Golden Ratio with the help of practical examples.
Do Share The Learning – Like It, Post It, Pin It, Tweet It!
Did this blog help you with some ideas to improve your photography skills? For more useful photography tips, examples, ideas & inspiration, please subscribe below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email. Thank you!
