Late Night Street Lights

This was another first for me as a developing photographer (ha ha, I said "developing".....oh, I kill myself). I've never really shot much at night when I used Auto mode because it always involved flash photography. The pictures were okay, not overexposed (sometimes) but they were just snapshots. Now I get to try my hand at some long exposures, something a little more artistic.

It was a quarter til midnight when Trevor (9 y/0) and I left the house, bundled up to face the biting cold night air. The frozen snow crunched like grinding rocks as we walked down the street. A light fog had moved in so I was hoping to get a few moody or eerie night shots.

As always, click the picture for a better view.

This was a shot of my neighbors house. I thought the back lighting of the craggy old tree in the mist was eerie enough. [f36, 30 seconds, 55mm, 0 ev comp, 400 iso]

I intended this to be a throw away shot because I knew Trevor couldn't stand perfectly still for a 30 second exposure but in the end I liked how it turned out, blurry face and all. I changed it to black and white. I thought it had an Oliver Twist-ish kind of feel to it. [f36, 30 seconds, 55mm, +2 ev comp, 400 iso]

Yeah, it's just a floodlight in a yard, but I liked the starburst effect from the light and the bright white light on the trees. [f36, 30 seconds, 55mm, +2 ev comp, 400 iso]

Another back lit tree....one trick pony, huh? [f32, 10 seconds, 200mm, +2 ev comp, 400 iso]

I never really quite got the shot I was looking for here. I was trying to capture the feel of gas lamps on a foggy night. [f36, 30 seconds, 55mm, +1 ev comp, 400 iso]

Another throw away shot but Trevor liked it. I was trying to take another shot in the middle of the road (it was about 12:15 at this point) when a car came into the neighborhood during a 30 second exposure so I had to move the tripod during it. I mean.....these are orbs....ghost orbs at a cemetery. Wanna buy proof of ghosts? It's yours for the bargain basement price of $15,000.

I liked the rays of light coming off of the left corner light (you have to click on it to really see them). [f22, 30 seconds, 55mm, +2 ev comp, 400 iso]
So nothing really spectacular but it that is why its called practice. I wouldn't have even TRIED these shots 3 weeks ago before I started taking the Digital Photography - Fundamentals I course at UT. I am thoroughly enjoying this and can't believe how much control I am getting over this picture takin' box I've got!