(* SkyWatch one post down)
Lately, I have fallen in the habit of taking photos of the same objects. Strolling the boardwalk, I find my camera being drawn to the roller coaster jetting into the Atlantic Ocean; in the fields bordering my home, it’s the old aged barn. While this makes for a wonderful pictoral diary of my everyday life, it also has brought routine.
My recent quest to produce better photographs has inspired the search for new subjects. This fresh perspective has proven to be both whimsical and enthralling. Generally, once a week (camera in hand and husband in tow) I head off to unexplored places. This has yeilded several serendipitous occasions; a pool of starfish, the migration of the monarch butterfly, the discovery of a Lighthouse which I did not know was nearby and another I have never visited. We became witness to the wet harvest of cranberries in the nearby bogs and all sorts of creatures in the bushes and on the logs.
A relentless persuit of photographic creativity has also sparked an interest in night photography, and over the past week, a mix of success and failure. One dark night recently, we drove to our local Lighthouse, "Old Barney." While I have many photos of this landmark, my collection lacks an evening shot. My mind's eye could see a dimly lit structure, its rays of light streaming in long bars sharply peircing a jet black backdrop with a whisp of cloud reflecting the moon's mellow glow nearby. It was to be a glorious photo, one to be framed and treasured, reviewed and revered. However, it was not to be so. What no one told me is that its a blind darkness; you can’t even see to focus, let alone the intended image. A glance through the eyepiece revealed a pitch-black backdrop dotted with a small white speck.
My Ansel Adams moment will have to wait; perhaps, it is best to first try shooting at dusk.
favorite from the week ~
Lately, I have fallen in the habit of taking photos of the same objects. Strolling the boardwalk, I find my camera being drawn to the roller coaster jetting into the Atlantic Ocean; in the fields bordering my home, it’s the old aged barn. While this makes for a wonderful pictoral diary of my everyday life, it also has brought routine.
My recent quest to produce better photographs has inspired the search for new subjects. This fresh perspective has proven to be both whimsical and enthralling. Generally, once a week (camera in hand and husband in tow) I head off to unexplored places. This has yeilded several serendipitous occasions; a pool of starfish, the migration of the monarch butterfly, the discovery of a Lighthouse which I did not know was nearby and another I have never visited. We became witness to the wet harvest of cranberries in the nearby bogs and all sorts of creatures in the bushes and on the logs.
A relentless persuit of photographic creativity has also sparked an interest in night photography, and over the past week, a mix of success and failure. One dark night recently, we drove to our local Lighthouse, "Old Barney." While I have many photos of this landmark, my collection lacks an evening shot. My mind's eye could see a dimly lit structure, its rays of light streaming in long bars sharply peircing a jet black backdrop with a whisp of cloud reflecting the moon's mellow glow nearby. It was to be a glorious photo, one to be framed and treasured, reviewed and revered. However, it was not to be so. What no one told me is that its a blind darkness; you can’t even see to focus, let alone the intended image. A glance through the eyepiece revealed a pitch-black backdrop dotted with a small white speck.
My Ansel Adams moment will have to wait; perhaps, it is best to first try shooting at dusk.
favorite from the week ~
oh, good Lord ~
ISO 500, f 5.6, 1/2 sec
14 comments:
You were brave to try it! Night shooting I have not ever attempted.
Amazing. Thank you.
Good try, Trish. I like it, a lot.
And thanks for visiting my blog. I love visitors. I hope you get to see the blue-footed boobies some day. I spent a day with them while my husband and the rest of our group walked around the island. It was wonderful.
Kay, Alberta
The refelction shot is lovely. That is one to be framed & cherished. Good job!
Way to think outside the box with that first picture. I love the reflection in the old window with the paint chipping off! PERFECT! Night shots are definitely a challenge. I would suggest taking a tripod next time if you didn't. That way your shutter speed can be open for as long as you need and it won't be blurry due to camera shake. I'm so proud of you for attempting to get the shot. I can't wait to see it when you are able to get it!!!
I love the photo of the reflections in the window.
Thanks for sharing and enjoy your weekend!
What a wonderful sight, Trish. Your photos look great.
The reflection shot of the lighthouse is great! The night-time shot shows what a great lifesaver lighthouses were (and some still are) to ships in the darkness.
I think you did great. Wonderful shot.
Love the first shot, it's very mesmerizing and unique. I've tried to do night shots too and realized I really need a tripod. :P
You shared two very interesting photos today. I wish I could figure out how to use my digital at night. It has a feature for that, but I am not that smart.
Night shot suggestions :O) Definitely start with a tripod like I said earlier, that will help to avoid camera shake. It is a good idea to keep your ISO lower and your shutter speed open longer. If you bump up your aperture you can get starbursts like in the pictures from my Tokyo trip. I normally change my aperture to go really high like f/32 or however high yours can go.
http://www.clickitupanotch.com/2010/10/tokyo/
I thought I would share the settings since that tends to help me get ideas how people accomplished something.
Disney castle
ISO 250, ss/25 seconds, f/32
Street traffic
ISO 800 (not sure why I had it that high...probably jsut forgot to change it :O) ss/20 seconds, f/32
When I take my night shots I tend to just play around with the shutter speed until I get one that I like. I have never taken a picture of a light house with a moving light. I found this article for you with an amazing picture of a light house and they have their shutter speed at 114 seconds. Can't wait to see what you can capture!!!
http://www.digital-photography-school.com/long-exposure-photography
Thanks for the great questions!!
Courtney ~ yes, that is what I was hoping for! Now I can't wait to get back over there. I know the camera can go up to several seconds but I didn't really think I could/should use it. Like it has an ISO of 3200, when would I use that? Wouldn't it have so much noise you even know what the picture was?
You wouldn't need to use a high ISO if you are leaving your shutter speed open for a long time since the longer your shutter speed is open the more light it is bringing in. This is why you want to play around with your shutter speed and not your ISO when doing night shots. The shot I took of the castle at Disneyland was taken resting on my book bag (Disney won't let you use tripods FYI) he he Anyway, remember if you are going to leave your shutter speed open for a long time you need it on a steady surface. The times I bump my ISO up to 3200 or higher is when I'm in an extremely low lighting situation like a restaurant and I can't leave my shutter speed open for a long time because I'm photographing people. You picture may be noisy but if it is properly exposed then it won't be as noisy as it would be if you bump your ISO up and it is still not properly exposed. I'll try and do a post about this since it is a great question :O)
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