Durian durian

[qingtian]

u noob ar? practise more then post la...

Hi Pro... show us what you got pls? :thumbsd:

 

[xsaifuddin]

No chance of that. Dustin appears to have been deregistered. In any case, this thread is about TS' photo. Let's move on.


TS, some suggestions for you:

1. Before you shoot- especially since such places won't disappear any time soon- think about how you want to photograph it, maybe look at what has been already posted by other CSers in the landscape forum (or whatever relevant forum). You can also search flickr for the locations to see how other people have shot the place. This will give you ideas how to shoot it yourself, rather than going there, snapping and then coming back with a below par shot.

This helps with how you frame your photo and also gives you an idea what time to photograph it- time is precious and so I try to plan when exactly to go rather than waste my time with a subpar shot.

2. Don't shoot landscape, architecture etc. at night without a tripod. Unless you have a solid support, chances are, you will end up with a poor shot/shots.

Since you want tips on exposure, I'd suggest you start reading up on exposure blend. I think a part of night photography that people have the highest tendency to get wrong is the exposure. Often, night lights give rise to a huge dynamic range which requires some sort of blending or at the very least raw editing to get right.


Hope this helps.
AC

I can't agree more. I guess I was too enthusiastic to capture night shots as a newbie. Did too little of homework and yes, shooting without a tripod is almost suicidal.

Exposure seems to be a problem when it comes to low light shooting I realized. Even after a sunset photography session makes me realize even more. And I think understanding white balance do play a part as well so as not to make the photo too warm or too cool, right?

 

[candycaine]

Hi Pro... show us what you got pls? :thumbsd:

Don't throw away your dignity. 2 wrongs don't make a right. Anyway, he has been deregistered.

 

[candycaine]

I can't agree more. I guess I was too enthusiastic to capture night shots as a newbie. Did too little of homework and yes, shooting without a tripod is almost suicidal.

Exposure seems to be a problem when it comes to low light shooting I realized. Even after a sunset photography session makes me realize even more. And I think understanding white balance do play a part as well so as not to make the photo too warm or too cool, right?

Exposure is always an issue at night or day. It just so happens that getting a good exposure is harder at night. The reason why people shoot with tripods is because the lack of ambient light at night means that you require longer shutter speeds.. often too long for your hands to hold without shaking the camera.

Even if your photo is sharp, the dynamic range of the scene may be too great. This means, the difference between the lightest and darkest parts of your photo is too great to be captured acceptably well in 1 exposure.

White balance doesn't relate to exposure but has everything to do with the colours in your photo. Whether the photo is too warm or too cool, that's up to you to decide. I have intentionally shot in the wrong white balance before, to get a better final product out of camera.

Alternatively, you can shoot RAW and edit the WB in post processing.

Hope this helps.

 

[xsaifuddin]

Exposure is always an issue at night or day. It just so happens that getting a good exposure is harder at night. The reason why people shoot with tripods is because the lack of ambient light at night means that you require longer shutter speeds.. often too long for your hands to hold without shaking the camera.

Even if your photo is sharp, the dynamic range of the scene may be too great. This means, the difference between the lightest and darkest parts of your photo is too great to be captured acceptably well in 1 exposure.

White balance doesn't relate to exposure but has everything to do with the colours in your photo. Whether the photo is too warm or too cool, that's up to you to decide. I have intentionally shot in the wrong white balance before, to get a better final product out of camera.

Alternatively, you can shoot RAW and edit the WB in post processing.

Hope this helps.

I see.. Then I shall focus more on exposure and white balance cos I've been having problems with them. Need to take more photos. Will post up another photo next week for critique. Thanks a lot by the way

 

[candycaine]

I see.. Then I shall focus more on exposure and white balance cos I've been having problems with them. Need to take more photos. Will post up another photo next week for critique. Thanks a lot by the way

Welcome.

The more you are willing to learn, the more you will learn.

 

[DSLRnoob04]

Hey it's ok
Good to have both constructive and non-constructive comments.. Part and parcel of learning.
Well, welcome aboard to this thread! Hope to see some of your photos!

Alright, i do post photo to seek for good advice from the pros in here. Feel free to leave your comments as well, anyway is just a lousy/really bad photo.

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=775435

 

[hotwork77]

Hey it's ok
Good to have both constructive and non-constructive comments.. Part and parcel of learning.
Well, welcome aboard to this thread! Hope to see some of your photos!

Cannot post here or we kerna labeled as hijacking your thread.

 

[xsaifuddin]

Cannot post here or we kerna labeled as hijacking your thread.

hahah welcome aboard to my thread as in welcome for commenting and feedbacks.. but hope to see your photos at your own thread... :sweat:

 

[Override2Zion]

Yeah, some say it's possible for night shots without tripod...

Yes its possible with the aid of IS/VR capable lenses but it'll probably just help up to about 1/4 sec shutter hand-held for most people. With such equipments, you'll may still need to up the ISO a little though to get a reasonably sharp image. Best bet is still to shoot with a tripod at base ISO, you won't have to worry about blurring due to handshake then, you can just concentrate on getting the exposure settings right.

 

[Kit]

Exposure is always an issue at night or day. It just so happens that getting a good exposure is harder at night. The reason why people shoot with tripods is because the lack of ambient light at night means that you require longer shutter speeds.. often too long for your hands to hold without shaking the camera.

Even if your photo is sharp, the dynamic range of the scene may be too great. This means, the difference between the lightest and darkest parts of your photo is too great to be captured acceptably well in 1 exposure.

White balance doesn't relate to exposure but has everything to do with the colours in your photo. Whether the photo is too warm or too cool, that's up to you to decide. I have intentionally shot in the wrong white balance before, to get a better final product out of camera.

Alternatively, you can shoot RAW and edit the WB in post processing.

Hope this helps.

From the way you described and the photos I see here, truthfully, the problem is not about getting the exposure right. Rather, I find most people struggled with taking the photo at the right time. If you can train yourself to read the ambient light and use it to your advantage, noe of these "exposure" problem will exist. The reason why a scene becomes too contrasty is because the ambient lighting had become too dark and the artificial lightings took over. You can't change improve that with exposure settings. You either get overexposed or underexposed results.

 

[Override2Zion]

The reason why a scene becomes too contrasty is because the ambient lighting had become too dark and the artificial lightings took over. You can't change improve that with exposure settings. You either get overexposed or underexposed results.

I second this explaination. This is good explaination from a professional. Adding on to the point on timing of the day where ambient light and artificial light blends in harmony, we must also remember to factor in the brightest and dimmest areas in the scene to determine whether if its going to fit into the dynamic range or your camera. :thumbsup:

 

[hotwork77]

From the way you described and the photos I see here, truthfully, the problem is not about getting the exposure right. Rather, I find most people struggled with taking the photo at the right time. If you can train yourself to read the ambient light and use it to your advantage, noe of these "exposure" problem will exist. The reason why a scene becomes too contrasty is because the ambient lighting had become too dark and the artificial lightings took over. You can't change improve that with exposure settings. You either get overexposed or underexposed results.

That means you got to take the shot during the golden hour right? Usually within what time would be best to bring out the character of the subject.

 

[xsaifuddin]

That's right, golden hour: the first hour and last hour of sunlight. But I think I should have taken a better perspective of architectural or any building photos also.
I thank you all for the best explanations from you pros. Honestly, this is the best photo - for learning tips and getting new perspective from others.

Lessons learnt:
- Get better perspective of a shot for better composition.
- Understand ambient and artificial lighting, how to blend them.
- Exposure.
- Do more ground homework.
- Use tripod for goodness sake!
- Don't waste time.
- And even white balance..

Cheers!

 

[Kit]

That means you got to take the shot during the golden hour right? Usually within what time would be best to bring out the character of the subject.

It depends on what you want to achieve and your subjects. I've taken photos of the Esplanade near noon time on a bright clear day.

 

[coolthought]

just one little bit of advice to add after all good advices been "served".
Another simpler way, is to look at as many photos of the Esplanade taken. Try google image, flickr and even in CS. Ask yourself which photo work and which don't and why it doesn't or do. Then set yourself to explore those similar composition. Finally, try to explore new angles and compositions.

 

[monkeyphotographer]

I think you show too much unwanted stuff in your picture, try to focus on the main subject more. Show people what you want them to see instead showing everything in the surrounding. Same area same place take lots of picture, angle, exposure and aperture you will find something you like and proudly post it on the web. The more the critique the you learn.

 

[candycaine]

From the way you described and the photos I see here, truthfully, the problem is not about getting the exposure right. Rather, I find most people struggled with taking the photo at the right time. If you can train yourself to read the ambient light and use it to your advantage, noe of these "exposure" problem will exist. The reason why a scene becomes too contrasty is because the ambient lighting had become too dark and the artificial lightings took over. You can't change improve that with exposure settings. You either get overexposed or underexposed results.

I agree- ambient light is usually a good option, though I wouldn't say it's the outright best. It's precisely why I research sufficiently to find out what time is best to shoot if I can. This is good advice.

However, even if night lights take over- and sometimes night lights are what you want to shoot, not so much the architecture per se- then exposure blending is my option of choice if the dynamic range is too great for a single exposure.

Hope this explanation is sufficient.

 

[xsaifuddin]

I agree- ambient light is usually a good option, though I wouldn't say it's the outright best. It's precisely why I research sufficiently to find out what time is best to shoot if I can. This is good advice.

However, even if night lights take over- and sometimes night lights are what you want to shoot, not so much the architecture per se- then exposure blending is my option of choice if the dynamic range is too great for a single exposure.

Hope this explanation is sufficient.

Bottomline, study the timing and location-wise for best ambient lighting and get the best blend with your exposure settings. Plus, it takes great experience to establish a good sense of exposure blending and usage at different situation. I think this is a very very important lesson for me and others if they are reading. Thank u so much :thumbsup:

 

[mrlook]

just one little bit of advice to add after all good advices been "served".
Another simpler way, is to look at as many photos of the Esplanade taken. Try google image, flickr and even in CS. Ask yourself which photo work and which don't and why it doesn't or do. Then set yourself to explore those similar composition. Finally, try to explore new angles and compositions.

I try this and it works! :thumbsup: