Why?

[CFRacer22]

I tried taking some shots tonight and most of them ended up like this, I was using a tripod, I don't thinkt the road was that rough, what is causing the waviness in the lights?

 

[CFRacer22]

oh yea, and this is my first attempt ever to take night shots so I was just completely trail and erroring all the settings, so any advice on that would be appreciated

 

[markc]

I wouldn't be surprised if it was from a slight pulsing of the anti-lock system for the brakes cause the car to bounce a touch.

 

[CFRacer22]

That came to mind, it just seemed a little extreme, cause I did get a few descent shots when the lines were straight and it looks like those cars are not on their brakes...

 

[LaFoto]

But that road is rutted, you can see it in the second photo.
So much so that the passing cars shook even your tripod and you did not get camerashake-free photos (look at the yellow sign in the second). A camera totally not touched in the process of firing (set on timer, for example) on a very firm tripod ought to have given you a totally clear photo. I think...

 

[Mole]

I think its probably that your tripod is not sturdy enough. If you don't have a real sturdy tripod then your camera will shake just so slightly when you press the shutter button or if your press the shutter right after you compose the shot. It's hard to see through the view finder if your using a short lens especially at night, but if you take a long lens and look real close in the daylight you can see the camera moving. You should also either use the timer to trip the shutter or get a cable release.

 

[JIP]

I think its probably that your tripod is not sturdy enough. If you don't have a real sturdy tripod then your camera will shake just so slightly when you press the shutter button or if your press the shutter right after you compose the shot. It's hard to see through the view finder if your using a short lens especially at night, but if you take a long lens and look real close in the daylight you can see the camera moving. You should also either use the timer to trip the shutter or get a cable release.

Nothing is moving but the car lights so it is obviusly not camera shake it has to be some movement of the cars.

 

[LaFoto]

Well, there are clear signs of camera shake in the signs (both the yellow one and the white streetsign in #2), but I am sure the cars also move along a rutted surface (which you can make out in Photo 2, as well), which accounts for the wavey lines. They are quite funny, in fact!

 

[Tyson]

Set the timer, it is your camera moving, I have been shooting night scenes the red could be different cars light being higher than the others. I had one come out like this and it was because of the three cars tail lights were not the same distance from the ground. I use my timer on 2 seconds.

 

[markc]

I wasn't really paying attention to the signs. I do think it's camera shake now. The amount the waves move up and down fit with how much the signs are blurred.

 

[c_mac]

it could also be the mirror itself moving the camera. maybe next time out, see if you can set the shutter lock-up option. this raises the mirror all the way before actually taking the picture. i have noticed a time or two that that is the cause of my camera-shake. (probably because of a cheaper tripod)

this is just another possibility...test it out.

 

[CFRacer22]

Well I've lost the part that screws into the camera for my good tripod, so I was using a friend's and it is pretty cheap, I just still didn't figure it would move that much..