C.C.P.I.C.S. - Class 03 - Low-light Photography

[NYLady]

Ahhhh...a holiday weekend! Finally, I have a chance to spend some time with the Low-Light Photography and tonight we are going out on the "World Yacht", a dinner cruise on the Hudson River so I am planning to take some photos for the exercise...

[cruzegirl]

Ahhhh...a holiday weekend! Finally, I have a chance to spend some time with the Low-Light Photography and tonight we are going out on the "World Yacht", a dinner cruise on the Hudson River so I am planning to take some photos for the exercise...

 

NY Lady,

That's awesome that you have something good to take photos of.....lol. I had my street and the wash.....lol.... Oh well, it's a class and a learning experience. Can't wait until I do my Ventura Beach day/night segment. lol

[NYLady]

BTW cruzegirl,

Thank you for mentioning the needle size. I'm also a nurse and this helped me tremendously...so did Dave's follow-up explanation.

 

As I start looking at the exercise, I'm getting nervous as I realize I didn't give myself enough time. I have to start getting dressed in 1.5 hours and I don't know my camera that well...I have the lesson and the camera's instruction manual side-by-side and I'm turning my computer off.

 

See you later...hopefully with some decent photos but this low-light setting is one where I have always had trouble.

[FinelyCruising]

It was a clear night tonight in the NYC area, and this past week has shown me some of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen in my life in this dot on the map. Looking forward to the pictures.:)

[ARBORGUY]

Hi All....

We were in Alaska 8/5-8/26. The last night was in Vancouver. This shot was taken from the 30th floor of the Blue Horizon Hotel..I used a DSLR Gorillapod wrapped around the balcony banister. Thanks, Dave, for the suggestion... This shot was the first attempt at a night time long exposure..

Nikon D80 with the 18-200mm VR zoom

18MM

F/18

ISO 400

 

I would be interested in any comments and suggestion on this image.

Bill

[pierces]

Hi All....

We were in Alaska 8/5-8/26. The last night was in Vancouver. This shot was taken from the 30th floor of the Blue Horizon Hotel..I used a DSLR Gorillapod wrapped around the balcony banister. Thanks, Dave, for the suggestion... This shot was the first attempt at a night time long exposure..

Nikon D80 with the 18-200mm VR zoom

18MM

F/18

ISO 400

 

I would be interested in any comments and suggestion on this image.

Bill

 

That looks to me like a well-exposed, well-composed night shot!

 

Now that you have that under your belt, find a spot with access to an over-view of a freeway or a busy road and try a shot with tail/headlight streaks.

 

Keep up the good work!

 

Dave

[NYLady]

Hello,

My camera adventure last night was a handful. Although I didn't get any award-winning photos, I think I got a few that are good for our lesson. I took a paper and pen with me and I intended to make a notation of the settings but the light was changing so fast, and my knowledge of how to change settings so new, I barely had time to do that. I did get some very different photos from changing settings and for me it was a real eye-opener. I have so many examples I will post all on a site you can all get to...to review all since comparison is key.

 

Given that I had not given enough time to prepare for my homework assignment, I had only read a few pages of the lesson before attempting my photos. It was enough to send me searching for my aperture and shutter settings on my camera and I learned how to change those settings before I went on the boat ride. After awhile, it was too dark for me to read the camera dial to know how I was changing settings - another example of my inexperience, since I know I will learn to do this in the dark eventually... I had come prepared with a flashlight and hoped to get some of those "light it with a flashlight" photos on the ship but things were just happening too fast.

 

I did remember to use the guardrail many times to hold the camera steady but it was a relatively small ship and as there were many boats, there were many waves so it didn't really give me a steady hand. It was soooo much better than ever before, however.

 

I would like to see what settings I used and I think I should be able to because my husband has a tiny little automatic and he can find what setting the camera used, but so far I can't figure out how to do it. While my pictures are uploading, I'll try to learn how to do that with my camera. I have a Canon D40 so if you know how I can find this - please help! I'm muddling through the instruction manual the best I can but it is a little overwhelming.

 

Also, I found that my camera, even on "Manual" would not let me lower the F-stop to whatever I wanted. I thought this was odd. I changed the lense from regular 18-55 to 55-200 but it didn't make a difference. Not that I should be lowering it, just that on Manual, I thought I should be allowed to...Sometimes when I looked to see what "auto" setting the camera was using it was a higher F-stop than I thought I should be using...still so much to learn!

[NYLady]

I have posted on Shutterfly (for lack of a better place) the photos that I thought might represent "lighting" issues. I would have preferred to give you the actual settings but I haven't figured out how to do that yet...

 

I can provide the time of day so, if that is of interest, I can see that easily. I'm still looking at my instruction book to find out how to see the settings but I haven't made any headway - I'm distracted by the news of the hurricane and politics...but I'll keep trying. If I find it, I will change the captions to note the settings.

 

http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=2ce7188e78cd37822a944dfefaeb216b

 

Dave, let me know if there are particular photos you would like me to post here to make a point...

[pierces]

I have posted on Shutterfly (for lack of a better place) the photos that I thought might represent "lighting" issues. I would have preferred to give you the actual settings but I haven't figured out how to do that yet...

 

I can provide the time of day so, if that is of interest, I can see that easily. I'm still looking at my instruction book to find out how to see the settings but I haven't made any headway - I'm distracted by the news of the hurricane and politics...but I'll keep trying. If I find it, I will change the captions to note the settings.

 

Dave, let me know if there are particular photos you would like me to post here to make a point...

 

I may have missed it, but i didn't see a link to your ShutterFly gallery.

 

Dave

[NYLady]

Right, sorry, I had some posting issues...it should be there now.

[NYLady]

Actually, there are still problems. Shutterfly used to be so easy but it now has so many glitches I'd love to find another good posting site...I'll give you the link as soon as I get it right...

 

The current link is just one photo...not the album.

[judynorth]

Actually, there are still problems. Shutterfly used to be so easy but it now has so many glitches I'd love to find another good posting site...I'll give you the link as soon as I get it right...

 

The current link is just one photo...not the album.

 

Actually, I get an error message that IE could not open the page.

[NYLady]

This link should be an album of 20 pictures...I took over 100 but I selected ones I thought would bring forth teaching points.

 

http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=a685da109930413c6cdd16a80fdf8c46

[pierces]

After awhile, it was too dark for me to read the camera dial to know how I was changing settings - another example of my inexperience, since I know I will learn to do this in the dark eventually... I had come prepared with a flashlight and hoped to get some of those "light it with a flashlight" photos on the ship but things were just happening too fast.

 

Use the viewfinder to check your settings! The settings are displayed briefly as you adjust the dials. They light up in the dark, but not so bright to blind you.

 

I would like to see what settings I used and I think I should be able to because my husband has a tiny little automatic and he can find what setting the camera used, but so far I can't figure out how to do it. While my pictures are uploading, I'll try to learn how to do that with my camera. I have a Canon D40 so if you know how I can find this - please help! I'm muddling through the instruction manual the best I can but it is a little overwhelming.

 

When you review a picture on the camera's LCD, press the "Info" button below the screen. It will show you all of the settings for that picture.

If you are using Picasa, view the image and click on the little propeller beanie in the lower right corner next to the zoom control. It will display the image info. You can also right-click on the picture and choose properties.

 

Also, I found that my camera, even on "Manual" would not let me lower the F-stop to whatever I wanted. I thought this was odd. I changed the lense from regular 18-55 to 55-200 but it didn't make a difference. Not that I should be lowering it, just that on Manual, I thought I should be allowed to...Sometimes when I looked to see what "auto" setting the camera was using it was a higher F-stop than I thought I should be using...still so much to learn!

 

Note that the lowest f/-stop is limited by your lens (f/3.5 on your 18-55). I almost always shoot on aperture priority mode (Av on your Canon), For night shots I set the aperture on f/5.6 or so, the ISO to 100 or 200 for better noise performance and let the camera figure the shutter speed. If it gets too dark for the meter, I go to manual. Using aperture priority with a fixed ISO takes a lot of the calculations out of the process and lets you use shutter speed as your main tool. Keeps it simple!:D

 

 

Keep at it. Frustration comes just before both understanding and defeat. The difference is patience.;)

 

Dave

[judynorth]

This link should be an album of 20 pictures...I took over 100 but I selected ones I thought would bring forth teaching points.

 

http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=a685da109930413c6cdd16a80fdf8c46

 

I still get an error message when trying to access the album.

[NYLady]

Mmmmm...I'm not sure what to do. That's how I usually post my albums to my Aruba board...

Dave, are you having the same problem?

 

I did figure out how to see the settings on my photos...so I will put captions to indicate the settings - maybe tomorrow...or maybe I should wait to see if this link is going to work at all.

 

If not, I just load a couple of photos directly.

[pierces]

Mmmmm...I'm not sure what to do. That's how I usually post my albums to my Aruba board...

Dave, are you having the same problem?

 

I did figure out how to see the settings on my photos...so I will put captions to indicate the settings - maybe tomorrow...or maybe I should wait to see if this link is going to work at all.

 

If not, I just load a couple of photos directly.

 

No joy on the link...

 

Dave

[NYLady]

Let's try this...I put them on another site...

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/566182242pXrXoy

 

Please let me know if this works...

 

I put captions on each photo to give you information about the time of day, the settings of the camera and, in several cases, the direction I was facing.

[judynorth]

Bingo! That worked.

 

I guess you found out that it is really hard to get a steady picture at a low shutter speed on a moving boat. :rolleyes: Sometimes it makes for some interesting abstracts though.

[FinelyCruising]

You made it!!! Question, what camera and lens were you using. I noticed some of the shots looked nice and crisp.

[shancan911]

OH BOY, did I have trouble with this one! I knew we were going to a Labor Day cookout where there was a fabulous fireplace. I knew this was what I wanted to get my low light photo practice on. I did not know how incredibly difficult it was going to be. To top it off, I had none of my notes with me, so I was completely winging it. I took about 30 pics. None of them were what I hoped, crisp flames and intense blues from the flames and glass in the bottom of the fireplace. This one is ok. Also, taken handheld.

 

[NYLady]

This lesson is going to need lots and lots of work...

My camera is a Canon40 and I have some lenses to play with...sometimes I get amazingly clear photos and sometimes they come out a mess. I do think many of the photo problems I have are related to movement, sometimes by me (no tripod & less-than-steady hands), sometimes by a boat, and sometimes by the subject (grandchildren). I have never been happy with any of my night shots as "good photography" but as snapshots that remind me of a wonderful scene I have had some that work fine. I'm hoping if I keep studying, I may become more versatile with camera settings which will help improve the shots and I want to get a small tripod.

[mclou]

Better late than never. I finally got a chance to work on this assignment. I had a hard time finding something to shoot since I live in a town with a population of about 2600. When it gets dark here, it's really dark.

 

f3.2, 1/8, 250 iso, handheld

 

Just for comparison, this is what my night shots usually look like.

 

f2.7, 6s, 80 iso, tripod - The streak was a car.

 

Thanks Dave - This is so helpful.

Linda

[pierces]

Let's try this...I put them on another site...

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/566182242pXrXoy

 

Please let me know if this works...

 

I put captions on each photo to give you information about the time of day, the settings of the camera and, in several cases, the direction I was facing.

 

Excellent effort! Don't worry that the pics when you were moving were blurred. There are sometimes when there is just no win.

 

One suggestion for hope when it's hopeless (thanks to judynorth for mentioning it) is to include part of the scene you have control over, namely the boat. This can lead to some interesting effects with the sharp detail of the boat contrasted by the crazed background.

 

Here's a shot taken as we pulled out of Acapulco at 11:00 PM or so:

 

I tried to get a good shot of the city lights as we started to move, but gave up and went for effect!

 

Again, great effort! Your Nikon D40 has found a good home!

 

Dave

[pierces]

OH BOY, did I have trouble with this one! I knew we were going to a Labor Day cookout where there was a fabulous fireplace. I knew this was what I wanted to get my low light photo practice on. I did not know how incredibly difficult it was going to be. To top it off, I had none of my notes with me, so I was completely winging it. I took about 30 pics. None of them were what I hoped, crisp flames and intense blues from the flames and glass in the bottom of the fireplace. This one is ok. Also, taken handheld.

 

 

50mm f/1.8, ISO200, hand-held at 1/20s (with no IS!)

 

Very nice! Good shot under difficult conditions. I see in the EXIF that you went to manual to keep your auto-metering from being driven crazy by the flickering flame.

 

As for the difficulty, that's what we're doing here!:D If we go out and practice the tough stuff now, we'll have all those skills in place when we hit the road, board the ship or wherever we go!

 

Dave