night pictures, help please!

[Tennessee Landscape]

i was standing in between sets of poles. if i had to guess, id say they were 20 feet apart so i was about 10 feet in either direction from an overhead light.

I would say those are the reason for the glare you pointed out. I would still work with the settings I gave you as well. A lens hood should cut down on the lens glare. Also, did you cover up your view finder? with your face, or did you pull back for the shutter time.. Light can get on the sensor through the view finder......

 

[spiffybeth]

i had backed away from the view finder. ill stay closer.
thanks for the help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Tennessee Landscape]

i had backed away from the view finder. ill stay closer.
thanks for the help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think if you combine that and possibly a lens hood you should be in good shape.....good luck.

 

[D-50]

How much light actually gets through the viewfinder, doesn't the mirror flip up and block where the light would come through. I would find having to cover the viewfinder for 6 to 30 seconds a real pain.

 

[MarcusM]

How much light actually gets through the viewfinder, doesn't the mirror flip up and block where the light would come through. I would find having to cover the viewfinder for 6 to 30 seconds a real pain.

Not only a pain...but not to mention I don't see how you could possibly hold your head up to the camera to block light coming in the viewfinder without bumping the camera and causing shake during the exposure.

I've never heard of light coming throught the viewfinder...is that true?

 

[Tennessee Landscape]

How much light actually gets through the viewfinder, doesn't the mirror flip up and block where the light would come through. I would find having to cover the viewfinder for 6 to 30 seconds a real pain.

Not only a pain...but not to mention I don't see how you could possibly hold your head up to the camera to block light coming in the viewfinder without bumping the camera and causing shake during the exposure.

I've never heard of light coming throught the viewfinder...is that true?

I use my thumb to cover the view finder....MY camera also came with a cover for the view finder as well....................

 

[MarcusM]

I use my thumb to cover the view finder....MY camera also came with a cover for the view finder as well....................

wow, you must be really steady. I wouldn't dare even breathe near my camera during a long exposure, much less touch it.

I thought the cover was to protect the viewfinder when not in use.

Also, I just tested my camera and the viewfinder is blocked out during exposures.

 

[D-50]

I think the idea that light can leak onto the sensor through the viewfinder is a miconception, yes the viewfinder is a tunnel to the sensor but the mirror will block it. maybe if yuou held s flashlight directly up to the viewfinder light would get through but I doubt a light ten feet from where your camera is is going to leak onto your sensor

 

[Tennessee Landscape]

wow, you must be really steady. I wouldn't dare even breathe near my camera during a long exposure, much less touch it.

I thought the cover was to protect the viewfinder when not in use.

Also, I just tested my camera and the viewfinder is blocked out during exposures.

Don't know your equipment, but in my Nikon manual, it says that the view finder cover is to prevent light from entering into the viewfinder during a self protrait ......when using the timer.....

 

[whistlingelk]

Im new to photraphy, just learning. But i think I see the outline of her head in between the starburst .

 

[AluminumStudios]

Not every flare comes from the front of the lens. In digital you can often get reflections between the hotmirror (the blue'ish glass filter in front of the sensor) and the rear lens element. There's not much you can do about these other than change the angle you are shooting from with respect to the lights and cross your fingers. The flares you are getting may very well be reflections between your hotmirror and the rear lens element, especially if they are inverted matches to light sources in the image.

 

[Turn]

Um...why not just pp it out?

 

[spiffybeth]

Im new to photraphy, just learning. But i think I see the outline of her head in between the starburst .

first, welcome to TPF!
and second, i dont think you're seeing the outline of my head. im not sure where you're talking about though, so maybe i'm wrong?

Um...why not just pp it out?

i can (when i get better with PS), but id rather understand what's causing the lens flare so that i can avoid it in the future.