Craft & Vision provides exceptional photography education at irresistible prices.
Below the Horizon
Understanding Light at the Edges of Day
BELOW THE HORIZON was written by a photographer whose commercial work includes some of the finest resort properties in the world. Dave Delnea’s ability to see and capture the mood present in light at the edges of day have garnered him some exceptional clients and produced some amazing images. His secret is no secret at all; simply to understand and capture the light that is uniquely present when the sun is below the horizon and other photographers have put their cameras away.
Editor’s Note: I am really excited about this book, not because it’s full of secrets, it really isn’t, but because it was reading the rough drafts for this book that inspired me on a recent trip to Kenya to shoot images I am more excited about than I have been in a long time. The inspiration to go out and shoot in the exceptional edge of day light has re-ignited an excitement I’d lost in the busyness of being a working photographer. Highly recommended! (David duChemin, Vancouver 2010)
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I have most of the e books, but right now this is my favorite. I love this time of day. It is so helpful to know have the knowledge to shoot more effectively and get the ‘shot’ I want now. You are right, it’s not ‘rocket science’, but the details you share are very insightful. Practice it enough and it will become automatic. I do know how important it is have someone/something in the foreground. Now I just need people older than 7 years old willing to put up with me! My wide angle lens is my favorite lens of all.
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with everyone. It is so much appreciated!
A great ebook with insights into an area that maybe not so common even for photographers that have been around and in business for a longer time. Like the style very much and gained some very interesting information which got me experimenting a lot. Thanks to the author!
Before I write my review about the book, I would like to give my opinion about the web site. When a visitor for a first time look upon the home page of the new designed “Craft & Vision” web site, get’s an impression of been introduced in a room with many windows, each of them has a unique view upon the world of photography. Very attractive and minimalistic appearance with well organized content, easy for navigation through, filled with the all needed information. The new feature of writing comments gives a bit of interactivity and some kind of feedback about your work, that’s great! In my opinion I think it would be really nice if there are galleries of selected readers photographs related to the content of each of the books. Together with the module for writing comments and reviews I think it will be the best feedback that you can get of your readers.
Two of the best characteristics that almost every photographer has, are patience and prepared. “Below the Horizon” talks about shooting at the edges of the day, giving the all needed information to get prepared and go out for shooting in specific periods of the day, to capture the light of the dusk and dawn. An interesting subject of writing, with the basic techniques that can be applied and all useful tips about the nature of this light. For me the most interesting part was combination of strobe technique with the natural light which requires better previsualization and be well synchronized with the time, precautions to take an impressive capture. The other tips that remain are go out and shoot, analyze and experiment with the gear!
This book is primarily about the time of day between day and night. Did you know there was a Civil Twilight time of day? or Nautical Twilight?
This is the title that drew me to Craft and Vision. I wasn’t getting the result or look from my night images and I was searching for a helping hand. Below the Horizon really comes through with detailed info on a variety of settings and light situations that immediately strengthened my abilities as a photographer.
I bet it will do the same for nearly anyone, too.
Beautiful images, solid advice. There’s no excuse for shooting below the horizon.
This book presents the information very well. While more of a basic level it is an excellent primer for anyone new to this type of photography and a great refresher for someone who’s been away from it for a while. I intend on coordinating a group twilight shoot and will definitely be recommending this book as a primer beforehand. Advice such as online and iPhone tools to determine exact direction and timing of sunset are invaluable for the uninitiated and experienced alike.
In my opinion, this is the weakest book in the collection so far. It contains very basic information even for a slightly more advanced starting photographer. It just rushes forward without providing any deeper insight. Photos are included to support the text, but they are uninspiring. If I had to, I would recommend this ebook to an absolute beginner, otherwise I would skip it.
For years I have seen beautiful twilight images and had even pulled off a few of my own by accident. Dave pulls back the curtain on how to accomplish this. Armed with the information from this book I was able to take the guesswork out of shooting a pre-sunrise series in LA recently. The thing that amazed me was how long before sunrise or after sunset the light is perfect. Thanks for sharing this knowledge!
This little book will drag you out of the bed before everyone else or makes you keep shooting after everyone’s gone. Well written, great images, great design.
Thanks for the primer on light. My only regret is leaving behind my graduated neutral density filters now that i’m on the road!
Excellent advice and examples are provided. Well worth the small price, packed with info, and really helpful to those of us that are new to landscape photography.
Thanks guys…
Bonus about this book – you don’t need to be pro to understand it. As an amateur photographer, I really appreciated the detail of the specific explanations, yet without defaulting to a technical “how to”. Retaining focus on the larger picture as to why a certain technique was done was helpful. Thank you!!
This book gives great examples. What I mean is, Dave takes multiple shots and notes the time of day, the addition of filters and lights and exposure information. It helps to visualize the possibilities. Shooting with the light of twilight has intrigued me and Dave shares his experiences. Most intresting to me was seeing the movement in the background with long exposures/small apertures as opposed to the bokeh I am usually after that just makes it out of focus. There is a big difference.
Out of all the C&V ebooks this is my least favorite. That’s not to say the information isn’t valuable to someone who is not familiar with this type of dusk/dawn shooting, but there’s nothing here that you can’t read on a dozen different web sites. For $5 it puts a lot of info into one neat package, so if that’s important to you pick it up. Otherwise, I think most of this info is widely available on the internet.
If anything, after reading this eBook you will want to grab a tripod and start seeing the world trough the lens using the short-lived rapidly changing light at dusk or dawn. The book might not teach you many new techniques, but it will inspire you to explore through his wonderful pictures.
I’ve read several Craft & Vision ebooks, but this was was by far my favorite. I’ve always been interested in getting better shots after the sun goes down and Dave’s book was filled with real world tips to get you started on making great end of day shots. He takes you how the light changes by just mere minutes at the edge of day and shows you examples of how drastic your images can look with just a slight differnce in time. He also covers important gear necessary for getting the best shots. I’ve enjoyed taking what I’ve learned from this ebook and making my own below the horizon images. You’ll find his images clearly display the concepts he discuss and are inspiring in their own right.
I finally sat down to read this book right before a big camping trip, and it inspired me to actually haul the tripod up with me and use it! I had always either shot the sun setting, or well after the sun had gone down, and Dave’s book shows that there is much more interesting light available during the time when the sun is below the horizon (hence the title). Its a very inspiring read, and I highly recommend it if you need some inspiration to try shooting at a different time of day.
I agree with the editor’s notes. It isn’t full of secrets but it is inspiring and even if it only reminds you of things that you already knew and gets you out there early or late, when you otherwise wouldn’t be going, it is well worth it. It certainly got me shooting late into the night and exploring a new direction in my photography. Many thanks.
I found this ebook to be more geared towards beginners than the others. It has some useful sequences of shots to illustrate the point of waiting for the light to change, and has examples of some of the tricks you can play with long exposures. Recommended for those who have never seen/done this kind of photography but if you have then there is unlikely to be anything new here.
Before this book was taking photos in all the wrong lighting (time of day). What a great differents the tips in this book will do for you.
This ebook is an eye-opener to the possibilities presented by the first and last glimmers of light, which are all too often neglected. My favourite of all the available ebooks from Craft and Vision. Full of practical information and images to get you excited about playing with indirect light. Helped me give some life to the endless images of monuments on a recent trip to Europe.
The two page spread to start off this book just blew me away when I first saw it, and I realized how far I still had to go to produce such amazing images. I’m all about practical photography techniques, and the explanations of the differences between sunset, civil & nautical twilight, and the different type of light and composition of shots you can get at each of these times was by far the best part of this book.
very inspirational fotographs, makes you to pack your bag and try it out yourself. One minor thing – I would like to have had more information about the practical use of the nd filters – handheld or filter holder, which filter grades etc. But nevertheles, an excellent source of information and inspiration.
I’m as guilty of packing it in when the sun sets as much as the next guy, and boy does this book show me the error of my ways! Magical imagery highlights this eBook of informative and motivational tips. I can’t wait to go shoot at twilight!
I bought this eBook because I love early morning and dusk light, though I had never set out to learn about the light on a deeper level. I thought it would be an eBook that was interesting and informative, but I didn’t realize how motivating it would be! I finished the book and anxiously waited for the light to get low enough to start playing with some of the things I’d just learned. I felt like a new world of possibilities had opened up. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever found themselves fascinated by the light at dawn and dusk.
I always loved taking photos after the sun went down or before it got up. Dave really put into words the reason why it is such a magical time. Reading his book has helped me to be a lot more consistent. Great read.
I’m no longer taking photographs… now I’m patiently waiting for the right light to make a much better photograph. Inspiring when getting up before dawn sounds like a bad idea at first, and anchored by concrete ideas/methods. Love it.
Dave does a wonderful job of getting down to it in regards to utilizing that magical light at the beginning and end of day. Not only is it informative, but it’s also inspiring. Frankly, the photos included within the book are worth the price of purchase alone!
You want to make your photographs more powerful using light? Well, this eBook is for you. Dave does a great job explaining us how to use and wait for great light to make our photographs better. He gives us a ton of tricks.
Thank you Dave!