My First Night Shots Ever!!

snapapple

These were shot from my deck last night at about 9:30PM. I used the shutter button on the camera because I couldn't figure out how to use the remote. I got out the CD manual this morning, which has lots more than the hand manual, and finally found the info. Tonight I will use the remote shutter button.


Some of the shots came out blurry because the dogs jiggled the deck. A very slight movement, but it made a difference. Tonight I will put the camera on the concrete. I just hope it's clear tonight. We've been having a lot of fog. With temperatures in the high 90s or over 100, when the heat and the marine air hit, we get dense fog. We can see the ocean during the winter months, but it's almost always obscured in the summer.

These were shot in JPEG. I can shoot in RAW, but I have no software to process them. I do not have Photoshop CS. I only have Photoshop Elements. If anyone knows how I can get some cheap software, let me know. I can't spend the money for Photoshop CS right now. I'm still trying to save up for a Rebel.

Number 1 - The local shopping center



Number 2- Cowles Mountain on the horizon



Number 3 - Cowles Mountain and the El Cajon Valley

ginger_55

Gosh you have a great view, Snappy. I love those lights, I always have. When I moved to Denver at 16, I had a choice of a bedroom with a mountain view, or a bedroom with lights of the "city" view. I picked the one with the lights. And I would look out the window at night, wondering who was doing what in all those places with lights on.

Snappy, I would just suggest that you shoot earlier. After the sun has set. But soon after, within that hour you can get great photos. The magic hour, as Andy says.

I would shoot for two hours, depending on what I was getting.

ginger (But then I shoot a lot and use lots of memory. Sorry, I just had to add that.):D
great job!!!!!

Steve Cavigliano

Snappy- These turned out well for a first attempt. A really wide view of lots of nice lights with the mountains in the BG :-)

I agree with Ginger's suggestion about shooting closer to Sundown. There's less difference between the dark sky and the bright lights. Also, using the remote is a good idea (glad you found that info in your CD manual). Some of the camera shake you pinned on the dogs, may have been due to not using the remote. I have blown quite a few night shots when I wasn't using the remote :-(

Once you get comfy shooting night shots maybe you will attempt to nail the scene I always dream of getting. The Coronado Bridge ;-) Everytime I've been back to SD, there's either been fog over the bay or it was raining. Rain in San Diego, can you believe that? Must be my photographic luck...lol

Super job and I look forward to seeing your next attempts,

Steve

snapapple

Nice to hear from you Steve

Steve Cavigliano wrote:

Snappy- These turned out well for a first attempt. A really wide view of lots of nice lights with the mountains in the BG :-)

I agree with Ginger's suggestion about shooting closer to Sundown. There's less difference between the dark sky and the bright lights. Also, using the remote is a good idea (glad you found that info in your CD manual). Some of the camera shake you pinned on the dogs, may have been due to not using the remote. I have blown quite a few night shots when I wasn't using the remote :-(

Once you get comfy shooting night shots maybe you will attempt to nail the scene I always dream of getting. The Coronado Bridge ;-) Everytime I've been back to SD, there's either been fog over the bay or it was raining. Rain in San Diego, can you believe that? Must be my photographic luck...lol

Super job and I look forward to seeing your next attempts,

Steve

Thanks for the comments. Believe me the dogs made the deck bounce. The pictures had squiggly lines on them. But, I'm just getting the feel of this.
I've always wanted to get a shot of the Coronado bridge too. I don't know where to go to get a good view. I was using my zoom all the way to get these. The lens goes from 35 to 105. We live way far out in the east county, so the ocean is 20 miles away. I'm thinking of putting the camera to the eye piece on the telescope to try for the bridge. (I have adapters for the lenses on my film camera.) I was going to try it last night, but of course it was all fogged in. I'm afraid to go traipsing around in the dark taking pictures. A woman alone, you know. If I can talk my husband into it, I may be able to go over to the coast one evening. It's cloudy today, and my husband is out of town, so maybe on the weekend. I went over there during the day for the "wide angle" challenge to try to get the bridge, but I couldn't figure out where to go. I was only able to get a small section of bridge from where I was. Lots of barges were in the way too. Got nothing.

MainFragger

snapapple wrote:

Thanks for the comments. Believe me the dogs made the deck bounce. The pictures had squiggly lines on them. But, I'm just getting the feel of this.

I had a similar problem with shooting fireworks on July 4th. My tripod is pretty lightweight, and I was shooting from the 14th floor of a condo that is right off the bay. It gets pretty windy there. I held the tripod and camera as still as possible, but the vibrations from the wind made a lot of the fireworks come out squiggly.

MainFragger