Taking photos at night often requires a tripod and slow shutter speeds, but if you are only taking them for reference work they don't have to be perfect photos. I have some adequate shots taken in the city at night with an iPhone- no expertise needed for that. Here are a couple of examples of work I have done that way.
The reference was taken in Brooklyn with an iPhone.
Downtown Charleston, SC. Also with iPhone.
Last month I took a workshop with Chris Groves that covered nocturnes. He asked us to pick a daytime photo, make a value study first, then paint over it with color, adhering to the nocturnal values. Here is how mine turned out-
Reference shot
Underpainting using only transparent red oxide.
Color applied over underpainting using dark values, cooler colors. Letting small bits of the warm underpainting show through creates a pleasant vibration.
Another approach is to edit a daytime photo to make it look like a nocturne. Not all photos work for this, but here is an example in which I lowered the exposure and decreased the saturation until it appeared to be a moonlit scene.
This could serve as an adequate reference. I haven't painted from it yet but I plan to give it a try.
There was an excellent article about painting nocturnes from daytime photos in the November 2018 issue of PleinAir Magazine. Five artists discussed their approach to "mock-turns" with tips on nocturnal palettes and choosing/editing photos along with excellent demonstrations. (I believe that back issues of this magazine can be ordered through the website.)
Of course nocturnes can be painted en plein air, and many hardy souls do this successfully. I have yet to try because I live in an area where alligators roam after dark. I hope to do it in a more urban environment in the future. Lighting for the canvas and palette is an issue. Some artists recommend using the light from a street light, etc. There are many portable desk lights that would serve this purpose at very little cost. Here is one I recommend because of it's low price and weight. The brightness and tint are adjustable and it runs on rechargeable batteries.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071ZDSL3P/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Things to keep in mind when painting nocturnes-
Colors are darker and cooler- think blues and greens.
Warm colors should be minimized and less saturated- use the cooler versions of warm colors
Photos with high contrast make the best references.
Experiment with these if you haven't already. I have more fun when trying something different.
Thanks for reading!
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