Disney at Night

[AusumInSD]

Finally was able to stay late at Disneyland. Also wanted to try out my gorrillapod and shutter release. Any comments or critiques are welcome.



Model: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XSi
Shutter Speed: 2.5 sec
Exposure Program: Auto
F-Stop: f/3.5
Iso: 100
Focal Length: 18.00 mm
Lens: 18-55mm kit lens
Flash: no flash

[DivotMaker]

It is such an awesome place, after the sun sets. Almost takes on an entirely new feel.

Posting EXIF data, will help with the critique.

The first things my eyes notice, is the street is not level. Which causes me to tilt my head.

I also notice either the time was a little too long, causing the lights to be too bright, or the shot is slightly out of focus. The trolley rails appear to be in focus, but not the center of focus. So, my eyes seem to be jumping around trying to find something to come to rest on.

You might try PP the level of the street and maybe playing with the exposure.

Not sure if you used any filters, but a suggestion given to me here on the forums, of using a polarizing filter, might really help this shot in the future.

With that said, you did a good job of capturing that special feeling of Disneyland after dark.

Divot

[dakwegmo]

I'm amazed that you managed to get a shot like this with so few people in it.

Agree with Divot about the focus. You've actually done an incredible job given that this was a 2.5 second exposure. But the combination of f/3.5 and the long exposure leaves an image that is just a little too soft for my tastes. Some sharpening in post will help, but ideally when shooting like that you would want a stable platform to shoot from. If not a tripod then brace the camera against something like a light pole, or even put the camera on the ground.

[AusumInSD]

Thanks Divot, I'll have to try a polarizer next time. Never really thought of using one for nighttime. @dakwegmo, After looking at it again it is a little too soft. The right hand side looks a little bit too bright for me. I'll see what I can do with sharpening in post just to see what it would look like.

[dakwegmo]

A poloarizer is going to cause you to lose another 1-2 stops of light. Plus it'll kill any reflections, which may mean losing some of the light bouncing off the street. There's no harm in trying it, but I don' think it's going to help with this shot. If you're just trying to tame the exposure, a little faster shutter speed should do the trick. Though, you'll lose more detail in the shadows if you do that.

[DivotMaker]

Originally Posted by dakwegmo

A poloarizer is going to cause you to lose another 1-2 stops of light. Plus it'll kill any reflections, which may mean losing some of the light bouncing off the street. There's no harm in trying it, but I don' think it's going to help with this shot. If you're just trying to tame the exposure, a little faster shutter speed should do the trick. Though, you'll lose more detail in the shadows if you do that.

I agree you may lose a stop or two, but I think the polarizer might help the street and the lights. Since the OP was using a gorillapod and shutter release, my thought was the additional time might not be as big of an issue.

Without hijacking the thread, I think the polarizer would have helped the lights and the reflections as in this shot. The lights themselves are crisper and the reflections on the towers are more balanced. If the OP was able to achieve this, in the shot, I think this would have been a real winner.



Just my two cents, and I am open to any suggestions, as the Disneyland shot has inspired me to try a couple ideas, in B&W.