Night Time: Long Exposures

[bgaideski]

I'm looking for feedback and general tips from any of you that enjoy shooting in the dark.

I have put together a few of my night shots on my blog here: Photos by Brian Gaideski: Night Experiments and i wanted to share a couple with you guys to see what you think!

Thanks in advance!

Much to my surprise someone recently purchased a print of this one from me:

Last night on the Lake:

Old Tavern Inn: The Old Tavern Inn

Ok this one I added for more of a bonus then anything. There is a ton wrong with this picture. However this was an experiment so i think some artistic value shines through. Out of three attempts this one looked the best. You would have no idea how hard it is to be the photographer and a model at the same time when in complete darkness, surrounded by water. (hence the limited 3 attempts)

 

[swedberg311]

I LOVE the first one, I understand why someone would want to buy that print, I too have tried a couple night shots takes alot of skill and luck, I think number 2 may have been better had the shutter been open a lil longer IMO!

 

[Geaux]

#1 is MONEY! Love it

 

[Stephen.C]

I really like number one. Celestial like rays.

 

[bgaideski]

Thanks for all the compliments!

It looks like quite a few people are a fan of number 1.

I think im going to have to get a few prints made up of that one.

 

[jspark13]

#2 aint bad either...good i think...man i gotta go out and get a tripod...

 

[Abby Rose]

One is awesome! Otherworldly, almost. I would have set the timer and gone and stood right there in that patch of light on the right, just for a little something extra, but that's just my style and no reason why you should. And it would add a completely different feel, and the feel yours gives is cool as well.

2 isn't bad either, but not terribly interesting. Maybe crop to get that blotch of light from the window or whatever out on the right side?

3 and 4 aren't really anything special, it seems, though I understand that 4 was an experiment. Always good.

 

[Blake.Oney]

On number one, did the light come out like that? Or did you change the color in pp? Also, PMed.

 

[bgaideski]

On number one, did the light come out like that? Or did you change the color in pp? Also, PMed.

Actually there is no post processing on this one at all. The image you see here is what actually came out of the camera.

Here are the specs on this one: EXIF

Nikon D5000
Apature: f/6.3
Exposure: 30 Seconds (Shutter Priority)
ISO: 320
Focal Length: 20mm
White balance: Auto
Metering: Center Weighted Average


The story behind this image:
I was out at about 3 in the morning trying to capture pictures of the stars. A fog had rolled in and was just starting to get really thick as I was setting up. So instead of taking pictures of the shooting stars which proved to be damn near impossible, I decided to experiment with long exposure and the lights around. This light produced a really orange glow, and a few of the other ones not seen in this picture produced a really green glow. All depends on the bulb type and camera white balance settings. This image would have probably been quite dull if it wasn't for the fog.