Keeping sky black in nighttime photography

I went out the other night to take some photos of the cleveland skyline over water. The sky turned out brown, not black. I had the camera on a tripod. I shot in aperture mode, and kept it between f8 and maximum aperture. Iso was 400. Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

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That is what the sky looks like to the camera with that exposure and white balance.

Try moving the black point up in post to get more of the look you're after. Color correct it as well.

(If that made no sense, say so, and tell us what software you are using to process your photos with)

Do I move the black point in levels or curves. I am using cs5.

that's called light pollution. Unavoidable without PP when shooting in highly populated areas.

toothtango wrote in post #13422649
Do I move the black point in levels or curves. I am using cs5.

Levels.

Set to make the sky as you prefer. Mask to impact just the sky.