Night Shots 12/25/04 - Golden Gate Bridge

dkapp

With a weeks worth of rain in the forecast, I decided to get off my butt tonight & take some bridge shots. With the storm rolling in, there was some nice texture & color in the sky.

Of these first three, which do you like best? I'm thinking either 1 or 3.








This shot was taken off a small fishing pier at Fort Baker. I also have one that is bridge only taken by the fence. I just like the dumpster in this shot for some reason




This is my favorite picture from tonight. This was a 30 second exposure at f/8. It's crazy how the sky turned out, but I love it.



This is another angle from a little further up the hill. I was making my way to the top for a panorama of the bridge with the city in the background, but they close that part off after sunset.


Now lets just hope the weatherman is very very wrong & it doesn't rain all week.

Thanks for looking,
Dave

luckyrwe

You rock.

dkapp

luckyrwe wrote:

You rock.

Thanks a lot luckyrwe! I had a lot of fun with these pictures.

I just looked out the window this morning & its raining. Makes me glad I got out last night.

Dave

Thiago Sigrist

Dave!
Amazing night shots, man! I'm really impressed!

Assuming you were using the D70 for those, do you use the long exposure NR? Also, which lens were you shooting with?

Thanks so much for sharing!
Take care!

-- thiago

ian408

These are some cool shots! I like #1, the dumpster shot and the last wide
angle shot. Though the last one looks like it could be rotated a bit.

It's not raining in the South Bay (yet)

Ian

pathfinder

I really like number 1 and the frame with the dumpster in the foreground. Nice counterpoint in the image.

How did you illuminate the telescope and the dumpster? They seem to be lit more brightly lit than the rest of the foreground. Flash or what? Very nice work Dave.

dkapp

Thiago Sigrist wrote:

Amazing night shots, man! I'm really impressed!

Assuming you were using the D70 for those, do you use the long exposure NR? Also, which lens were you shooting with?

Thanks so much for sharing!
Take care!

-- thiago

Thanks Thiago!

These were actually shot w/ my D2H. My D70 broke last weekend (shutter failure), and I used that opportunity to buy the D2H at the reduced price. I should have the D70 back in a month or so according to Nikon.

I didn't use any long exposure NR. I actually thought about it last night, but wasn't sure the correct way to do it. I've got to check it out in the manual & see how it helps my pictures. Have you used it before?

All the pictures were taken with a Tamron 17-35 f/2.8-4. Aperture was around f/8 and shutter speeds 25-30 seconds.

Dave

dkapp

ian408 wrote:

These are some cool shots! I like #1, the dumpster shot and the last wide
angle shot. Though the last one looks like it could be rotated a bit.

It's not raining in the South Bay (yet)

Ian

Thanks for rotation help. I was struggling with these last night. I use a hot shoe bubble level when I shoot, but I think the wide angle of the lens distorts the horizon regardless of my efforts. I'm still trying to figure out how I should go about correcting them. Laying on the couch with my laptop is probably not the best way to edit either

It rained here a little this morning. It must have been between 4 & 6:30am while I was asleep because I woke up to wet sidewalks & grass.

It looks like rain here now. I'm currently sitting in Starbucks my morning Americano. I can't get my day started without them.

Dave

dkapp

pathfinder wrote:

I really like number 1 and the frame with the dumpster in the foreground. Nice counterpoint in the image.

How did you illuminate the telescope and the dumpster? They seem to be lit more brightly lit than the rest of the foreground. Flash or what? Very nice work Dave.

Thanks for the kind words Pathfinder. I was trying for something a little different from the usual shot last night.

I used a small flashlight to "paint" the foreground subjects during the exposure. I think I kept them lit from 5-10 seconds of the 25-30 second exposure. Its hard to tell on the camera LCD when shooting. I've been thinking about getting the wireless transmitter for when I shoot. There are so many times I could improve the shot if I could just see it on my laptop while I'm there. But at over $400, I'll have to do some major sucking up to my gf before I can swing this.

Dave

Sam

Hi Dave,

I like the last two, but also have a question or two. I asume you shot in manual mode. How do you even arive at a guess to set the exposure to 25 seconds?

Last night I tried for the first time to shoot at night. My sister wanted some photos of local houses with Christmas lights. I just shot in AV and let the camera set the exposure from about 1 to 3 seconds depending, and they seemed to come out pretty well.

How whould I even know to set it for longer or shorter time?

Were you online at Starbucks?

Oh, like the idea of using the flashlight. I need to remember that one.

One more note. I just found Hakone Gardens in Saratoga. Yes I know it's been theer since the 1920's but I have just become aware of it. We should try to get the Bay area group over there in the spring.

Sam

gus

I like your style of photog dave

dkapp

Sam wrote:

Hi Dave,

I like the last two, but also have a question or two. I asume you shot in manual mode. How do you even arive at a guess to set the exposure to 25 seconds?

Thanks for the kind words Sam. I've been doing a lot of night work lately, so I can guess close to the exposure now & just adjust until I get it right. When I first started, I shot in manual & used the built in light meter to get my exposure close, then it was just trial and error until I got it right.

If I had to do this with film, there would be a LOT lower success rate.

Sam wrote:

Last night I tried for the first time to shoot at night. My sister wanted some photos of local houses with Christmas lights. I just shot in AV and let the camera set the exposure from about 1 to 3 seconds depending, and they seemed to come out pretty well.

Depending on the aperture used, that could be about right. I usually shoot around f/8 for good DOF & it gives a little character to the lights. When you go f/8 to f/20+, the lights really start to get that "star" look. Depending on the look I want for the shot will change my aperture & shutter speed greatly.

Sam wrote:

How whould I even know to set it for longer or shorter time?

The best way is to shoot in raw mode if available, and check your histogram & image after each shot. It takes time to get the hang of it, but it's a lot of fun if your not freezing your butt off. I should have brought gloves and a warmer coat last night. It was very windy out in the headlands.

Sam wrote:

Were you online at Starbucks?

I'm always online at starbucks. I start every morning there as a ritual. Sometimes I go for a cup after dinner too. I have the T-Mobile wireless account for unlimited access ($30/month). It's worth the cost in my case. My company paid for for a full year.

Sam wrote:

Oh, like the idea of using the flashlight. I need to remember that one.

I saw someone use this technique about a year ago on some trees. I had forgotten all about it until last night. As I was in the middle of an exposure, a car pulled up & its lights shined on the silver binocular body. When I reviewed the image, I liked the look a lot.

Sam wrote:

One more note. I just found Hakone Gardens in Saratoga. Yes I know it's been theer since the 1920's but I have just become aware of it. We should try to get the Bay area group over there in the spring.

Sam

Thats a great idea. We are constantly looking for new places to go. Right now we are working on a trip to Monterey, possible two groups. One that can only stay a long day, the other overnight & sunrise shots the next morning. I'll keep you posted when we start to work out the dates.

Let me know if you have any questions. I'm available most any time for night shots if you want to go.

Dave

dkapp

Humungus wrote:

I like your style of photog dave

Thanks 'gus! I've been taking notes on your macro work lately too. Your recent shots are amazing.

I have a macro lens, but its not seen much use yet. That is a whole other world of photography that I've not begun to understand.

Dave

Phil U.

Hey Dave, nice set. Out of the first three I'd have to pick #1. #3 just has a little to much going on for me.

I also realled liked the dumpster shot and the one right after it.

The flashlight painting worked out really well - i like the effect.

You might have been alone for the day, but at least you've got some nice pics to show for it.

dkapp

Phil U. wrote:

Hey Dave, nice set. Out of the first three I'd have to pick #1. #3 just has a little to much going on for me.

I also realled liked the dumpster shot and the one right after it.

The flashlight painting worked out really well - i like the effect.

You might have been alone for the day, but at least you've got some nice pics to show for it.

Thanks Phil. The first picture has really grown on me today. At first I thought the picture felt a little heavy to the right, but the more I look, the less it bothers me. I may use that space for postcards to send back to family.

Thanks for commenting.
Dave

DavidTO

Wow, interesting thread.

I'm going to have to try some night shooting.

Of the first three, I like the first best, but wish that keep out sign wasn't there.

My favorite is the dumpster. I like the composition and the contrast in images, feels like a side of the bridge I haven't seen before.

marygrace

These are great. I've got to get to the bridge sometime soon and try taking shots from the POV you used. Of course, I'd have to get out of my toasty warm house...*dilemma*

Thiago Sigrist

Oooo, D2H!

dkapp wrote:

Thanks Thiago!

These were actually shot w/ my D2H. My D70 broke last weekend (shutter failure), and I used that opportunity to buy the D2H at the reduced price. I should have the D70 back in a month or so according to Nikon.

I didn't use any long exposure NR. I actually thought about it last night, but wasn't sure the correct way to do it. I've got to check it out in the manual & see how it helps my pictures. Have you used it before?

All the pictures were taken with a Tamron 17-35 f/2.8-4. Aperture was around f/8 and shutter speeds 25-30 seconds.

Dave

Ain't the D2H beautiful? :-)

I'm sorry 'bout the D70 failure though... I love mine!

About the long exposure NR, it's a setting available on the shooting menu (green camera) on the D70 (not sure whether the D2H has it, because of a different sensor). To make it work, you just have to turn it on (it eats one position in the camera buffer).

IMHO the long exposures look cleaner with this option turned on. Thus, I always use it.

By the way, the Tamron you used seems like a cool lens!

Thanks so much for sharing!
Take care!

-- thiago