Night shots from Huntington Beach

Photos taken at the Huntington Beach Municipal Pier tonight. All were taken with the 40D and 17-55 IS lens (on tripod with IS Off) on Manual exposure. The first three were manually focused using Live View, and the last two were auto-focused. The wind was not helping at all in terms of getting steady shots. Unless noted, no PP was done except resize (according to forum guidelines).

17mm, 90 sec, f/11, ISO-100

there seems to be a lot of dead space in these, especially the first few. You might what to try to tighten up on the subject.

I like them as is ... the portrait framed one is tilted. I like the last shot too ... thanks for sharing.

Really like the first one...great colors from the moon.

I love the first picture!! I'm a native Californian. I spent many summers at Huntington Beach! Thanks for the memory!

I agree. The first one is the best. Good work!

azpix wrote in post #3994880
there seems to be a lot of dead space in these, especially the first few. You might what to try to tighten up on the subject.

I see what you mean. However, I chose to shoot at the wide end to capture the vastness of the entire scene in spite of the apparent dead space.

Colyn, yes, I did not realize it was tilted until I got home, but somehow I like the way it turned out.

I am glad many of you liked the first shot. I wish it could have been a little sharper. I zoomed in on Live View and adjusted the manual focus ring as best I could, but the buildings in the distance did not turn out that sharp (using AF-ON to auto-focus on later shots did not produce much better results). The combination of a long exposure and being exposed to the wind while having set up on the pier with waves crashing below may have affected the shot.

Thank you for all your comments!

By any chance did you leave the UV on the lens?

It is a good start. When I shoot (or try to shoot) at the pier/marina. I keep covering the front of the lens and DO NOT change lenses -- even if tempted. It will bring tons of dirt into the camera. I also wipe the front before taking shots to avoid some of the sludge that looks you got in some of your shots. For nite pano I would also do manual focus -- set to infinity at f8-f22 ISO100 on tripod.

I would also after you are done. Soak a clean cotton rag in distilled water and wipe the body outside, and lens. Sea breeze loves metal

My 2 cents.

ItsMike wrote in post #4007122
By any chance did you leave the UV on the lens?

The UV is permanently on the lens. From what I know (which might be quite little), a UV filter will not affect a photo all that much. But now that you mention it, I have not even tried a shot without it (the UV was slapped on the lens from the first day I got it). I will next time and see what results I obtain. Thanks!

silvex wrote in post #4007168
It is a good start. When I shoot (or try to shoot) at the pier/marina. I keep covering the front of the lens and DO NOT change lenses -- even if tempted. It will bring tons of dirt into the camera. I also wipe the front before taking shots to avoid some of the sludge that looks you got in some of your shots. For nite pano I would also do manual focus -- set to infinity at f8-f22 ISO100 on tripod.

I would also after you are done. Soak a clean cotton rag in distilled water and wipe the body outside, and lens. Sea breeze loves metal

My 2 cents.

Thank you for the tips. I had not thought of wiping it down after coming home (quickly runs to grab a wet rag). I would not want my new body to suffer already.

As for wiping the front of the lens beforehand, since this was a last minute decision, I barely had the time to gather my gear and throw it in the car. I do normally spend considerable time to check my equipment before going on a shoot.