03 August 2011

It's in the details

I haven't done a lot of night time photos.  The few have been shots while waiting for friends at the airport and a few with the tripod and remote, just to figure out how everything worked together. So, when part of my last assignment was to take several night shots with different settings, I ventured into a sleepy little town at night and snapped a few.


Bad shutter speed, wrong ISO, a little movement because it was hand held.  Not what I was hoping for.


Ta-Da! Corrected ISO, better shutter speed, good white balance and I propped the camera on the back of the bench for stability.  I think I even used the manual focus, since the AF and dark don't get along too well.  So much better.  I suppose it's a bit blown out with the lights, but when upped the exposure a little to see the rest of the building, it also made them a bit stronger.  Still, I like this one much better.  So, taking a few extra seconds to pay attention to all the details - yep worth the effort.

(BTW, slightly cropped and watermark added, but no other edits).

I hope to get more practice as the summer and fall go on.  Right now it's a little harder because although I love the night time, I have to be up and at work early.  Fall makes it a bit easier to get night and morning pictures in the dark.

M.E.

3 comments:

Jan n Jer said...

Great work...it is amazing what can be done with the right camera settings! I need to get my tripod n camera outside at night and get some practice!

Ashley Sisk said...

Just a few adjustments made all the difference!

Jen at Cabin Fever said...

I have been the victim of "wrong camera settings" so many times! Sometimes I don't even notice until I get home and look at the photos on my computer.... its great to take the time and learn from your mistakes right then and there!