taking shots at night

Tony717 · 01-10-2007, 05:14 PM

Hello there, ive want to take shots of car for some time now, but I have been having trouble doing so, and my pictures end up too dark (i think there too dark cause theres barely lighting but im not sure), but in the day, they come up really good. Can some1 give me some suggestions? I have a Canon Powershot A620

And here a sample that I took some time ago:

Nikki · 01-10-2007, 08:04 PM

You should try using a longer shutter. The shot came out clear though.
I lightened it up a bit in Photoshop.

Tony717 · 01-10-2007, 08:44 PM

thx!

ill try that when i get out of school tomm

06E90Rostik · 01-10-2007, 11:38 PM

Your cam, Powershot, is it DSLR?

Nikki · 01-10-2007, 11:49 PM

yeah his is a DSLR

Tony717 · 01-11-2007, 06:51 PM

here is what i got, i think they came out good

shutter was about 2-4 seconds on average...

ill take more pics in the day when i get a chance to wash her on the weekend

Nikki · 01-11-2007, 08:23 PM

yep, nice

Caster · 01-13-2007, 01:08 AM

Theres a couple of options you can look at.
If you're shooting handheld, I would really recomend getting a tripod if you want to do a lot of night shooting, long exposures will really give you the brightness you need for a night shot.

If you're not looking to get a tripod, try adjusting your shutter speed to 1/focal length and bumping up the ISO (if necessary). If you have any lenses with wide apertures (F/2.8 or less, primes for example) you can use those to shoot at night, although you're going to be getting a lot of bokeh and you're going to have less depth of field. You can also try a lens with Image Stabilization, as IS will help reduce camera shake so you can shoot at longer exposures, which can help. You could also try to use an external flash unit (which I'm currently waiting on, so I can't exactly give the best advice on flash photography) but you'd have to figure out an angle for the flash so you wouldn't get abnormal shadows and washed out colors. Honestly if you're really looking to do a lot of night time photography, a tripod is the way to go, and I'd recommend the Bogen/Manfrotto 3021BPRO with a 488 RC2 ballhead (what I have), very sturdy tripod, a little heavy but its solid.

Caster · 01-13-2007, 01:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nikki

yeah his is a DSLR

Uhh aren't A620's P&S not DSLRs? I Just read you're post and sort of skipped over the last part of his post, but the A620s are P&S, not DSLR.

01-10-2007, 05:14 PM	#1
Tony717 Lieutenant 39 Rep 462 Posts Drives: BMW 335d Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: FL iTrader: (1) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00]	taking shots at night Hello there, ive want to take shots of car for some time now, but I have been having trouble doing so, and my pictures end up too dark (i think there too dark cause theres barely lighting but im not sure), but in the day, they come up really good. Can some1 give me some suggestions? I have a Canon Powershot A620 And here a sample that I took some time ago: __________________
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01-10-2007, 08:04 PM	#2
Nikki Major General 1042 Rep 6,381 Posts Drives: Sepang Z4MC Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: LA iTrader: (9)	You should try using a longer shutter. The shot came out clear though. I lightened it up a bit in Photoshop. Attached Images __________________ Nikki
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01-10-2007, 08:44 PM	#3
Tony717 Lieutenant 39 Rep 462 Posts Drives: BMW 335d Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: FL iTrader: (1) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00]	thx! ill try that when i get out of school tomm __________________
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01-10-2007, 11:38 PM	#4
06E90Rostik 2006 join date crew 190 Rep 1,482 Posts Drives: 2006 325i, 2011 335i Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: CA, Sacramento iTrader: (10) Garage List 2011 335i [10.00] 2006 325i [0.00]	Your cam, Powershot, is it DSLR?
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01-10-2007, 11:49 PM	#5
Nikki Major General 1042 Rep 6,381 Posts Drives: Sepang Z4MC Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: LA iTrader: (9)	yeah his is a DSLR __________________ Nikki
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01-11-2007, 06:51 PM	#6
Tony717 Lieutenant 39 Rep 462 Posts Drives: BMW 335d Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: FL iTrader: (1) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00]	here is what i got, i think they came out good shutter was about 2-4 seconds on average... ill take more pics in the day when i get a chance to wash her on the weekend __________________
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01-11-2007, 08:23 PM	#7
Nikki Major General 1042 Rep 6,381 Posts Drives: Sepang Z4MC Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: LA iTrader: (9)	yep, nice __________________ Nikki
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01-13-2007, 01:08 AM	#8
Caster Lieutenant 28 Rep 597 Posts Drives: 06 SG 325i Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: LA, Cali iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 325i [0.00]	Theres a couple of options you can look at. If you're shooting handheld, I would really recomend getting a tripod if you want to do a lot of night shooting, long exposures will really give you the brightness you need for a night shot. If you're not looking to get a tripod, try adjusting your shutter speed to 1/focal length and bumping up the ISO (if necessary). If you have any lenses with wide apertures (F/2.8 or less, primes for example) you can use those to shoot at night, although you're going to be getting a lot of bokeh and you're going to have less depth of field. You can also try a lens with Image Stabilization, as IS will help reduce camera shake so you can shoot at longer exposures, which can help. You could also try to use an external flash unit (which I'm currently waiting on, so I can't exactly give the best advice on flash photography) but you'd have to figure out an angle for the flash so you wouldn't get abnormal shadows and washed out colors. Honestly if you're really looking to do a lot of night time photography, a tripod is the way to go, and I'd recommend the Bogen/Manfrotto 3021BPRO with a 488 RC2 ballhead (what I have), very sturdy tripod, a little heavy but its solid. __________________ Graphite E90 325i / Navigation / Premium / Xenon / LUX White Rings / 15% Tint / Blackline Tail Lights
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