Night Photography Exposures

[RainPacket]

Wow... it's been quite a long time since I came to these forums and posted! Been reading to try and catch up for a bit, and thought I'd toss a query out here.

As people who remember my previous stint on the forums will recall, I enjoy night photography when I can find a good shot, especially nighttime urban landscape photography!

This past weekend, I returned to False Creek (same place as the linked shot), and tried taking a few more night photographs. This time, I was trying to capture a specific feel with the lighting, and so I took some time playing with the exposures. On both of these shots, the exposures are not 'technically' correct... one is probably slightly above 'ideal' exposure, one slightly under. Neither by much, but...

I'm curious what people think of the effects, and what people like to aim for in their own nighttime exposures.

The pictures in question are:

[Sistog]

Very Good Shots... You are a good nighttime photographer and the effect that you gave it's beautiful..

[ditch_azeroth]

i have the perfect word for both shots: rusticity. doesn't it fit? ^_^

anyway, i love doing night shots too. one thing i have been thinking of, but never really go the opportunity to do so, was doing an extreme hdr of sorts on a night shoot. i'm not talking about setting the bracket to extremes full stops, i'm talking about taking the exact same shot - one probably at 1/6, next at 10 seconds, and next at 30 or so seconds.. then create a night-time "HDR" out of those shots. i wonder if it can be pulled off...

[candleman]

i also like to have fun with the dark... i think you did these good... a tripod helps!

[RainPacket]

Originally Posted by candleman

i also like to have fun with the dark... i think you did these good... a tripod helps!

Oh, a tripod more than helps; I'd go so far as to say I think a tripod is vital for proper night photography. (I love my Manfrotto. It's their cheapest tripod, but it's durable but light.)

That said, if you're willing to really push the ISO, have a decent lens, and have NoiseNinja, handheld shots CAN be done at night without a tripod:



...I just prefer the slightly surreal and dreamlike look of the lighting you can get with a long exposure on a tripod.

That said, I am still curious about an answer to the question... do people find, when trying for a night shot, that it's best to slightly underexpose (as in the first image I posted) or slightly overexpose (as in the second).

My personal feeling runs normally towards the second (which I also think is a better exposed shot), but the first one was an experiment and I find the result is growing on me...

[MarcelLuettmann]

My opinion: The first one would be just right if the car wasn't there. But with the car, I try to figure out details of the car. But I can't - it's too dark. Besides the car, the areas of the picture that are too dark to see details are just the same as areas where I see details (pavement), so that's ok.
Maybe lighting the car with a torch would help. Or stealing that car and take the photo afterwards. (But don't take too many before/after pictures - the police might want to see them!)

The second one is a mixed one - the skyline is slightly too dark, while the wall of the house in the foreground shows some areas with too much light. HDR might be worth a try.

Marcel

[RainPacket]

So, toying with exposures from the original RAW, do people then prefer...



...to the original first post?

[Arun]

The first two posts I feel are little too dark. I was straining to see what else was captured within the images apart from the obvious lights.

I like your last one best as you can clearly see the different elements in the scene and the posts and curvature of the path which kind of lead you into the frame.

Thanks for sharing

[RainPacket]

See, I think the second one (the car looking across the water) has just the right amount of light... it hints at the skyline across the water, and hints at most of the car, but doesn't quite reveal. (I admit that one, I think of as being a bit like the car has driven up to the water and parked to gaze out at the lights and dream of travel. This is what happens when writers turn to photography...)

But the first one, which I re-did the exposures from the RAW on, I think works fine brighter. On the other, it may be a matter of personal taste.

[Tajemi]

Ooooh.. I love the one with the puddle!! Were your settings about the same as for the other shots?