Long exposure

[wolfepakt]

Decided that the hill three blocks from my house was a great place to try to shoot some long exposure shots of cars passing:

1)


2) (the yellow streak at the top was a taxi.... I really like how it turned out)


3)


4)


5) Love the car parked at the red light here. My second favorite of the night.


6)


7)


Thanks for looking!

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[LaFoto]

You got rain onto your lens in the course of your being out there, right?
Those blobs are a bit distracting. Quite a bit in some of your photos here.
All in all, though, nice examples for long exposures at night. You get some really funny camera shake effects in some, mostly so in the last.

In your second favourite of the night (which - I'm sorry to say so - appeals to me almost least) ... you remember what it was that gives you the dotted line of lights?

[wolfepakt]

That was someones turn signal.... No rain in the lens as I don't have a dSLR just a high end Kodak with some neat features (like long exposure)
I noticed the camera shake too, I should have set the cam to a 2 second delay before it started taking pics.
I think the blobs are the stop lights. That is why I aimed down at the end.

[cigrainger]

Definitely should have used the 2 second delay and I might suggest a stronger tripod. I do a lot of stuff like this, and what I would really recommend is getting out a bit earlier. Right now its a bit too dark and you're not getting any detail but the cars. Here's an example of two I took the other night:






See how objects/buildings have detail and the sky has colour? I took them at dusk, which is your prime time for taking "night" shots. Those were all about 20-30 second exposures.

Try to use a smaller aperture so you don't get such big blobs and streaks of light.

And like I said -- the self timer and a stronger tripod are your friend.

[wolfepakt]

Thanks, My camera only goes to a 16 sec exposure and the smallest Aperature I can use is f8. (the camera is a Kodak P850 not a dSLR) My Tripod is a bit weak, but you use what you have right!?

Good advice though! (one day when I am rich and can afford a dSLR I can do some of those things!)

[cigrainger]

Well you don't have to be rich to try shooting at dusk or use your 2-second timer.

[wolfepakt]

Well you don't have to be rich to try shooting at dusk or use your 2-second timer.

INDEED! the 2 second thing for sure! (I Just wish I had thought of that last night!)