Seeking advice on long-exposure night photos with isolated bright lights

[JNE_Photos]

Hello everyone and Happy New Year! I recently shot some photos at the First Night Raleigh event and encountered a common problem: very bright flood lights in the middle of a relatively dark scene. I was trying to get some shots of the moving light using exposures ranging anywhere from 4 to 15 seconds, but couldn't seem to come up with a setting that worked. Obviously one fix is to frame the shot so that the bright lights aren't in it and I got a few that I was happy with (see second photo). However, are there any techniques that folks could suggest that might work? I've attached a wide angle shot so you can see the whole scene.

Thanks in advance,
Josh

Wide angle shot of Fayetteville St:

Wide Shot of Fayetteville St by JNE_Photos, on Flickr

Here's a photo that turned out a bit better:

Ferris Wheel on Fayetteville St by JNE_Photos, on Flickr

 

[Buckster]

The recipe I'd use to fix the problem you describe:

1. Bracket liberally (on a tripod) to get proper exposures of all elements in frame.
2. Combine exposures in an HDR program.
3. Don't overcook it - try to keep it looking "natural".

 

[JNE_Photos]

The recipe I'd use to fix the problem you describe:

1. Bracket liberally (on a tripod) to get proper exposures of all elements in frame.
2. Combine exposures in an HDR program.
3. Don't overcook it - try to keep it looking "natural".

Thanks Buckster. You've got some great HDR photos on your Flickr feed, too.

 

[Buckster]

The recipe I'd use to fix the problem you describe:

1. Bracket liberally (on a tripod) to get proper exposures of all elements in frame.
2. Combine exposures in an HDR program.
3. Don't overcook it - try to keep it looking "natural".

Thanks Buckster. You've got some great HDR photos on your Flickr feed, too.

Thank you kindly.