The Church on a hill

[billmac57]

This was my first attempt at outdoor night time photography. I didn`t have a tripod with me. I was using a sigma 10-20 lens, of course I left my bag with the other lenses in the car and it was freezing so I only went back to go home. So how do you do night time pictures.

[Selected Pixels]

When you don't have your tripod with you its a huge handicap, unless you can find something solid to brace against. I looks like you were pretty steady anyway but the ole three legged friend.

In general, I try to avoid having street lighting in the image. With the long exposures the lighting blows out and then can get distracting.

I know what you mean about it being cold. I was out in Washington DC the other night and was wishing I had taken more cold weather gear. It makes it hard to think through getting the most out of a scene when you just want to warm up.

The church looks like an interesting subject. Given enough time (and warm clothing) it might be a good subject for a series of night photos of different angles, closeup vs. wide angle, etc.

[billmac57]

Thank you for looking and taking the time to comment. I will certainly have another try at taking the church if only the weather would improve.

[clockdoc]

Hi Bill,
I think there is a misconception that you have to wait until after dark to take night shots. What most night shots need is a little separation of the subject from the sky. To achieve this you have to shoot your shots earlier in the evening starting about 20-30 minutes after sunset. Shoot images every 30 seconds or so until you get the right sky balance with the ambient lights of the building. Doing this may also help with the exposure of the lamp post light you included in your shot.

[siopaopei]

i like the subtle lighting on the subject but the horizontal lines are a bit skewed. a little rotation will fix that.

[netbymatt]

That's some great lighting on the church you captured. I'm a little surprised that 10mm couldn't capture a composition without the streetlight. However, if you're going back you may be able to embrace that with two exposures and some photoshop work. Take one photo with the the street light properly exposed and another with the church properly exposed. With the dark night sky, it should be a quick cut and paste to get the two together.