Weekly Poll: Day or Night?

[Nicole]

Last week, we asked you to choose printing at home or professional printing. The result was close, but more people chose professional printing. Feel free to keep sharing your opinions over there if you still have something to say on the subject.

This week, we'd like you to decide: If you could only shoot during the middle of the day or at the middle of the night, which would you choose?

Night photography can be difficult because of white balance issues and long exposures. But you get different subjects than you would in the day, like stars and the moon.

Day photography can be equally difficult because of shadows and harsh light, but you get the benefit of short exposures and different subjects, and the sunlight can let you do silhouettes.

So, tell us, if you could only pick one, which would it be, and why?

[rdaw]

With a lot of trepidation (assuming I can only choose one and am bound to it forever), I'd have to pick night. White balance problems can be eased considerably by shooting RAW, and I have no problem with using a tripod and shutter release. And it seems in my limited post-processing experience I can recover more from underexposed shots than overexposed shots. But then, too, I'd have to convince my friends and family to get up in the middle of the night to get their picture - there goes all your "social" shots. That's a toughie...

[wulf]

It is a hard call but I decided on middle of the day. The sun (when we get it ) might be harsh but there is still a richer world of colour to explore. Slow shots can still be taken in the shade or using ND filters but it is also possible to capture shots even if the wind is gusting (which causes blurring in long exposure images).

Most importantly of all, I tend to be more awake in the middle of the day!

Wulf

[kirbinster]

Well I picked middle of the day, but that is not truly what I mean. Shooting at high-noon is not my favorite. I seem to get my best shots early in the morning or in the evening - not at mid-day.

[Nicole]

Yeah, but see, everyone would pick day if it could sunrise or sunset Cause those are the good times that everyone loves lol

I think that I would have to go with night. I just like the way that things turn out at night. You get the lights, you get the shadows, you get the kind of creepy feeling, and with a flashlight, you can do all sorts of interesting things. I mean, sure, I like the day, but there's something different about the night that just can't be replicated any other way

[Jargon]

I'd definitely pick middle of the day over middle of the night. I prefer to see a lot of colors. And I enjoy looking at the blue sky with some clouds. I also like the options made available by having bright light, such the option to freeze the action or to have motion blur.

[Ilyanep]

Night for sure. As rdaw said, RAW can fix white balance issues.

Personally, I find that the night holds many more dazzling views. In fact, I want to get to a big city in the middle of the night at some point and get some shots from that.

[NaturesPixel]

hmm im very surprised at the poll right now figured it would be more night shooting!! perhaps people don't realise just cause they cant see colours at night . don't mean its not there!!! The colours at night are AB FAB!!!

if we are on even playing field no clouds at day or night ill take the night anytime cause of the harsh OE ya can get from shooting midday..

[velvet4269]

I long to do night photography, and I'm very much a night owl, but with my lack of night vision, and the fact that I have trouble focusing (my eyes) when I start to lose the light, I'm going to have to take "middle of the day."

Unless, of course, I can take a generator & lighting equipment with me

[Pernod]

I would have to choose middle of the night...

In the dark, eyes see only in black and white... but with enough patience the colours you can get are nothing short of breathtaking.

Each month I wait patiently for a full moon and a clear sky... sometimes I'm luck, other times I'm not. But the patience just makes it even more exciting when you get a night like these.

Heres 3 examples of why I would take night over day...