Introduction to Night Photography
A course by Adrián Melo , Photographer
Learn techniques to take photographs at night, in the blue hour and with light painting
Sometimes photography allows you to reach places you simply can't see with the naked eye. Photographer Adrián Melo has been capturing the magic of unique spaces in Argentina for years, either in broad daylight or in complete darkness; when our eyes fail to visualize all the elements that surround us.
In this course, Adrián will explain how to create the different types of night photography, depending on the time of day and light conditions. You will explore your creativity by taking photos with longer exposure times than those used in daytime shots and you will see the possibilities of light painting .
What will you learn in this online course?
14 lessons & 12 downloads
- 80% positive reviews (98)
- 2,605 students
- 14 lessons (1h 16m)
- 12 additional resources (2 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: Spanish
- Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish · Romanian · Indonesian
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
You will take photographs in the blue hour and in the middle of the night, as well as in urban and rural landscapes. You should also choose the right location to practise the light painting technique.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
For photography enthusiasts, students and experienced photographers.
Requirements and materials
Basic knowledge of operating of a camera in manual mode is required; an understanding of terms such as exposure time, diaphragm, ISO and white balance is important.
As for materials you will need a tripod, a flashlight and a computer with Adobe Photoshop software installed to be able to carry out postproduction.
Reviews
Adrián Melo
A course by Adrián Melo
Adrián Melo is a professional photographer, who began his career in 2012 taking adventure and outdoor photography. After achieving success and years researching the broad spectrum of photography, he decided to dedicate himself to sharing his knowledge with others.
He has hosted and organized talks with the best photographers in the country to promote this form of expression and enhance the interest in photography, with the unconditional support of Nikon Argentina.
Content
-
U1
Introduction
-
Presentation
-
Influences
-
What are we going to do
-
-
U2
Necessary equipment
-
materials
-
Manual focus
-
Choose locations
-
-
U3
Blue hour cityscape
-
Blue Hour Photography
-
Nighttime Photography
-
-
U4
Rural night landscape
-
Star photography
-
-
U5
Long exposure + Light painting
-
Tractor light painting photography
-
Light painting photography with drone
-
-
U6
Postproduction
-
Photo editing in blue and night time
-
Star photo editing
-
Light painting photo editing
-
-
FP
Final project
-
Introduction to night photography
-
What to expect from a Domestika course
-
Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
-
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
-
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
-
Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
-
Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
-
Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
-
Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
-
Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
You’ll learn how to capture and edit night photos, light painting techniques using flashlights and drones, handling RAW/JPG formats, noise reduction, perspective and horizon correction, plus advanced editing in Camera Raw and Photoshop.
The course is designed for photographers with basic prior knowledge, especially camera handling. It’s ideal for intermediate level, but motivated beginners can follow along if they want to dive deeper into night photography.
You’ll need a DSLR or mirrorless camera, tripod, flashlights or LED lights, optionally a drone for light painting, and access to software like Photoshop and Camera Raw for editing.
Techniques taught include noise reduction, perspective and horizon correction, haze and object removal, color temperature adjustment, photo stacking, star editing, and managing light pollution.
You’ll learn to use the clone tool and other advanced Photoshop features to erase elements and refine your night photo compositions.
The drone is optional and used for advanced light painting techniques. You can complete the course and practice most of the content with just a camera and flashlights.
Adjustments in Camera Raw and Photoshop are used to smooth out grain caused by high ISO settings, enhancing sharpness and giving your images a professional look.
La información presentada es interesante y está bien organizada, pero me hubiera gustado un enfoque más profundo y práctico. En particular, las salidas de campo me parecieron poco desarrolladas y falto más detalles y herramientas aplicables. Como introducción funciona, aunque personalmente esperaba obtener más aprendizajes.
The course was decent and offered an interesting insight into his working process. However, I felt it lacked creativity and in-depth exploration. The technical aspects are covered, but only on a surface level. In addition, the focus on drone lighting may not be relevant or appealing to everyone.
Este señor nos ha mostrado como trabaja, lo cual es interesante, pero creo que como docente no llega a contactar, el sabe muy bien lo que está haciendo, lo explica y ya. Sin duda gran profesional, pero que no llega a contactar con quien recibe el curso, al menos es mi impresión.
También muestra una aplicación de pago, en la explicación no queda claro, al menos para mi, el tema de la hiperfocal y el porque hay que enforcar a un punto relativamente próximo cuando queremos sacar el infinito.
Labelling as beginner is a joke
It might be ok to give you tips if you know what you're doing, but the first lesson on actually taking photos is the guy using a paid app to see what settings he needs, and then him taking some pictures - no showing how to set the camera up
Next is much the same, but adds a torch to light the subject
If you're looking for an explanation of what f stop, iso or shutter speed to use, you'd be better off playing with your camera and seeing what results you get
buen docente. Curso básico mas para entender el concepto.