Beach at Night

Night photography is a style I have  always enjoyed.  Shadows and highlights make a scene look totally different when photographed at night.  As always, shutter speed or the ability keep the camera steady to create sharp images is a must.  I can hold a camera steady at 1/30 consistently if I control my breathing and keep my upper body tight during the shot.
A fast lens is also a huge help.  When I travel, I leave the 50mm 1.2 behind and take my 50mm 1.4 instead.  As rugged as the 1.2 is, I am a little paranoid about ruining a $1500 lens when I travel.  The 1.4 is a fantastic lens for about $400.
Photographing in high ISO is also helpful.  The Canon 5D MK2 does a great job of working in the 2500- 3000 range with good noise control.
The choice of color or black and white is based on the warm tones in the image.  If there are warm colors because of the light, then I keep the final edit in color.

 Color Images-
Canon 5D MK 2
Canon 50 mm  1.4 1/30  ISO 1800

Canon 5D MK 2
Canon 50 mm  1.4 1/30  ISO3200