long shutter night time car pics (with light trails)

[mike137]

hi all, im pretty new to this so im expecting a bit of a grilling

went out last night with a few mates and attempted a few long shutter photos with my new tripod, it was my first time trying this technique and im looking for a few tips on how to improve my photography.

photos were taken with my nikon D60 with 18-55 VR lense and UV filter on shutter priority and shutter speeds varying between 20 and 30 seconds.

anyway... the photos:

[RecceDen]

I like the fourth shot better.

The sky to me is blown out on the other shots, especially the first 3. This I think will be due to time of day. The blown out sky detracts the eye from what you were capturing.

On the fourth shot the horizon is not level, but I prefer the colors of the sky.

Was the intention to capture Light Trails or capture your car with some light trails in shot? If I was shooting this I would compose the shot slightly different. Id concentrate on getting a good clean shot of the light trails without the fence.

I however am no Pro, so my views on your shots are just that.

RD

[windrider86]

Thank you for posting in the critique section!
There are certain criteria that needs to be fulfilled to post in the critique section so I am including a link to the guidelines for you to read. Within them they contain all the information you'll need to fulfill the information that is needed to be included in your posts. Thanks for doing so and looking forward to seeing your edited post!
Let me know if you need help

[KUlmer]

Were you just trying to capture the light trails? Looking at the image, the light trails are cool.My eye though is drawn first to the car, which is quite flat. It would have helped a lot to try to get a little more light on the car, even if it is just a bit to light it up and help balance the photo.

[mike137]

thanks for the input.

i will be honest i didn't read the posting rules beforehand, i will next time i post a shot for critique.

it was my first attempt at long shutter night time shots so im happy i haven't been blasted out of the water as totally useless. ill take your tips (plus a few others iv taken from another sites tutorials and post another shot for critique in the near future.

thanks again... Mike

[windrider86]

Cool, any chance of posting your exif for this one?

[mike137]

exif?

sorry, im a total noob with 90% of the jargon...

[windrider86]

exif is the settings that your camera was on at the time you took the photo.
It can be found in several places. If you use Flickr, it can be found under the action button. On your computer, right click and it may be found under image information. Or sometimes in your processing program under image information.
Knowing your camera settings will play a huge part in helping you understand why a photo may have been blurry or underexposed.
Exif info may look something like this:
Camera OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. E-520
Exposure 0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture f/3.5
Focal Length 35 mm
ISO Speed 100
Exposure Bias 0 EV

[mike137]

ah i see, photo bucket wont tell me so ill have a look when i get home.

cheers for your help.

[mike137]

not sure if this is the right info, but here goes...

Camera model: Nikon D60
Colour representation: sRGB
Flash used: No
Focal length: 18mm
F/number: F/20
Exposure time: 15 sec
metering mode: Pattern
Exposure compensation: 0 step