Night Art

[whistule]

Interesting. I was curious about the longer exposure times - like several seconds or longer. If I want any more than one second on my OM20 it's case of holding down the button for as long as you feel is 'right' - which I quite like but that and the limited functionality of the light meters makes it difficult to predict what your pictures are going to look like. As you suggest after a while I'm sure you'd develope some sort of instinct...although even then I would suggest it would be pretty difficult. Digital has obvious advantages here (and that's coming from someone who generally prefers film!)

Afterthought: Wouldn't it be cool if all the shutter speeds could be controlled by how long you hold the button for? You'd eventually get a feel for it and never need to be forever messing about shutter speed controls. If only!

 

[dEARlEADER]

Interesting. I was curious about the longer exposure times - like several seconds or longer. If I want any more than one second on my OM20 it's case of holding down the button for as long as you feel is 'right' - which I quite like but that and the limited functionality of the light meters makes it difficult to predict what your pictures are going to look like. As you suggest after a while I'm sure you'd develope some sort of instinct...although even then I would suggest it would be pretty difficult. Digital has obvious advantages here (and that's coming from someone who generally prefers film!)

Afterthought: Wouldn't it be cool if all the shutter speeds could be controlled by how long you hold the button for? You'd eventually get a feel for it and never need to be forever messing about shutter speed controls. If only!

You would most likely encourage shake by holding down the button on long exposures.

 

[Battou]

Any night shooters on film? Any example pics - B&W particularly. I imagoine must be much more difficult with film not having tried it myself.

I do, I shoot all my night and dusk shots on film,

Some examples
Color negitive:
http://www.photo-lucidity.com/pic-912.html - this one is a scanned color neg, Sadly it's noisy as hell due to my scanner. - Canon 35mm 3.5, 2/1 at f/3.5, ASA 200

C-41P BW negitive
http://www.photo-lucidity.com/pic-871.html - this one is a scanned Kodak BWCN Neg, Indoor shot. - Canon FD 50mm f/1.4, 1/4 at f/16, ASA 400

Color negitive - Color BW Convertion:
http://www.photo-lucidity.com/pic-683.html
http://www.photo-lucidity.com/pic-684.html - his one is a scanned color print - Canon FD 50mm f/1.4, 1/1, at f/16, ASA 800
Color conversion done on Adobe Illustrator 10

Interesting. I was curious about the longer exposure times - like several seconds or longer. If I want any more than one second on my OM20 it's case of holding down the button for as long as you feel is 'right' - which I quite like but that and the limited functionality of the light meters makes it difficult to predict what your pictures are going to look like. As you suggest after a while I'm sure you'd develope some sort of instinct...although even then I would suggest it would be pretty difficult. Digital has obvious advantages here (and that's coming from someone who generally prefers film!)

Afterthought: Wouldn't it be cool if all the shutter speeds could be controlled by how long you hold the button for? You'd eventually get a feel for it and never need to be forever messing about shutter speed controls. If only!

This is called (Bulb) setting on your camera, that is how it was done before electronically timed exposures where done. As dEARlEADER stated this could induce camera shake, so you will need for this a shutter release cable so that your hand is not in direct contact with the camera body for the exposure time.

I don't use the bulb settings at all so I have no examples of bulb shots, I do use multiple electronically timed exposures to exceed the limit of my cameras timer. Sadly I don't have any good examples of extencive exposure but I do have this.

http://www.photo-lucidity.com/pic-651.html - Scanned color print - Canon FD 50mm 1.4, f/16 at 30 seconds, ASA 800, exposed three times totaling a little over minuet and a half

 

[whistule]

This is called (Bulb) setting on your camera, that is how it was done before electronically timed exposures where done. As dEARlEADER stated this could induce camera shake, so you will need for this a shutter release cable so that your hand is not in direct contact with the camera body for the exposure time.

- oh yeh, I wasn't thinking... of course you can't use a shutter delay timer with the bulb setting.

I like the shot with the playboy mag (for all the right reasons of course ;-), and 'fire on the mountain'. Assuming there is a bit of hit and miss - particularly with the 'fire on the mountain' one but how would you work out roughly whats going on - or is just a case of running lots off to get a feel for it?

 

[KOrmechea]

As you suggest after a while I'm sure you'd develope some sort of instinct...although even then I would suggest it would be pretty difficult.

Well, it's a little easier than you may think (not that I've really tried it). All you'd need is an accurate reading from the camera or a meter. We'll go with f/2.8 at 30 seconds (completely hypothetical).

This will give you accurate exposure, but not enough depth of field (for this particular scene). Say you're looking for something more along the lines of f/11 (a difference of 5 stops... I think). Because you know (or at least should know) that shutter speeds double in length from stop to stop (just like aperture sizes let in twice as much light) you can calculate that you'll need to hold the shutter open for... 16 minutes.

So, all you really need is a good stop-watch. And time.

I think that's right. Someone can correct me though.

 

[Roger]

Another keen night shooter here, although I havent done that much since moving to Italy and I've been trying to figure out why. I think the language problem is the major reason, having to explain what you're up to if somebody (mainly police) asks. However I will be going out more now the weather is getting warmer....I tried going out this winter, but found being really cold and fiddling with the camera/tripod, combined with the language issue really took away from the enjoyment.