Savannah at Dusk - Help me Shoot in the Dark!

[ironmike]

I took this cityscape shortly after sunset over Savannah's River Street and would like your feedback. Very minimal post-processing has been done (white balance only as I recall).

My goal was to get an 8x10 quality print that captures as much detail as possible (ripples in the river without blur, time on the clock, etc) and in the end I am happy - but not ecstatic. What would you have done differently on camera? Here's a link to a larger version. Appreciate the feedback!



Exif Info

Camera	Canon EOS REBEL T1i
Exposure	0.3
Aperture	f/5.0
Focal Length	39 mm
ISO Speed	1600
Exposure Bias	0 EV
Flash	Off, Did not fire
X-Resolution	1
Y-Resolution	1
Viewing Conditions Illuminant Type	D50
Measurement Observer	CIE 1931
Measurement Flare	0.999%
Measurement lluminant	D65
Orientation	Horizontal (normal)
Date and Time (Modified)	2011:03:16 20:09:30
Exposure Program	Aperture-priority AE
Date and Time (Original)	2011:03:16 20:09:30
Date and Time (Digitized)	2011:03:16 20:09:30
Metering Mode	Multi-segment

[Corey Thompson]

The larger version doesn't look as tack sharp as it could. Where you using a tripod? It looks like there could have been a very small amount of lens shake. Or it could be due to your aperture. Perhaps try shooting a cityscape between f11-f16, open your shutter up longer, make sure your tripod is extremely sturdy, and try using either a remote shutter release or the timer function to avoid touching the camera when you shoot.

Aside from that though, the shot looks nice. I like the reflections in the water too.

[SwissJon]

Hi,

Corey's right, I notice you're shooting at 1600 ISO. Probably to enable you to hand hold this picture, I take a lot of evening and night shots, usually with water and the real trick is getting the camera steady. You can't really get hand held shots to work at night, and if you want to blow the pictures up to the size you say, you need to reduce your ISO.. So you need to get yourself a good tripod and a remote shutter release.

[ironmike]

Corey & SwissJon - thanks for the feedback re: sharpness; it was definitely a lapse in fundamentals on my part in retrospect. I had forgotten my tripod and had the camera sitting on an ironing board on the balcony w/ no shutter delay or remote release.

[Krusty79]

You can also use the mirror lockup function on your camera to reduce the chance of vibrations even further. I am also going to remove my camera straps because they flutter in the wind.

[phil24]

Although not specifically what you asked for, I was curious what it would do for the whole picture if you cropped down a little on the top and bottom and rotated slightly to bring the foreground more towards you and the far side up more giving a stronger appearance of depth. I really like the shot- since we are getting foot of snow right now I really feel the warmth of Georgia

[EOBeav]

Yeah, a tripod is a must for situations like this. Then put your ISO at your lowest setting possible. Also, what would this shot look like if you took it from the water's edge?