Great shots Konky! I especially like the smoke on the fog lights in the third pic. Also the skyline pic is truly excellent! I just wish it wasn't grainy :( ...what kind of settings on that picture?

 

Okay...so it's not a MINI.....but it was shot at twilight, handheld. Nikon D1x

 

We had a REALLY black sky last night so i busted out the free tripod that i stole from my parents' garage sale that they got for free when they bought they're first camcorder in stone age. Its sucky, but it got the job done?

--
Cheese

 

hot shots Dan!

cheese, that first shot is very nicely executed. no noise, sharp, good color I think.

 

Cheese,

Can you post the shooting data?

#1 - I like quite a bit.

#2 - the soft focus is distracting

#3 - Too bad that damn sign is there. Otherwise, I like how you worked the wall into the picture.

 

#1]
Make - Hewlett-Packard
Model - HP PhotoSmart C850 (V05.32)
ExposureTime - 234318/100000 seconds
FNumber - 2.80
ExposureProgram - Normal program
ISOSpeedRatings - 100
ComponentsConfiguration - YCbCr
ShutterSpeedValue - 2 seconds
ApertureValue - F 2.93
BrightnessValue - -3.63
ExposureBiasValue - -0.50
SubjectDistance - 0.83 m
MeteringMode - Center weighted average
LightSource - Standard light A
FocalLength - 10.64 mm
CustomRendered - Custom process
ExposureMode - Manual
WhiteBalance - Auto
SceneCaptureType - Standard
GainControl - High gain up


#3]
Make - Hewlett-Packard
Model - HP PhotoSmart C850 (V05.32)
ExposureTime - 68953/100000 seconds
FNumber - 2.90
ExposureProgram - Landscape mode
ISOSpeedRatings - 100
ExifVersion - 220
ComponentsConfiguration - YCbCr
ShutterSpeedValue - 1/1 seconds
ApertureValue - F 2.98
BrightnessValue - -2.67
ExposureBiasValue - 0.00
SubjectDistance - 3.78 m
MeteringMode - Spot
FocalLength - 17.25 mm
ExposureMode - Manual
WhiteBalance - Auto
SceneCaptureType - Landscape
GainControl - High gain up

Thanks for your comments. I dont have a lot of manual control over my camera :( #2 wouldnt focus and I have no manual focus. Its a pretty spooky place tho, so I kinda liked the soft "focus." Hopefully, I can upgrade soon.... too many hobbies, too little money.

 

Was your camera having problems focusing because if the lack of light? I carry a good flashlight with me, so that I can illuminate the subject, get a focus lock, turn the flashlight off, and then snap the picture.

Do you have the ability on that camera to select different white balance options? If so, you may want to take a couple different exposures of the same subject and vary the white balance. It's not too big of an issue in the pics below, but sometimes the auto wb doesn't do too well at night with incandecent or florecent lighting.

Interesting how your camera is selecting these kind of odd shutter times (i.e. not standard fractions of a second).
ExposureTime - 234318/100000 seconds
ExposureTime - 68953/100000 seconds

 

Nice stuff Cheese.....casino pic almost looks underwater - imagine an Asbury Park tsunami or polar ice melt.

 

http://photobucket.com/albums/v298/c...Night%20Shots/

I threw a few more in there. All the EXIF data is intact in all of them. I tried messing with some of the white balance choices (shade/tungsten/flourescent) but they all produced weird results). I like some of them, but they were very unnatural looking. I included one that made the sky VERY blue, but it was hand held so its all freaked up.

Thanks for the flashlight tip. I'll give that a shot.

--
Cheese

 

I got my D70 today around 6pm so I kind of had to give it a test run at night. I posted my shots in another thread... check them out.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...500#post388500

 

I got the ML-L3 remote for my D70 yesterday. It's a tiny little thing (about half the size of what I was expecting).

In any case, I took out the camera and the remote last night to shoot some longer exposures.

In Malibu around 11 PM last night:


I edited this last night. As I look at it this morning it seems it could stand to be a bit brighter. Mental Note: don't edit photos at 12:30 AM and count on the results turning out perfectly. I'll post another edition later today.

 

Don't change a thing, Dave! Mark, I think you have a winner for the 2005 NAM Calendar! Great image, Dave! Me likeeee!

Clover

 

How long was that exposure Dave? It looks great but as you said I think it could be just a touch lighter. Did you shoot in raw? I love the post processing flexability shooting in raw gives you.

I took a few more shots last night with a friend of mine with a BMW... I'll have them up as soon as I get down to crunching through them.

 

Off the top of my head I'd say 3-4 minutes @ F/4.2 or so, but I'll have to dig up the exact shooting data when I get home.

 

Sorry to jump back a bit in the post, but as for the sign... I think that it creates a interesting balance on the left side of the shot. Almost a "framing" type of composition. Great shots- My fav is # 1.

 

Oh, I almost forgot the "non-photography" excitement from last night. I was headed home from taking that picture when a small deer crosses the road right in front of me. I jammed on the brakes, the seatbelt pre-tensioner engaged, and I made contact with the deer right between the headlights. The very good news is that I only wound up "nudging" the deer several feet. The deer sprinted off and once I got to a well lit area I was able to inspect for damage. Happily there wasn't any and my MINI only had some deer hair embedded in the grille from the encounter.

 

Excellent photograph! I like the way the utility lines lead you down to the MINI's bonnet.

(I never realized so many stars could be visible here in SoCal. Usually I need to go out to the IE or up and/or over the Grapevine to see starry nights.)

 

Nice Dave!

 

Yeah, it was interesting. As I stood on the top of the hill I could look to the East toward L.A. and need to stop down to F/11 because of all the light pollution. To the West, it was significantly darker and I could be at F3.5 to F4.5 and take a multi-minute exposure.

 

Here's a version of the photo above that has been cropped tighter. Does this work better?



Also, I need to correct shooting data - my memory wasn't so good.

Shooting Data:

Nikon D70 with 18-70mm F3.5-4.5
F/3.5 for 311 seconds
ISO 200
Focal Length: 18mm

 

Actually, Dave, I prefer the original composition. I love seeing the MINI being smaller in its world than the larger image represented in version #2. It has a certain cosmic feeling that is very appealing. :smile:

Clover

 

I agree with Clover, the first one is better. The "cosmic" feeling is enhanced by the arc of the star trails- version #2 cuts that arc.

 

Dave, that's a fantastic trick with the really long exposure and the effect it has on the stars. Came out quite well although a tad too dark on the car I think. Still, very good for what you had to work with!

don't write your name so big on the pics..

 

Here's a brighter version of the full frame pic.



The original for direct comparison.



I prefer the sky in the original, it carries of the sense of "nighttime" a little better, but the car looks a little better in the brighter version.

smaller text on the new photo.

Dave

 

it's a tough balance....you want the dark sky but a brighter car. i like the newer one though. more surreal effect. thanks for changing the text!