Words | Jon Reid
Uruguayan Nights
The blue hour is that time after the sun has set, but before the sky is completely black. In most places, this is a time when it is too dark for usable video shots, so it is when my job ends and my personal photography begins.
I arrived in the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo with about 10 minutes left of the blue hour. Fortunately, I happened to be in Independence Square, the most attractive area of the city. The six photos that I managed to capture were my favourite from the city.
The following day, I moved on to Colonia, a beautiful little Spanish town on the Uruguayan Coast. I spent the entire day on foot, exploring the village. Just after sunset, a guy started questioning me about my gear which led to an interesting conversation about the area.
It turned out that he worked in the wine bar along the Street of Sighs. He allowed me to photograph the wine bar and then gave me a glass of the local wine on the house. It was this barman who told me about the origin of the name, Street of Sighs.
In colonial times, prostitutes sold their wares along the street. When the local men met up at the bars to discuss their day, they didn't like saying, 'I visited the prostitutes'. Instead, the used the code, 'I've just come from the Street of Sighs'. These days, the street is full of art galleries and wine bars, but the code language has stuck.
With this in mind, I wondered through the cobblestone streets during the blue hour, allowing my imagination to take me back a century. The photographs from this blue hour once again became my favourite from the town. They topped off an unforgettable two evenings in Uruguay.
Photographing During The Blue Hour
The blue hour has always been a favourite for photographers. During the blue hour, the light levels of the sky are similar to the light levels on the streets and buildings, which creates a nicely balanced image.
To make the most of the blue hour, I suggest the following:
Use a tripod. You could also try going handheld with a high ISO, but there is something magical about a long exposure during the blue hour, how it reveals colours that aren't visible to the naked eye, that can't be replicated with handheld shots.
Use a small aperture like f16. This will give you a long exposure time and will also cause a starburst effect on light sources.
Use a polarizer at the start of the blue hour. It will intensify the colour of the sky and will help extend the time of the 'blue hour'. Similarly, at the start of the blue hour, aim towards the opposite end to where the sun set. As the blue hour ends, aim towards where the sun set. This will be the brightest part of the sky.
Using a long exposure time will cause moving object to disappear, great for getting rid of tourist from a scene. Unfortunately, some items will always be recorded as a blur, for example, light trails from cars. If you can't avoid these blurs, try to use them creatively in your composition.
