Low Light/night shots

[rocketman]

These are just for fun, not really a serious effort as I didn't go into any great lengths to set up or spend a great deal of time on them, just playin around with 18-50 lens

The first were taken last night while playing pool and then some from this morning on the way in, pre-dawn, trying out my new grorilla-pod that I picked up on the way out yesterday evening.

The pool shots were all taken hand held, no VR and just available light I did some very basic corrections to lighting, using the auto correction feature of the editing program that came with my Sony CyberShot. I was bracketing the shots at +.7 EV. 2 frames per release and Got a nice 4 picture sequence of my friend shooting and one nice shot of a ball right after impact from the que ball.

http://roadrunes.com/images3/4-fun/pool-1.jpg

http://roadrunes.com/images3/4-fun/pool-2.jpg

http://roadrunes.com/images3/4-fun/pool-3.jpg

http://roadrunes.com/images3/4-fun/pool-4.jpg

http://roadrunes.com/images3/4-fun/pool-5.jpg

Then this AM around 5:30 stopped in Clifton, a tiny historic town I pass thru on the way to work and used the gorilla pod slipped over the car window. Bracketing +/- 1.0 EV, 3 frames per sequence.

These are the best of the lot, though the first one seems a tad too bright

http://roadrunes.com/images3/4-fun/store-1.jpg

The next one the window looks a bit out-of-focus thru the sign outside and in the window look sharper than the objects in the window, odd since the sign are at different distances.

http://roadrunes.com/images3/4-fun/store-2.jpg

The next two are the store front first one unmodified, the second one I played with lighting a bit to bring out the black(dark) areas

http://roadrunes.com/images3/4-fun/store%203-nmod.jpg

http://roadrunes.com/images3/4-fun/store-3-mod.jpg


And two more of the store front

Frist one right from the camera

http://roadrunes.com/images3/4-fun/DSC_4321.jpg

Second one I upped the shadows and reduced highlights

http://roadrunes.com/images3/4-fun/DSC_4321(1).jpg

RM

[SNC1923]

These are nice series, RM.

For my money, I like the first pool shot the best. Although he hasn't shot yet, he's also not looking at the camera, a more natural pose, I think.

http://roadrunes.com/images3/4-fun/pool-1.jpg

You're right about this next shot. Focus is definitely an issue. At first I thought the camera had simply focused through the window, but in looking at it enlarged, I can't find a point of focus anywhere. The "Good Hot Food" sign appears to be as out of focus as the rest. I think the stark blank and white contrast gives the illusion of sharpness. Interesting. . . .

http://roadrunes.com/images3/4-fun/store-2.jpg

This is my favorite shot of the shop. Nice. Wet streets, just like in the movies, are very photogenic.

http://roadrunes.com/images3/4-fun/store-3-mod.jpg

Nice stuff. Thanks for the views.

[bricciphoto]

These are just for fun, not really a serious effort as I didn't go into any great lengths to set up or spend a great deal of time on them, just playin around with 18-50 lens

Then this AM around 5:30 stopped in Clifton, a tiny historic town I pass thru on the way to work and used the gorilla pod slipped over the car window. Bracketing +/- 1.0 EV, 3 frames per sequence.

The next two are the store front first one unmodified, the second one I played with lighting a bit to bring out the black(dark) areas

http://roadrunes.com/images3/4-fun/store%203-nmod.jpg

http://roadrunes.com/images3/4-fun/store-3-mod.jpg


And two more of the store front

Frist one right from the camera

http://roadrunes.com/images3/4-fun/DSC_4321.jpg

Second one I upped the shadows and reduced highlights

http://roadrunes.com/images3/4-fun/DSC_4321(1).jpg

RM

Rocketman, I like the first exposure the best. The shadows look natural and there seems to be good contrast throughout the shot. The bottom three images do not look as natural to my eye because of the shifts in contrast in the darker tones. This is a nice subject and probably worth exploring a bit further creatively (I realize this was an on the way to work opportunity). It would be interesting to see how this shot would be rendered using a graduated neutral density filter to balance the exposure of the storefront facade with the sign on the roof (and roof). It would also be interesting to see this scene with the earliest of morning light--it looks like a colorful storefront. Thanks for sharing. :thumb

[rocketman]

Rocketman, I like the first exposure the best. The shadows look natural and there seems to be good contrast throughout the shot. The bottom three images do not look as natural to my eye because of the shifts in contrast in the darker tones. This is a nice subject and probably worth exploring a bit further creatively (I realize this was an on the way to work opportunity). It would be interesting to see how this shot would be rendered using a graduated neutral density filter to balance the exposure of the storefront facade with the sign on the roof (and roof). It would also be interesting to see this scene with the earliest of morning light--it looks like a colorful storefront. Thanks for sharing. :thumb

tanks! I do have a graduated filter, good idea. I also want to do some better close-ups of the window with the glass jars in it. there is also an old Texico gas sign next to the store, the town dates bact to the 1800's and has some nice old houses.
Actually the thrid is also unmodified, just zoomed in a bit closer from the same location, could be that is was the one in the series of three at +1 EV. I did two series, the second one being at a higher zoom, I'd have to double check the files, since it was a quicky post. I pass thru it every day since the route thru it makes for a much nicer commute. Several of my recent series are taken along the 2-lanes roads thru that area.

RM

[SheRidesABeemer]

I was playing with the low light issue this weekend at Lisa's birthday party.

For the most part, I left the camera on the tripod and shut the flash off.
I like the resulting motion in the shots; it's indicitive of the energy of the group.

Exposure: 0.6 sec (3/5) Aperture: f/4

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2186/2224732712_5af57eb6e1.jpg

Exposure: 0.25 sec (1/4) Aperture: f/2.8

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2274/2223941607_58a84a2366_o.jpg

[rocketman]

more from Old Town Alexandria VA


http://roadrunes.com/photo-challange/images/bar.jpg

http://roadrunes.com/photo-challange/images/boat-2-1.jpg[/im]

[img]http://roadrunes.com/photo-challange/images/gazebo.jpg

http://roadrunes.com/photo-challange/images/King-street-2.jpg

http://roadrunes.com/photo-challange/images/man-lamp-2.jpg

and one more self-portrait (and NO its not a cowboy hat!!!:D ) this is one that the folded image in the free association thread is based on

http://roadrunes.com/photo-challange/images/lamppost-1.jpg

RM

[Ruben]

Isis and the Feathered Serpent. Universal Forum of Cultures. Monterrey, Mexico.

http://bmr39.smugmug.com/photos/219966146_KXTLm-S.jpg

[kbasa]

Our backyard.

http://kbasa.smugmug.com/photos/160738430_fUKhV-L.jpg

Ruben! :wave

[kbasa]

http://kbasa.smugmug.com/photos/147860015_cKCt8-L.jpg

[kbasa]

Easter morning ride to Mt. Tamalpais

http://kbasa.smugmug.com/photos/142052913_qS5Ux-L.jpg

[kbasa]

http://kbasa.smugmug.com/photos/142056503_H2B2W-L.jpg

[kbasa]

http://kbasa.smugmug.com/photos/142063147_AJ7yt-L.jpg

For these last couple, I was using a very short tripod and running the Nikon on full auto. Exposures were running 20 or 25 seconds, I think.

[bensonga]

Some wonderful low light images here! I'm really enjoying them.....challenges me to push the boundaries and try something different for a change. :-)

I've got a few low light shots.....does a photo of Mars taken with a Canon D60 thru a friend's telescope count? ;)

One of my other serious interests is amateur astronomy. This was one of my first attempts at astrophotography, taken during a Mars close approach in August 2003. My friend had an incredible Astro-Physics 8 inch apo refractor and big AP high precision GOTO mount. I had the necessary adapter to attach the D60 and we gave it a go.

I haven't gotten much better at it since then, but the results which some folks are getting with the latest generation of DSLRs is pretty amazing. There's an excellent Yahoo Group on DSLR Astrophotography, if you're interested in seeing some of their work.

To tell you the truth however, I prefer simply looking at of the wonders of the night sky thru a telescope or binoculars with my own two eyes, rather than taking photographs of them. Here's one situation in which photography just doesn't do it for me.

Gary Benson
Eagle River, Alaska

[ConcowRider]

Palm Springs Area

[OUTBACKUFO]

just after sunset on Indpendence Pass, CO ( 10 second exposure)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/OutbackUfo/Motorcycling/lazerindy2.jpg

another Indy Pass pict taken at about 300am one morning.... had to rest the camera on the guardrail right along the shear cliff drop... bit of a black abyss everywhere

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/OutbackUfo/Motorcycling/Portfolio/Untitled-1.jpg

Somewhere in middle of nowhere NW Kansas on a dirty iron butt ride... had to lay on the road to set the camera still enough to get the pict...Sunrise (430am)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/OutbackUfo/Motorcycling/Portfolio/Kansas4am.jpg

[OUTBACKUFO]

[QUOTE=KBasa;292370]Easter morning ride to Mt. Tamalpais

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/OutbackUfo/Motorcycling/MISC%20Motorcycling/142056503_H2B2W-L.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/OutbackUfo/Motorcycling/MISC%20Motorcycling/142052913_qS5Ux-L.jpg
[QUOTE]

Great images... Kbasa...:thumb

[adsinger]

Taken with my old Canon S70 and no tripod ('cause I'm a dummy).

[adsinger]

No tripod, used the curb then cropped it out.

[kbasa]

[QUOTE=KBasa;292370]Easter morning ride to Mt. Tamalpais

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/OutbackUfo/Motorcycling/MISC%20Motorcycling/142056503_H2B2W-L.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/OutbackUfo/Motorcycling/MISC%20Motorcycling/142052913_qS5Ux-L.jpg
[QUOTE]

Great images... Kbasa...:thumb

Thanks, Mike!

[DougGrosjean]

Dave,

Every now and then I get elitist about folks who click away in the hopes of getting lucky. But shoot - you do it so often, and get conistently great results, that you're the one "machine gun" photographer that makes me accept the technique as valid.

[DougGrosjean]

My own favorite nighttime shot, taken October 1982, during the time I lived in Phoenix / Tempe, from South Mountain Park.

<img src="http://gallery.photo.net/photo/4086911-md.jpg"/>

Details:
I'd only been out of high school only 2 years, had completed motorcycle mechanic school at Phoenix's MMI, and was living 2000 miles from home. No car, no family, no entanglements. And had finally gotten into photography after wanting to do so for years.

Shot on Kodachrome 25, F5.6, shutter speed of 4 minutes. Everything that came down during that time was captured.

I was glad not to be electrocuted, or wet. I'd ridden up on my Kawasaki KZ-650c, mini-tripod and stopwatch and camera in the Eclipse tankbag, in windy weather. When I arrived, I could see rainy areas scattered in the valley below. I'd been up there many times before to shoot the valley below at night, all lit up, so knew the exposure. I pulled out my mini-tripod and my 35mm SLR and my stopwatch. Exposure was 4 minutes, f5.6, on Kodachrome 25. I took 3 shots; this was the first. The second shot all the lightning bolts were in one area on the left, and the third shot the show was over, there was no lightning.

Dodged every drop of falling rain, saw an awesome storm, and got one shot that still stuns viewers over 25 years later.

It wasn't just luck that I had my camear and tripod and knew the exposure. I was prepared for something, but didn't know just what when I left my apartment in Tempe AZ. But I sure can't take all the credit, because I couldn't control where the lightning bolts came down at, or where they appeared in the frame.

[kbasa]

Dave,

Every now and then I get elitist about folks who click away in the hopes of getting lucky. But shoot - you do it so often, and get conistently great results, that you're the one "machine gun" photographer that makes me accept the technique as valid.

You miss every ball you don't swing at. :)

So I swing a lot. I think I shot about 200+ frames that morning over about a two or three hour period.

I took this one in Camp Scheideck about a year ago on a nice, moonlit night.

http://kbasa.smugmug.com/photos/114574588_5wfTx-M.jpg

[DougGrosjean]

You miss every ball you don't swing at. :)

So I swing a lot. I think I shot about 200+ frames that morning over about a two or three hour period.

I took this one in Camp Scheideck about a year ago on a nice, moonlit night.

http://kbasa.smugmug.com/photos/114574588_5wfTx-M.jpg

Very sweet.

I try to be more like a sniper, so I don't have to edit much at home. Even when I'm shooting digital, I'll take the one or two shots that I have in my head, and then say "Got it" and go on to next activity. Usually I'm pretty sure of when I've got a great shot.

My son would get crazy-impatient if I shot 200 frames for your (excellent) shot.

But it does work for you, so don't take any of this as criticism. Far from it.

[MLS2GO]

This was shot on a monopod from the deck of a Crusie Ship just before we sailed from Honolulu.

http://mls2go.smugmug.com/photos/257303060_5xg9G-L.jpg

[username]

i love taking photos at night. brace yourselves...

san antonio with the tower backlit by the moon:
http://leetonium.com/san_antonio/swri_26.jpg

4th of july:
http://www.leetonium.com/user/binary/4th_08.jpg

capitol:
http://leetonium.com/holmes/for_web/holmes_95.jpg

more 4th of july:
http://www.leetonium.com/user/binary/4th_21.jpg

still more:
http://www.leetonium.com/user/binary/4th_28.jpg

at night in the airport:
http://leetonium.com/boston/boston_66.jpg

cue slack key guitar:
http://leetonium.com/hawaii/maui_04_43.jpg

boo!
http://leetonium.com/hween04/hween04_53.jpg

son of san antonio:
http://leetonium.com/misc_sept_04/sept_04_37.jpg

venice:
http://leetonium.com/italy/italy_547.jpg

more venice:
http://leetonium.com/italy/italy_557.jpg

still more venice:
http://leetonium.com/italy/italy_685.jpg

is there ever enough venice?
http://leetonium.com/italy/italy_561.jpg

go horns:
http://leetonium.com/UT_vs_Rice/UT_vs_Rice_93.jpg

best kept secret:
http://leetonium.com/california_01/california_01_54.jpg

more later...

[BradfordBenn]

I took this video over about 45 minutes...

http://bradfordbenn.smugmug.com/photos/253099398_YZKhN-M.jpg
Click here for video version (http://bradfordbenn.smugmug.com/gallery/4315732_Epj9M#253099398_YZKhN-A-LB)

Using this little setup
http://bradfordbenn.smugmug.com/photos/253554069_wHKCm-M.jpg

[kbasa]

Very sweet.

I try to be more like a sniper, so I don't have to edit much at home. Even when I'm shooting digital, I'll take the one or two shots that I have in my head, and then say "Got it" and go on to next activity. Usually I'm pretty sure of when I've got a great shot.

My son would get crazy-impatient if I shot 200 frames for your (excellent) shot.

But it does work for you, so don't take any of this as criticism. Far from it.

I think I shot about 15 or 20 to get that one.

The rest are here: http://kbasa.smugmug.com/gallery/2201987_2AAc2#P-3-20

I was just sitting at the picnic table, drinking beer and pointing the camera at different objects and pulling the trigger.

[kbasa]

best kept secret:
http://leetonium.com/california_01/california_01_54.jpg

more later...

Yum.

Speaking of tasty stuff, here's my neighbor at his 50th birthday party.

http://kbasa.smugmug.com/photos/1962132_HAXc2-L.jpg

[adsinger]

Handheld after dinner with seceral glasses of wine...

[kbasa]

:thumb

Very nice, sir.

[Beemerchef]

In San Antonio, NY Eve, walking around... forgotten tripod! Reminiscent of... Star Trek!:laugh

http://beemerchef.smugmug.com/photos/238278835_tJre7-L.jpg

http://beemerchef.smugmug.com/photos/238278833_Jfmmc-L.jpg

Be well...

Ara & Spirit

[KBikeKev]

http://a773.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/75/l_cc195a13fe08330751e1aef5f8f5ed34.jpg

Ok, I cheated a little... Sony Cyber Shot through ANVS-6

[KBikeKev]

http://a195.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/70/l_b363d9497032d1da4991b91c98e6ac9a.jpg

http://a239.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/109/l_55adf2238491141c17a095ff3cf130b6.jpg


C-23 Flying at dusk into night.

[KBikeKev]

http://a614.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/42/l_514ee5e2cce4d63de50ecb5826100ab5.jpg

http://a571.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/18/l_239559364077ba3508c09585d717aad2.jpg

[KBikeKev]

http://a301.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/43/l_1e2990399ae00b8029f7ef2630cc1b2c.jpg

[KBikeKev]

http://a702.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/13/l_a447c17f11f86071aa075e487debc6f5.jpg

http://a279.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/126/l_1d6633826fc8902346b1fb17e44c7fa6.jpg

http://a664.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/28/l_62b7d04ed1e6905f15393b901c45237f.jpg

[k75karol]

Outside at dusk

[k75karol]

Low light

[ASPHALT]

Last year at Descanso Gardens, near our house. Thomas' first birthday!

http://pizza.smugmug.com/photos/160072733_dqUD4-L.jpg

Same day I took this one.

http://pizza.smugmug.com/photos/160072676_XQAbo-L.jpg

And this one seemed more classic in sepia.

http://pizza.smugmug.com/photos/160072899_Peci2-L-2.jpg

Kids, bees and flowers...you can't go wrong.
Love everyone's photos. Thanks.

[ASPHALT]

Make that Kids, Bees, Flowers and Dogs. Gotta have pics of Dogs.

http://pizza.smugmug.com/photos/94900148_GZ6ZS-L.jpg

[k75karol]

Kids, bees and flowers...you can't go wrong.
Love everyone's photos. Thanks.

How about Birds and Bees (and F650's)http://Krol.smugmug.com/photos/262473258_QbkZx-L.jpg

[SNC1923]

http://SNC1923.smugmug.com/photos/244588007_kMkK2-L.jpg

[BONEY]

Put the camera on a barrel in some winery's cave somewhere.... :dunno But it's not really night.

http://www.beachbus.net/photos/d/73-1/AIC012.jpg

[NightNurse]

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc227/SACKDiRN/Zoe007-1-1.jpg
Zoe

[dancogan]

Put the camera on a barrel in some winery's cave somewhere.... :dunno But it's not really night.

Might not be night, but it's still a nicely done low light shot! :thumb

[BONEY]

Might not be night, but it's still a nicely done low light shot! :thumb

Thanks! One nice feature of the camera I'm currently using is that when set to manual it displays the image on the screen as it will look using the current exposure settings. So if you don't have the exposure right, it will show it. A nice side effect of having the preview I suppose. It takes some of the guesswork out, but I still took a few to bracket the exposures anyway. I tried a few with people walking in/out or holding their positions for a while and none of them worked as well.