Just because the sun is setting and the golden light is fading does not mean your photography has to end. As one becomes interested in photography oftentimes one of the first things to learn is how to do long exposure night photography. Night photography is a simple way to examine familiar subjects in a different light, no pun intended. It is easy to learn, just pick up a quality tripod and in the long dark nights of the winter it is a great way to get out, get shooting and relax after a busy day. Long exposure night photography can be daunting for some, but it is fairly simple and after some practice is easy to pick up. Below is the very first long exposure photo I took at night, with the last fading rays of the sun lighting the clouds.
I took it at f5.6 and exposed for 3 seconds 100 ISO. The first instinct of many photographers who want greater depth of field in their night shots for landscapes such as this is to just use the smallest aperture possible since they are already using a tripod, however it is important to remember this can actually lead to a loss in sharpness, since most lenses are actually sharpest around f8. While film is generally great for learning photography, digital can be useful in this case to learn the affects of different light levels and various settings. If you take long exposures with film another thing to remember is reciprocity failure, explained here at the Film Photography Podcast website. http://filmphotographyproject.com/content/howto/2011/10/what-reciprocity-failure There are a great number of different sorts of lighting, desired effects and goals, for a good guide to these various night light situations check out this site. http://www.johnharveyphoto.com/LearnNight/index.html The most important thing to do is to get out and practice, and before long it will become second nature!
Taken at f8 for 10 seconds 400 ISO.