Night Photography of Portland

Photography in the Rain

My Meetup Group (DSLR Photographers of Portland) had a scheduled Night Photography event for Sunday night, and many signed up. As the day went along, starting very nice with some sun, it turned somewhat nasty about 5:00 pm with rain and some wind. I had invited my friend Pat to go with me, so we forged ahead, going the the Meetup location on the east side of the Willamette River near OMSI. The rain was not too bad so we braved the elements and spent about an hour shooting from under the new Tillicum Bridge to past the Marquam Bridge, walking along the Esplanade. We saw one other person from our group, but there probably were more, scattered around. All in all, I'm glad I went to try out some skills I had learned previously at a session at the Green Valley Camera Club.

For those interested here are some tips.
1. Turn OFF Image Stabilizer (on a tripod)
2. Go to Manual Focus
3. Shoot on Manual
   a. Aperture at f/8-11 for depth of field
   b. ISO 100 - 200
   c. Time is your variable
4. Use a cable release or set the timer so you don't touch the camera
5. Lock up mirror, or use Live View
6. Optional: Bracket Exposures for at least three shots +/- up to 1 each way (can set in menu)
7. Shoot a lot, always being mindful of composition
8. Shoot RAW if you have a good editor like Adobe Lightroom
9. When in the rain, be sure to keep you gear dry by covering it with a plastic sleeve or shower cap, or something

You can be the judge of how my first attempt went, but I'm glad I got out there and tried. After all, I'm a native Oregonian and used to the rain.

All for now,
Grace

New Tillicum Bridge for Mass Transit and Pedestrians

Portland West Side

Portland and Hawthorn Bridge

Marquam Bridge

Portland Spirit River Cruise Boat