Pittsburgh Nightscape

[tammysue79]

This was taken in September from atop Mt. Washington in Pittsburgh, PA. I only had my D60 for a month at this point, and this was my first attempt at nightscapes. I had a lot of fun and can't wait to go back for more! Not to mention that Pittsburgh is such a great city to photograph!

I tried different shutter speeds, and I think this one turned out the best, especially the bottom of the pic with the fountain at Point State Park and the river. Are the reflections around the bridges too distracting? Any pointers on how to make them a little less distracting? I tried a faster shutter speed, but that pic didn't turn out nearly as good. Are there any other settings that I could have changed to improve the shot?

Shooting Info
Nikon D60
55mm
ISO 100
3 sec
F4

[Wooglah]

Originally Posted by tammysue79

Are the reflections around the bridges too distracting?

No, they are awesome. Because of them, the water is not black but alive and magical. That's the thing about the night. It's not as dark as you would expect

What is distracting is that white/burned square of light, in the top-left corner. Dodge it down a little bit.

[coldfire22x]

needs a primanti's sandwich and a yuengling

i like the reflections on the water, and the point looks good, but the jumbotron (or whatever it's called) over at the stadium throws off the balance with the darker bottom right corner.

you should also try to get some shots from over by station square or maybe even a little more west along the ohio. that was always my favorite angle of the skyline

[EMansfield]

I don't have issues with the light's reflection in the dark water as well. My only concern is the composition. The upper part looks very busy that I don't know which part to focus on. Maybe you can consider cropping a bit portion of the upper part. Just my two cents.

Cheers!

Eric Mansfield

[GadgetRick]

I love reflections. They always add depth to photos (imo).

The jumbotron is distracting.

It's busy but I don't mind on this one for some reason. I like the shot.

[SuperDan]

Originally Posted by coldfire22x

needs a primanti's sandwich and a yuengling

i like the reflections on the water, and the point looks good, but the jumbotron (or whatever it's called) over at the stadium throws off the balance with the darker bottom right corner.

you should also try to get some shots from over by station square or maybe even a little more west along the ohio. that was always my favorite angle of the skyline

ditto on the YING.... but... overall I agree with coldfire on everything...

only other thing i have would be to crop some of the water out on the bottom

[autofocus]

I agree Tammy..PGH is a great photographic experience. Lived there once in a little burb called Zelienople...about 30 minutes north of the city. Still get out there once or twice a year to visit some in-laws, and always look forward to doing so. (but hate the 8 hour car ride from CT though)

Vince

[tammysue79]

Thanks everyone for the comments. I definitely agree with the Jumbotron glaring in the upper corner. Unfortunately right now I don't have any editing software other than the free Picasa software. I'll definitely keep that in mind when I am finally able to get PS. And I'll keep the composition/location suggestions in mind on my next outing!