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thenamesdaryl

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Daryl
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Hi all, i've had a DSLR for a week now, bought myself a Sony Alpha 390, im happy with the camera and have been getting to grips with all this new stuff to play with that i haven't had before. i had a read through all the beginners stuff and got myself a fairly good idea of what i needed to be doing, so i popped down the road for a few night shots. i was experimenting with a low f and long exposure against buildings. i only have a cheap tripod (certainly not sturdy enough) and as i have no remote i was using the timer.
this is the best 3 i managed to get, the 2nd is out of focus as had to take of af as it wouldn't work and i mis-judged it :(

powerstation2.jpg


lighthouse.jpg


DSC00557.jpg


for this i used lightroom 2.6, cropped, levelled and had a little play with the settings

PowerStation.jpg


all criticism and help is welcome
Daryl
 
Hi Daryl, welcome!

For a first attempt,they are certainly ok, however I think they would have been 100% better if you had shot them slightly earlier so there was still some colour in the sky. There is a vast amount of black in the frame which detracts from what could have been some good images. Try the same again, but get there a bit earlier and you'll have some lovely dark blue skies which will make the overal scene a lot more pleasant to view.
 
In case you didn't, when on a tripod turn off steady shot as it's counter productive. Use the 2 second timer mode also instead of pressing the shutter to minimize vibrations.
 
Thanks for the advice.
TCR4X4 - i agree completely, next time i'm not working late ill have enough time to get down there for some snaps
Myrdhinn - i did not have steady shot off, ill do that next time, i'm interested to know how does steady shot have an effect in this situation? and yep, i was using a timer but had the 10 second one.... but now I've found the 2 second timer so less time waiting now!

i am looking to buy myself a new tripod, i'm not looking to spend loads, maybe £40 maximum, im also interested in a remote button, but i don't know where to look. if anyone could point me in a direction id be grateful
Daryl
 
Hi Daryl, your in the right place bud, this is one of the most helpfull and social forums out there.

Welcome and enjoy
 
That particular power station does indeed look better a little earlier in the evening, especially as the sun sets behind it, you can get some really good sky colour to set the lights against. I think your biggest problem is lack of focus, you say you tried manual, and that can often be best with static subjects in low light, but it is just simple practice. These are really not bad at all for a first attempt and it is perfectly possiblt to get them even better within the limits of your current tripod/timer method now you have seen the current results and can adjust accordingly :thumbs:
 
Daryl, it even says to turn it off on a tripod in the manual. The theory behind it is the camera is already stabilized but steady shot can pick up the faint vibrations from the tripod so thinks the camera is being hand held. The vibrations fight each other and produces slightly blurry shots. Something or other along those lines, I'm not a cam tech.

As for remotes, you can get elcheapos from Ebay or Amazon in the $9 US range that work fine.
 
thanks everyone for your replies again, its all in the practice i guess, so i better get practicing :)
Myrdhinn - ah yes, i do recall reading this now, the manual was quite large and i forgot a few things haha
thanks again, Daryl
 
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