Night Photography

[tolstoi]

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ahhem..i'm a newbie in this field ..i know i still have more rooms for improvement , that is why i'm asking the pro's here to pls. share some thoughts, comments, suggestions & violent reactions on my pics.. :mrgreen:

Danao Parish church:

[img width=400 height=300]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b252/laotech/IMG_0058copy.jpg[/img]

[img width=400 height=300]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b252/laotech/IMG_0069copy.jpg[/img]

[img width=400 height=300]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b252/laotech/IMG_0073copy.jpg[/img]

Christmas tree @ the park:

[img width=450 height=342]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b252/laotech/IMG_0086copy.jpg[/img]

Mall @ night:

[img width=400 height=316]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b252/laotech/IMG_0095copy.jpg[/img]


note:

Camera: Canon A410 [optical zoom: 3.2X; digital zoom: off; AF: off; Flash: off; ISO: auto; Exposure: -1,0,1]

only resizing of image was edited in CS..


[edited title to suit all kinds of cams]

[pnoize]

try using a tripod to minimize the shakes and to get a more details.

i like how the first picture came out.

[tolstoi]

@pnoize2k4..sir do yu have any tip/suggestion on how to enhance details when shooting at night?..like the pic below [mall @night], lisud man i-enhance gud coz firstly dili kaabot ang flash didto sa oject, kung i turn-on sad ang flash murag ma saturated ang brightness [i dunno the exact term]..so much better i-off ang flash then mag rely nalang ka sa ambient light sa imohang object.

grabe gyud kalisud kung mag shoot ka during night time..i know master namo ani..any inputs will be much appreciated.

tnx for the reply

[edwin_sn]

i agree with pnoize2k4, use a tripod. flash photography will not give you a very nice result in this situation (lower pic you mentioned). use a tripod and a slow shutter speed to allow more light to get in your sensor. dont worry about the moving objects (like people and vehicles), they may be blurred but that will add to the effect of the night scene but you will get better details of the subject, the building in this case. just my 2 cents sir... enjoy photography and keep on shooting till you get the results you want to achieve.

[Minuano27]

@tolstoi: in my experience, it is usually better to take a faster exposure than what the camera sets. this is because a camera is usually set to expose the shot for the "average" light (depending on how its metering is set). an example of this is the 3rd photo, the christmas tree. i figure that the camera calculated this to be the "correct" exposure based on the intensity of the light from the tree. so, while the tree is outlined, the details of the tree aren't really clear bec. it is effectively "overexposed". you can also tell this from the neon sign on the upper left, where the white portion of the sign is really bright.

of course, this is all relative, bec. if you intended to capture the 3rd photo as it came out, then that is the correct exposure. if i were taking that photo, i'd prefer to get more details from the tree, hence my comment above.

unfortunately, i'm not familiar with the Canon A410 that you're using, so i can't say if you can adjust the speed. but if you can do that, then my suggestion is to "bracket" several shots. take an initial shot per the camera settings, then take 4 or 5 other shots, increasing the speed each time. then you can choose the best shot.

also, as pnoize said, it really helps if you have a tripod for night photography, bec. sometimes, you need a slower speed and would want to minimize camera shake.

hope this helps!...

[tolstoi]

@pnoize,edwin-sn & minuano27..many thanks for yur masterful advises..i admit that the tree shot was 1 out of 20+ shots i'd tried ..the previous and the succeding shots were mostly garbage [sticking heads, blurred, & some light noises]..but to no avail, it still needs to be polish pa gyud diay.haha

yep..i've played with the exposure and iso settings on my mundane A410 in getting those shots..and i've turned-off the Auto-Focus sensor becoz I want the shots to depend on my own control and eye-sight..lolz..mao cguro wala ka calculate ug sakto ang cams ..and yesss i badly needed a tripod

btw..pls feel free to post your night masterpieces..para ma benchmark sad ako mga pics

[Minuano27]

@tolstoi- you're welcome!

Here's a sample:

20D, f/5.6@0.8" on a tripod and shutter release. I shot a bracket of 6 pics and this was the best (i think this was the middle exposure). IMO, it actually looks better as wallpaper....

[img width=500 height=441]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/Minuano/Lights2414.jpg[/img]

[tolstoi]

^^very nice bro..details are really vivid and no observable blurr..maulaw naman ko sa akong pics

btw..do yu have a tree shot similar to what i've posted?..much better if yu have pics on that huge christmas tree in osmena blvd...i am juz curious on how yur high-end cams will be able to handle such excessive exposure coming from the lights

[tolstoi]

..and to all photography enthusiast out there..newbies and PRO..this is the best time of the year to consider NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY..lots of spectacular things/place to shoot at coz of abundant Christmas lights and decorations..go go go :mrgreen:

[Minuano27]

@tolstoi - nope i dont have anything similar...i'll see if i can get shots of the christmas tree...that's gonna be some work setting it up tho, with all the gear, but we'll see...