It was a windy night across the water from Bocas Town. The sky was glowing, change happening rapidly, shooting colors across the horizon, sky shapes shifting and whispering. The ‘city’ lights highlighted dark shapes with dots of every color. The backdrop a deep beautiful dark blue, the foreground dancing and shimmering with reflections of colorful lights.
Tripod, check. Wide angle lens, check. Timer set for long exposures, check. Patience and breathe, check. I set up my gear on the dock and hoped for minor sways and gentler wind gusts. The dark had already crept up on me. I closed my aperture down, down, down for my love of creating star shapes from twinkling night lights. And I pushed my patience way up, up, up to capture detail, shapes, and lightness in the starlit skies.
Night photography goes so beautifully with watery backdrops. The reflections and soft glow from wind shifting waters make for a ethereal feeling. My next goal is to turn up the patience another notch and focus my lens on the star activity above me. The additional time it takes for me to capture the shot and my camera to process almost takes me back to the magic of my days in the darkroom. The anticipation and suspense waiting to see the shot makes the gift of capture that much more exciting! Then there is the ninja like activity of stalking beauty in the dark. Night photography is a creative and fun adventure. Try it out!
If you would like to see more night shots in and around Bocas del Toro visit here.
Beauty is all around you. Look in, look out, and follow the light! ~Louise