I waited until dark and then ventured out in the rain to try to get my first light trail. I drove around trying to find somewhere to park where the traffic was quite heavy but that was impossible so I came back onto my estate, parked and waited for some cars to go by. I did not have my tripod - mistake- so i balanced the camera on the steering wheel. This was the best of a bad bunch!! I have given it a watercolour filter to make it a bit more abstract!! Big lesson learned - I finally worked out how to use the bulb setting!! I am not expecting you to comment - I am just uploading as I needed a shot for today. As you can see night time shooting is a whole new world for me!! I am a bit frightened to go out alone at night with my camera and tripod and that's why I haven't really attempted this before.
Hi Pam - i have learnt tripod and remote shutter triggers are essential for this type of photography - i have a gorilla pod tripod for slr thats quite compact and sturdy enough to carry the weight of my camera and it s a lot more discreet - wouldl wrap itself round your steering wheel too i would imagine :-)
Congrats on the first attempt Pam! It looks a lot like my early attempts even with a tripod (if you ever saw my very first post from our rooftop, WITH a tripod but no external shutter release, camera shake just pops. We've all come a long way! As soon as you have the two essentials with you, the tripod and shutter release, you'll have awesome shots. I liked Sarah's idea of using the gorilla pod because you could then stay in the car if it feels 'iffy' to get outside of it.
Something happened to my laptop which made my comment disappear but I can't go through it all again so I will just say that this is a great attempt which I haven't yet tried
Pam, all you've got to do is tell us it was ICM!!
I think its scary too going out at night on your own. Setting up a camera on tripod makes you feel very vulnerable. That's the reason I haven't tried it yet. Maybe I can persuade @shepherdman to come with me and be my bodyguard! I like what you've done anyway.
I'm like you Pam, I won't go out on my own far too scary. I take Craig with me if I can persuade him :) I am hoping to go out with the photographer that shot Katie and Mike's wedding to do some night stuff...but I think even then I will be very jumpy!!!
I think this shot is good, the bus stop writing makes your eyes go boggldy......and I haven't had a nightcap yet! Have a good weekend
I feel a bit conspicuous taking my tripod out and tend to save it for those photos that absolutely can't be got any other way. However there are quite a lot of security cameras around these days which makes me feel a bit better. The trouble with tripods is that a good one can be heavy to lug around while a light one isn't much use on a breezy night - and they don't cope well with cobbles or quite uneven surfaces. Otherwise they can be a blessing.
@scolgs@lucypics@taffy@rosiekind@yonnie@shepherdmanswife@pixiemac@mercuria Many thanks to you all for your very kind and supportive comments!! You have given me some great suggestions which I will try. What a great crowd you are commenting on my very blurry shot!! Love you all!! Have a great weekend!!
I like what you came up with, Pam. I don't know if it is because you added a filter, but I find the image to be interesting and intriguing, something I want to look over slowly.
Kudos to you for persevering! I cannot offer any advice as I have never done anything like this. All the advice that has been offered sounds good and worth trying. I also like the idea of the gorilla pod as you can stay in the car, much safer especially if you are alone!
A tripod is a necessity. Something else you can try is the self timer setting. A lot of cameras have a two second self timer meant to allow the camera to stop vibrating before the shutter is released.
I think its scary too going out at night on your own. Setting up a camera on tripod makes you feel very vulnerable. That's the reason I haven't tried it yet. Maybe I can persuade @shepherdman to come with me and be my bodyguard! I like what you've done anyway.
I think this shot is good, the bus stop writing makes your eyes go boggldy......and I haven't had a nightcap yet! Have a good weekend
I know what you mean about being out on your own though with a tripod (+ ££££ worth of camera..)