My get pushed challenge, given to my by Stephanie @stephanies , was to take a picture that features a long exposure. I went out to the spot I thought I could get the best shot at light trails from cars. I walked up the sidewalk and onto the pedestrian walkway on the viaduct that goes over the street and on over the river (that is, the viaduct goes over the river -- I didn't walk out that far -- no headlights/tail lights on the river, anyway)
I was a little apprehensive about doing this alone, but knew that Frank wouldn't want to come out there with me. Once I got there, I felt perfectly safe. There was no personal threat or danger whatsoever and the area is relatively well lit by the street lamps etc. I didn't bring the tripod with me as I thought I would just look the fool, but I was able to rest the camera on the flat guard rail -- firmly grasped by my hands. The problem (which wouldn't have been solved by a tripod anyway) was that the traffic over the viaduct caused it to vibrate, so none of the shots are as clear as I might hope.
I tried some shots from another angle, standing on the grass after I came back off the bridge. THERE I could have used a tripod, as there was very little to rest the camera on for the long exposure. A lamp post with a bit of a ledge at the base might have helped, but I could feel it sway and vibrate and a lot of noise inside. I know I probably looked stupid sitting down on the grass resting elbows on knees -- and the results were no better.
This is probably the best of the ones taken from the viaduct directly over the street. The other frustration was the lack of consistent traffic both ways at the same time. There were more cars coming south than going north. If I waited to press the shutter release until the light turned green so they all started coming at me, there seemed to be very few cars going north. If there was a nice group of northbound, the opposite happened, southbound all stopped at the light. Aaargh! Maybe the lights are timed that way and I'd never be able to get the shot I wanted.
Well, this is the first time I've tried this. I don't know how I'd take care of the vibration problem, but it might be that a longer exposure than my 8 second limit would help ensure enough traffic both ways. Good learning experience, anyway.
I really like this. I think any fuzz only adds to the effect, and the lines drawing you into the lights of the town work really well. Well met challenge, I'd say!
You got some light trails and some lovely start burst effects from the lights too, so well done! I have only ever done this once before and I used a tripod and positioned myself up a steep hill looking down on the area. Because of my distance to the traffic, vibration wasn't an issue. @mcsiegle
