First attempt at night time blur- LA

[bindows]

Took this over the weekend so traffic was kind of light by LA standards. Therefore, the kept the shutter open longer to get the illusion of more cars, which led to kind of a bright background. It didn't exactly look like I had envisioned...sitting for 2 hrs waiting for the sun to set.

[racedraper]

I think you did a good job. Im starting to go out and try some but its been way to cold.

[GB1]

Bindows. Not a bad first attempt at all. I think the angle is sort of straight on but the geometry is good and it seems like a decent product. Here are some hints to make it better. The bottom shot is a bit soft and the upper one looks jagged. Watch the sharpening on that. You want to use a strong tripod if there are any vibrations on the location you're shooting on, and even then this may necessitate using a shorter shutter speed. I would go with more light, as the image will look more vibrant - use either a slower shutter, wider aperture or faster ISO to achieve this. Finally, try to eliminate unflattering objects like the pole on the left side. I like the sky's graduated colors, and the buildings though there could be more of them. Hope to see more - I'm a night shot fan.

G

[DrRoebuck]

You might want to try a different location where you can get more of the downtown skyline in the shot. The traffic lights shouldn't be the focal point, they should add something to an already great shot. Try the 3rd Street overpass over the 110 (unless I get there first ... thanks for the idea :ihih.

[andywatson00]

what settings did you use? i like the 2nd photo alot

[bindows]

Racedraper, thanks for the comment. You could always come to CA where it's in the 80s now!

GB1, thanks for the tips. The top and the bottom picture are the same, just enlarged by using a link instead of uploaded image. I guess the difference in size and pixels makes for a different image. Weird. I agree that there are several unflattering objects including the light pole and trees. Also, you're right about the tripod. I used one, but since I rested it on the concrete railing of an overpass, I thought there would be some vibration.

Dr, believe me, I've been driving around downtown looking for the perfect location. 3rd St. sounds like a good plan. This was actually Cesar Chavez and the 110.

Andy, thanks, I used a 4 second exposure, f4 and 100 iso.

[MB1]

I think the image has a bit of a grey cast and seems tilted to the left a tad. Not a bad composition overall though.

I think for night shots it helps to shoot from a location that would look good anytime and then the night part of the shot just makes a good image better. I'm not sure that this location would look all that good in the daytime because the skyline doesn't seem all that exciting.

[Len J]

Great tips all........

Len

[DrRoebuck]

One other thought ... I would point the camera down a little bit to get a little less sky and a little more other stuff. If you find a good vantage point for the skyline, the top of the skyscrapers should come somewhat close to the top of the frame.

And I like the time of day you chose to shoot, as the sky has a nice blue hue to it.

[bindows]

Thanks Dr. I got lucky with the sky because I waited till just after the sun completely set.

[DrRoebuck]

Thanks Dr. I got lucky with the sky because I waited till just after the sun completely set.

That ain't luck, that's good timing, and the best time to shoot night stuff.