NightScape Virtual Photo Exchange

This is our Annual Night Photography - Virtual Photo Exchange and Competition where we can upload up to 3 night photos and exchange comments. You can start uploading photos on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14th. The photos can be any style of night photography, as long as they are your own. There is no time period restriction (for the date the photo was taken), and they do NOT have to have been taken on a NightScape workshop or a photo walk.

Meet-up in cyberspace: This event is only on your computer, at this webpage (and the photo exchange pages linked from this page), starting Feb. 14th. Note: You must RSVP before Valentine's Day in order to share and comment on photos.

Our purpose is share photos, exchange comments, ideas, and have fun!

How to Exchange Photos

• RSVP for this event BEFORE Feb. 14, 2014
• Come back to this page on Valentine's Day or after
• You can upload* up to 3 "night" photos, thru Mar. 13
• Please comment on the photos of others, thru 3/13
• I will try to comment on EVERY photo that is posted

*The "upload" word and button will be linked and active on February 14th. "Night" photos happen after the sun has gone down and before it comes up. Avoid sunset and sunrise photos, unless they were taken during the "blue hour" (about 20-50 minutes after the sun sets, or about 20-50 minutes before it rises).

Commenting: Please keep your comments on a positive level. Only indicate what you like about an image, not what you don't like. If you wish to receive a private critique of your image(s), indicate so, with the words, "Please give critique comments via my email" in your photo description.

Competition and PRIZES: The images with the most comments will be featured on my blog (http://intothenightphoto.blogspot.com/), with a bio about the person. Shortly after March 13, I will pick three people to feature on my blog, based on the highest number of comments for their individual image(s). My blog typically receives about 25,000 page views each month, and features some of the world's top night photographers.

The person with the highest number of comments for an individual image will also receive one hour of private photography consultation from me. NOTE: Meetup.com only allows members of our NightScape group, who have registered for this event (prior to Feb. 14), to upload images and to comment about those image. I will only count one comment per person for each photo uploaded to this event.

Your best chances for winning in this competition are to upload the maximum number of photos (3), and to do it as early as possible, so more people have time to comment.

Please continue to come back anytime on or after Valentine's Day to upload your three photos and to comment (however, the competition ends on midnight, March 13, 2014).

http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/c/5/2/8/600_328850472.jpeg

What makes a good night photo? Great question! What resonates with one person, doesn't always excite another. However, the rules of good composition, creativity, drama, impact, good lighting, and staying on-theme still apply. I took this photo in Goblin Valley State Park last autumn, on a very overcast day, with the help of Steve Bunderson. Our daytime photos were lifeless and boring, and it was too cloudy to get the Milky Way stars we had planned to shoot. By using our own lights (3), and timing the shot during the blue hour, we were able to save the day, or in this case, the "night" :-)

Inspiration: Here are some great resources for "night photography" inspiration and ideas:

My NightScape blog (http://intothenightphoto.blogspot.com/)

My favorites on 500px (http://intothenightphoto.blogspot.com/2013/04/night-photography-favorites-on-500px.html) (of other photographers)

Into-the-Night-Photography Group on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/groups/intothenightphoto/)

Night Photography Community on Google+ (https://plus.google.com/communities/116739301264243698053)

TWAN (http://www.twanight.org/) (The World At Night)