mars

[mars]

:thumbsup: hi all could i have some advice on night photography as have had many problems as new to it all on shutter speeds and iso as cannot get it right many thanx

[jgredline]

I wish I could help, but I have not a clue really, other than to grab your longest lens and fire away. I do have a friend who has a telescope with adapter that he hooks to his DSLR and get some amazingly detailed shots of the mood, Mars how ever is another story.

[mars]

thanx for getting back to me i will take your advice and click away lol i shall use my longer lens :thumbsup:

[Frog]

Are you talking about shooting stars/moon at night or terrestrial nightscapes?

[mars]

anything to do with wildlife landscapes at night as having major problems they come out very dark and no matter what i do it doesnt help i must admit im new to it all mars :blush2:

[Photo-John]

Wlidlife and landscapes at night? That sounds really difficult. Can you post some sample images so we can better understand the problems you're having?

[mars]

sorry i did not explain myself very well its more when it starts to get light my pictures still come out very dark would i need a stronger flash maybe if so what would u suggest for a nikon d70s many thanx

[Photo-John]

sorry i did not explain myself very well its more when it starts to get light my pictures still come out very dark would i need a stronger flash maybe if so what would u suggest for a nikon d70s many thanx

Without seeing samples, it's impossible for me to really evaluate the problem. A stronger flash is always nice. But you could also be having exposure issues which could be solved with better technique. And we should address technique problems before we talk about buying new equipment. All the equipment in the world won't help if you're using it wrong.

Here's a link to a thread about posting photos here. Samples will help us help you better

How To Post Photos >>

And in case no one has said it yet - welcome to PhotographyREVIEW.com! Glad to have you

[jgredline]

I 'm sorry, I miss understood the post. I thought you where trying to get pictures of Mars. My bad.

[mars]

hey no worries im just greatful for all the help i can get i really do need it lol :thumbsup:

[Shooter Tiff]

If you are trying to take night shots... you need a tripod and a LONG shutter speed. Flash probably is not your best bet. depends on what you are trying to do though
what is it that you are going to shoot at night?

[mars]

i want to catch the sun going down plus i love the deers i got up at 2 30 in da morning sat so quite caught a lot but all came out dark really cheesed off as you can imagine im new to all off this i wish i could pay to have someone to give me a few pointers you are always looking for something to jump out at you it always happens when i havent got my camera with me its great cos after i finish work i go with my big sis all over the place to capture what we can nine times out of ten she gets better than me :thumbsup:

[mars]

hi is there anyone out there that can help me for a whole day to show ttwo people the best way to use their nikon cameras to give supreme pictures as im willing to pay as long as its local near exeter :thumbsup:

[another view]

I'm a half a world away but I'll try from here. First off, why are you shooting at night? I've seen some night shots that have really blown me away and they have a really different look to them. Is this why you're trying it? Do you have a link to the shots you've seen?

Second, a lot of night shots of buildings really aren't taken at night. They usually look best in that few minutes well after the sun has gone down where the sky is a rich, dark blue. It lasts only a few minutes but patience is rewarded. Probably not a good technique for landscape as anything other than the sky that isn't artifically lit will be black, and it takes a lot more than just using a flash to get good results.

This is difficult stuff to do and I haven't worked on it in awhile. I don't know the D70 but you might get a lot better results if you try the center weighted meter (instead of Matrix) and manual mode. Good article about learning exposure is right here. You'll need a long exposure; try 30 seconds at ISO400 and f5.6 and adjust as needed (just an educated guess, it may not give you exactly what you're looking for but should be a good place to start). And a tripod will be necessary. Save the long lens until after you're familiar with the technique.

[mars]

thanx for getting back to me i will try some of the technics you have written about and try and send you some pictures i tryed so hard to take some deer the early hours of the morning but very cheesed off as they came out dark :thumbsup:

[another view]

as they came out dark

I'm thinking (guessing, actually) that they're coming out dark because maybe you're in Program or Auto mode. There's only so low of a light level that automatic modes like this will understand, so they won't give you enough exposure. Learning how exposure works, and applying this by using manual mode with the camera is really the only way to get results in a case like this - at least consistently.

Another thing to realize is that Matrix metering won't pick up really low light levels. Best to use Centerweighted if it's an option with this camera. If you look at the specs at the back of the manual, the lowest EV (exposure value) level that Matrix will pick up is higher than the lowest EV that CW will pick up. Still, you may be shooting in light below either of these levels so it could take some trial and error.

[mars]

thankyou for that i will read the manual and see were im going wrong it is me i expect lol :thumbsup: