Night photography and christmas tree

[KreGg]

Well I tried taking this, but I think I just couldn't get it right. Mainly the focus... from all the pics I took, I think this was the sharpest one. I was using a tripod and autofocus on my Tamron 28-75 2.8. Don't know what happened here with the focus.. maybe it was just not enough light and the autofocus got confused, though i always got the beep saying it had focused? Can this actually happen?

Composition wise I think I did okay, no? I was trying to implement some composition rules I've been learning, like how to use lines to draw attention to the main part (in this case, I tried using the lights coming from the upper corners of the image to the christmas tree) and rules of third.

Anyway, here is the pic:

 

[elementguy13]

what exposure did you use? look like it didnt work out and you tried the hdr type approach

 

[MLeeK]

You have editing halo around your tree where you darkened it or something.
Were you using a remote shutter release with that tripod? That is usually the culprit for that little bit of blur-not using one. Start in live view so the mirror is already flipped up and use a remote or a timer.

 

[rgregory1965]

I used off camera flash with remote triggers, bounced it off the ceiling to hit subject and adjusted camera settings slower to get the tree lights.....I think they came out nice.

 

[LightSpeed]

I wouldn't complain about this image if I were you.
It's sharp and well composed. And it's not HDR. I see no halo.
May have used some post crop vignetting?
Looks good.

Well done

 

[KreGg]

what exposure did you use? look like it didnt work out and you tried the hdr type approach

I tried HDRing with different exposures, but I couldn't get it right at all when post processing all the pics...
This one originally was aperture 2.8, 1.0 seconds shutter speed, ISO 400 and (I forgot I had this on, and I actually just found this out now...) +3.0 exposure compensation. Maybe the +3.0 compensation killed me with the christmas light here?
Anyway, I tried to bring out the background a bit more while not totally blow out the christmas lights.

MLeek, I don't have remote shutter cable. I put it on 2sec timer though, so I am not touching the camera when it begins shooting.

 

[KreGg]

Thanks LightSpeed. I may have just got a bit frustated, out of so many pictures just this one came at a usable sharpness hehe

 

[MLeeK]

use live view too. Perhaps your mirror is shaking things a bit when it slaps up. It's not bad for sharpness. You are going to get some things softened because of the glow from the lights.
If you were in full manual the +3EC wouldn't matter. If you were in shutter or aperture priority it will make a huge difference.

 

[KreGg]

hmmm so using live view for tripod and long exposure shots helps with sharpness? I will take this note down.
I shot on shutter, aperture and manual mode tonight. Looking on the exif information it says Exposure Mode: Manual. Is this it?
Thanks.

 

[LightSpeed]

Thanks LightSpeed. I may have just got a bit frustated, out of so many pictures just this one came at a usable sharpness hehe

I sit on subjects for hundreds of shots for one image. I go back to the same subjects on different days under different light for one image.
Do not be fooled. Contrary to some of the nit picking, that my friend is a very good capture.
Your use of the rule of thirds is clearly seen by those who see it.

Keep it up.

I am LightSpeed and I approve this message.

 

[LightSpeed]

hmmm so using live view for tripod and long exposure shots helps with sharpness? I will take this note down.
I shot on shutter, aperture and manual mode tonight. Looking on the exif information it says Exposure Mode: Manual. Is this it?
Thanks.

No.
The only thing live view is good for, is composition.
That's my opinion on it. Your eyes resolve better thru the viewfinder.

 

[MLeeK]

If you aren't using a good, stable tripod your mirror's movement can reverberate thru the camera.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

hmmm so using live view for tripod and long exposure shots helps with sharpness? I will take this note down.
I shot on shutter, aperture and manual mode tonight. Looking on the exif information it says Exposure Mode: Manual. Is this it?
Thanks.

No.
The only thing live view is good for, is composition.
That's my opinion on it. Your eyes resolve better thru the viewfinder.

No, your eyes can't resolve better through the viewfinder than when you zoom in your live view for focusing. I use live view exclusively for night photography.

 

[LightSpeed]

hmmm so using live view for tripod and long exposure shots helps with sharpness? I will take this note down.
I shot on shutter, aperture and manual mode tonight. Looking on the exif information it says Exposure Mode: Manual. Is this it?
Thanks.

No.
The only thing live view is good for, is composition.
That's my opinion on it. Your eyes resolve better thru the viewfinder.

No, your eyes can't resolve better through the viewfinder than when you zoom in your live view for focusing. I use live view exclusively for night photography.

There may be an exception to be had at night.
Otherwise liveview is pure crap during daylight hours for several reasons. Reflections, not being able to see liveview because light is hitting the screen etc etc.
Night cures some of this.
Off a tripod, since the mirror stays up thru the process of capture can be handy but so is mirror up.

Wiki
Depending on the viewing position of the reflex mirror (down or up), the light from the scene can only reach either the viewfinder or the sensor. Therefore, many older DSLRs do not provide "live preview" (allowing focusing, framing, and depth-of-field preview using the display), a facility that is always available on digicams although today most DSLRs offer live view.
The advantages of an optical viewfinder are that it alleviates eye-strain sometimes caused by electronic view finders (EVF), and that it constantly shows (except during the time for the sensor to be exposed) the exact image that will be exposed because its light is routed directly from the lens itself. Compared to ordinary digital cameras with their LCDs and/or electronic viewfinders the advantage is that there is no time lag in the image; it is always correct as it is being "updated" at the speed of light. This is important for action and/or sports photography, or any other situation where the subject or the camera is moving too quickly. Furthermore, the "resolution" of the viewed image is much better than that provided by an LCD or an electronic viewfinder, which can be important if manual focusing is desired for precise focusing, as would be the case in macro photography and "micro-photography" (with a microscope).
Compared to some low cost cameras that provide an optical viewfinder that uses a small auxiliary lens, the DSLR design has the advantage of being parallax-free; that is, it never provides an off-axis view.
A disadvantage of the DSLR optical viewfinder system is that while it is used it prevents the possibility of using the LCD for viewing and composing the picture before taking it. Some people prefer to compose pictures on the display – for them this has become the de-facto way to use a camera. Electronic viewfinders may also provide a brighter display in low light situations, as the picture can be electronically amplified; conversely, LCDs can be difficult to see in very bright sunlight.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

No.
The only thing live view is good for, is composition.
That's my opinion on it. Your eyes resolve better thru the viewfinder.

No, your eyes can't resolve better through the viewfinder than when you zoom in your live view for focusing. I use live view exclusively for night photography.

There may be an exception to be had at night.

Isn't that the topic at hand?