night shooting, (pitch black)

i have a 40D on the way to me if it helps

theres a backroad that i use frequently that ive always thought i should take a picture of at night, just a two lane road with a dark forest on one side and a small tree line on the other
and at night its completely pitch black

i was wondering if anyone had any ideas for settings to use

i was thinking about parking late at night in the middle and get in the back of my truck and have the headlights on and take a picture into the dark with the lights towards the same way
bad idea? cool idea?

If it's completely void of any light including the moon I'd run up and down the road popping my flash on whatever I wanted exposed. Even a strong flashlight will get some good results.

If there's moonlight you'll get some good results. Start out at 30 sec and chimp.

SlowBlink wrote in post #5896340
If it's completely void of any light including the moon I'd run up and down the road popping my flash on whatever I wanted exposed. Even a strong flashlight will get some good results.

If there's moonlight you'll get some good results. Start out at 30 sec and chimp.

SlowBlink--

I keep reading that term "chimp." What does it mean?

It's when you check the back LCD to see if the shot is in focus or framed properly. Most people just look at the histogram after a while and watch for spikes on the highlights.

The term comes from photog's looking at the screen and saying Oooh! like a chimp.

SlowBlink wrote in post #5896422
It's when you check the back LCD to see if the shot is in focus or framed properly. Most people just look at the histogram after a while and watch for spikes on the highlights.

The term comes from photog's looking at the screen and saying Oooh! like a chimp.

Thanks....for the info and for the images that flashed throughmy mind of all the times I've done just that.

There are some funny shots of people chimping on the net. Google it and you'll get a good laugh.

Good link: http://www.sportsshoot​er.com …ature/chimping/​index.html

The night shots I like the most have been taken before it's completely dark & there is still some glow in the sky. Try it & see what you think.
Meter the sky & underexpose 1 stop. See how it looks to you. Try some at minus 1-1/2, 2, 3 stops. Film is cheap?
You can even try it at home & run some tests.

ipschoser1's train shot: https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=435280

Then maybe have a car drive AWAY from you in a 20 second +/- exposure so it lights the road? If you don't like the tail lights (I do) you could put black masking tape on them, & maybe PS that "light" exposure into the sky shot.

There are a lot of variations on this, like using a blue filter in the headlight shot. Have fun with it.