Night photography

[posiview]

Hi, just upgraded for a DSLR and I did some reading to get an idea how to set camera, etc.

But when I take pictures, most of the time my camera won't focus.

Also when there are street lights in the shot there is a lot of glare, do I need a filter?

Any assistance would be appreciated.

Thanks.

(I have a Nikon D3000).

 

[The Matt]

You can get round the focus issue by either autofocussing on a streetlight or something bright, or by using manual focus.

Show an example of the glare please. I think I know what you're talking about but I'm not sure.
Filters tend to make lens flare worse so don't use any at all in this circumstance. Any muck on the lens can give problems too so give it a clean if it's a bit smudged.

 

[posiview]

You can get round the focus issue by either autofocussing on a streetlight or something bright, or by using manual focus.

Show an example of the glare please. I think I know what you're talking about but I'm not sure.
Filters tend to make lens flare worse so don't use any at all in this circumstance. Any muck on the lens can give problems too so give it a clean if it's a bit smudged.

Thanks, Matt, I've give it a try.

Here's a picture.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/leedssamuraimartialartsseminar2008/4656375872/sizes/m/


Thanks.

 

[The Matt]

The lights there don't look bad to me. I think you're getting a starburst effect which happens at narrow apertures like the f18 you used. Try f11 or f8 to see if it reduces a bit. The lights are much much brighter than the rest of the scene though so they'lll always look a bit overexposed at the centre.

 

[posiview]

The lights there don't look bad to me. I think you're getting a starburst effect which happens at narrow apertures like the f18 you used. Try f11 or f8 to see if it reduces a bit. The lights are much much brighter than the rest of the scene though so they'lll always look a bit overexposed at the centre.

Thanks, Matt, I'll give it a go.