Newbie Lesson and Night Time Shot

[Simoli]

This evening I had to take my daughter to gymnastics and I figured I would take some pics of her on the trampoline in mid air. Since they usually do this I figured I would try my luck and some night time exposures. The one attached is the best I could muster up. Setting was in manual, Tv: 5sec, Av: 8.0, ISO: 100. Store signs are still a little fuzzy/overexposed.

I like the shadow that the tree makes under the lamp. It would have been nice if I could hae figured out a way to not get the lamp post in the picture and still get the store fronts.

What could have made the picture better?

Lastly the lesson. It was cold out, like 25dF. I made it back into the gym just in time for the trampoline excercizes. Go to take some pics and guess what, my lens was all fogged up. So took another few minutes to clear up, just in time for me to get off a few shots.

[slappy sam]

I'm gonna be honest with you here. I don't find anything about this picture... interesting. It's a picture of some stores with signs, a couple cars, and a tree and pole that run down the center of the focus of the photo. But I think you did a pretty nice job shooting it, so I'll comment on that.

Technically, the exposure is pretty good. Unfortunately there isn't much you can do about the lighted signs on the storefronts. The only way I can see to reduce the overexposure of them is to take two exposures - one exposed for the lights and one for the ground and the rest of the photo. You did a pretty good job at getting a nice inbetween - the lights really aren't that blown out. I've done a lot worse.

The compression makes the photo look a bit blurry I think - but I'm assuming you used a tripod, and your settings look right on for this kind of photo so good job with that.

Composition aside, its a nice photo. If you want just the storefronts and no lamp post (which I agree would make the photo better) I would just stand to the left of the tree and zoom out and take the photo from there. True you lose the tree but IMO it doesn't add anything to the photo anyway, so I think that going for a photo encompassing just the storefronts would be best.

If your a newbie, your on your way to some good photos.

[joedlh]

Needs to be leveled a little. As you said, lights are over-exposed. I don't think you'd lose anything interesting if you dropped the exposure by a stop. That tree in the middle cuts the image in half. If you like the way the light plays on it, make it the subject and try to find a non-complicated background. The street light all the way over on the left looks like a flying saucer and is distracting.