Trouble with night shots...

[Vicelord John]

My night shots can not get crisp lighting and I can't figure out what I am doing wrong. What's up with this?! The buildings signs are not easily read, like I'm overexposing??? but if I underexpose, they look dark I just am not getting something here....

Here are mine....

Here is what I'm so jealous of...

http://www.jochenhertweck.com/pics/china2006/shanghai/night/nanjingdonglu/Img_3005.jpg

 

[PatrickHMS]

If you didn't actually take that last photo, you need to link to it. Posting photos taken by someone else are not permitted by TPF rules.

One is only allowed to post photos that THEY actually took...

We know that you didn't know (it was in that stuff most of us never read when we register, we just click "I agree" or something), so this is just a polite way of letting you know.

As for your own photos, keep shooting, you will learn a LOT here on TPF.

So WELCOME!!!!!!!!!!

(The above text was highlighted later on, wondering what part of the highlighted text was perceived to be so mean and so rude by the OP ??? )

 

[Vicelord John]

Ok, I'll change it, but you couldn't have provided an answer to my question in that five paragraph rant?

Just curious...

 

[PatrickHMS]

Ok, I'll change it, but you couldn't have provided an answer to my question in that five paragraph rant?

Just curious...

My lordJohn,

I wasn't the one who failed to read and abide by the forum rules, and I wasn't ranting, I was being polite to let you know about the rules. Someone was going to do so, just happened to be me.

So shoot the messenger, right?

And you didn't have to be so defensive, at this point I will never comment on any photo you take or any post you make.

Your shots were okay, but nothing special and they didn't rock my world, so I politely chose to decline to comment on them. You are a newbie, and I just didn't want to slam you on your composition, exposure, horizon, or lack of focus in your shots.

Okay?

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, no, SIX paragraph here including this one.

 

[Vicelord John]

sorry man it just came across like you were so quick to correct someones behavior, when the polite thing to do may have been to offer an answer to the question and then say oh, btw can you take care of this issue as well?

I don't feel I was being defensive, as you now are, but simply asking for someone to come across in a courteous and polite manner.

So thanks for clicking on my thread, ignoring someones cry for help and correcting their innocent mistakes, and then getting defensive with me when I tell you how you could have requested a change to my post. If you really wanted to be "polite" as you put it, you'd have sent me a PM, instead you spoke to me as if you had to explain something to a five year old.

You represnt your site well, sir.

 

[PatrickHMS]

You are not 5, probably more like 15-20. I never said anything that wasn't in a nice way.

If I had not done so on the forum, someone else would have, and you would probably acted the same way towards them. If I had sent you a pm, someone else would have still mentioned it in the thread.

I was trying to be polite, even said so, but you chose to not take it that way.

Will be happy to ignore your photos and your postings from now on, like I said in my last post.

 

[Vicelord John]

Ok, so please ignore me.

I didn't join a site with this much potential so I could argue with keyboard warriors.

Thank you for all of your kind help. You've really contributed positively by taking so much time and effort just to ask me to take a picture down and put up a link instead. I think you're right that it could NOT have been accomplished by simply just saying "hey man, I know you're new but we have a rule about not posting images you didn't take. By the way, here is what you can do with your photos..." Nope, instead you chose to be totally confrontational in your manner of speech. It's hard for tone to show over the internet, but you've made it show well, congratulations. I now notice you have your sig say "been into photography since 1969." It's totally obvious you are one of those know it all, old cranky guys, who think because you have experience you are the end all of everything. You feel the need to make others feel like you're so God like that they should feel blessed that you even gave them the time of day.

If I weren't so bored at my desk right now, I wouldn't even be playing this game with you. So I'm not going to speak to you, and you aren't going to speak to me, which sounds tremendous. I'm glad that on my third post on a site, some self righteous guy such as yourself had to come in and ruin the whole thing for me. Not to mention the fact that it doesn't appear you are a moderator. Do you try to pull over speeders on the freeway as well?

Again, if I were in your shoes, I'd be much nicer and more welcoming to people. You'll win friends with honey.

 

[John Thawley]

John:

There are a number of reasons you're getting the results you're getting... or not getting.

A thirteen second exposure is a VERY long exposure. What type of tripod are you on?

Also, were these shot with the kit lens? Extreme shooting situations will typically show the weakness of lesser equipment. And, you want to keep in mind that lenses tend to have "sweet spots"... apertures were they are stronger, sharper, clearer.... and obviously, the opposite.

It is tought to shoot this sort of shot. Simply by nature, you've got lights that want to blow out your exposure and shadows that want to hide from your exposure. Often shots like this will be created by using a sandwich of multiple exposures.

Event the time of night will play into it. Underexposing at twilight can be effective... since the artificial lights will be subdued, you can underexpose the sky and manage the artificial light.

It's just a matter of bracketing and trying different shutter speeds and aperture settings to see if you can hit the right combination.

And don't think that a lot of this can not be controlled in post processing too.

The tripod needs to be SOLID as a rock. If that shutter is sitting open for 13 seconds, the slightest breeze can cause movement (ever so slight) and will accumulate and blur or soften your shot.

It ain't easy... if it was, everybody would be doing it. Keep trying different things. Anchor that tripod... don't extend the legs all the way out... try some sandbags or something that will stabilize it.

Of course, a shorter shutter speed would help... but expose for the artificial lights. Get control of those first.

Good luck.

JT

 

[KmH]

John:

There are a number of reasons you're getting the results you're getting... or not getting.

A thirteen second exposure is a VERY long exposure. What type of tripod are you on?

Also, were these shot with the kit lens? Extreme shooting situations will typically show the weakness of lesser equipment. And, you want to keep in mind that lenses tend to have "sweet spots"... apertures were they are stronger, sharper, clearer.... and obviously, the opposite.

It is tought to shoot this sort of shot. Simply by nature, you've got lights that want to blow out your exposure and shadows that want to hide from your exposure. Often shots like this will be created by using a sandwich of multiple exposures.

Event the time of night will play into it. Underexposing at twilight can be effective... since the artificial lights will be subdued, you can underexpose the sky and manage the artificial light.

It's just a matter of bracketing and trying different shutter speeds and aperture settings to see if you can hit the right combination.

And don't think that a lot of this can not be controlled in post processing too.

The tripod needs to be SOLID as a rock. If that shutter is sitting open for 13 seconds, the slightest breeze can cause movement (ever so slight) and will accumulate and blur or soften your shot.

It ain't easy... if it was, everybody would be doing it. Keep trying different things. Anchor that tripod... don't extend the legs all the way out... try some sandbags or something that will stabilize it.

Of course, a shorter shutter speed would help... but expose for the artificial lights. Get control of those first.

Good luck.

JT

JT pretty much covered it. I just wanted to point out that the image you linked to is no better than yours. if you look depper into that image at eh 'Kentucky Fried Chicken' sign, it's really no sharper than the distant signs in yours.

 

[Ejazzle]

And you didn't have to be so defensive, at this point I will never comment on any photo you take or any post you make.
.

Will be happy to ignore your photos and your postings from now on, like I said in my last post.

till the next time he posts?
Don't be a dick about someone else's work. Since you're obv a pro and hes obv a newb you should help him out a little.

It almost looks as if you have some blur due the tripod being moved or vibrated. were you shooting in Bulb mode? If you were holding your hand on the camera could have cause some of the blur.
also you should try a smaller aperature next time (bigger number) when you are doing a 13 sec exposure. Go experiment. thats the best way to learn

 

[Brian L]

Ya john your images are just as sharp as the one you posted. I fell you could sharpen in photo shop but they look good to me man. Also I have posted others photos that someone else has shot to show as an example. I don't think photo forum has an issue if your using it for an example of an effect. How else are you to get a point across. Rules were made to be broken. Thoughtful of you too point that out but I don't see that you are a mod so I wouldn't say anything cause you then get the response you did. I would leave that job to the mods. Just saying. Peace!

p.s cause then we won't get these fights you see all the time.