Anyone play around with night photography?

[leesonic]

How about?

or

 

[Fred Sanford]

I'd love to take some night sky pics, but I'm too lazy to lug out the tripod and too cheap to buy a gorilla - heck, I might order one anyway.

Wallyworld carries the gorilla pods now in the camera dept. About $10 for the small one and about $20 for the bigger one. I'm thinking about getting the big one.
Update, these pods are just like the gorilla pods, but are made by Targus and called the Grypton. I bought one this morning. ($17.97 for the large one) The larger one is rated for load capacity at 3.3 lbs. It has a quick release swivel head and is designed to be used with light weight SLR cameras and camcorders. It has a one year warranty.
Here's a link to see the larger one.
Further update! Do not get one of these pods if your camera weighs around 3 lbs. I tried both my Nikon D70 and my Olympus E300 DSLR on this pod and the head just would not hold either one up! I weighed both cameras on a postal scale and the both weighed 3 lbs each. This pod is load rated for 3.3 lbs. I'm taking it back to get a refund! I wonder if the real Gorilla pod is better? Anyone have one and care to comment?

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=9722055

Crap, I bought 3 of these for my family (all Canon SLRs). Guess they'll be used for the point 'n' shoots instead...

je

 

[mhardy6647]

wow... a Capri. Is the dark one a Capri, too?

 

[MichaelJ]

I shot this in Spain a few years back. Hand held.

This is from Door County Wisconsin. About a 120 second exposure.

Fuji S2 and Nikon D200.

 

[leesonic]

wow... a Capri. Is the dark one a Capri, too?

Yup! A 1981 that I put a V8 in. You guys in the States got the Fox Mustang based Capri from 1977, but in Europe we had it for another 10 years until 1987.

More Capri pics at :
http://home.comcast.net/~leesonic/capris.htm

These night pictures were taken with nothing more than a Pentax Espio 738 compact camera that just happened to have a B (bulb) setting. Loaded it up with film, placed it on a tripod, and just exposed it at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 seconds, and see which came out the best.

 

[jaetee]

I love the challenge of shooting at night and keep a tripod and window mount in my car at all times, just in case...

Here's a few of my night shots spanning my film and digital years...

Limburg, Germany, Canon 20D, handheld with 17-85mm IS lens

Anohter handheld shot in Limburg

NYE in St. Petersburg, FL, Canon 10D, Tokina 28-70mm f2.8 pro-sv, braced camera on tree

Canon A-1, triple exposure w/FD 85mm f1.2 and Tamron 300mm f2.8. Tripod.

Sunshine Skyway, Tampa Bay, FL. Shot w/Canon 20D & 100-400mm IS L lens mounted on window mount.

St.Petersburg, FL, the Vinoy Hotel: Film camera Canon T70 & 70-210mm f4 lens. Tripod mounted

Tampa, FL, Film camera Canon T70 & 70-210mm f4 lens. Tripod mounted

 

[TheRed1]

My first experiment running old negatives through the scanner - converting film to digital. I haven't yet figured out how to really burn an image onto a digital file the way I used to be able to with film. These are some of my first experiments with tripod and cable release back in the late 80s. In the first one I set the cable release; got in the car and drove down the street; turned around and pulled up to the tripod facing the opposite direction.

 

[onepixel]

TheRed1,

Cool photos!

 

[Bstable]

I don't even know my cars...

...but I believe that one I just saw was a 1965 Plymouth Barracuda. IIRC it was car of the year and had a 273 cubic inch 4 barrel V8. Actually I only knew that because my first car was a 1965 Dodge dart with the same engine except it was only 2 barrel.

Great pictures everyone. I have a canon AE1-program that I have messed around with at night. I love the time lapse exposure type pictures. Especially the ones with taillights streaking across the roads.

 

[setupcity]

Hey, this is my first post, and this got my interest. Had just gotten a Nikon D70. These are at the Ashokan reservoir, in NY last August, and the wind was at about 35 mph, making it difficult to keep the tripod steady. And not fall over!
The last one is looking back on the entrance.

 

[chillwolf]

Welcome to AK, setupcity! Nice shots, how do you like that D70? I too just got one about a month ago. I really like mine! I've had an Olympus E-300 DSLR for a couple of years, but wanted something with a few more features. I've taken some great shots with the E-300 and like it very much too. But the Nikons have a lot more lenses to select from and a lot of them are cheaper than the Olys.
Hanging some weight from the center of your tripod is a good way to stabilize it in windy conditions.

 

[leesonic]

Same cars, same locations as before, just which car in which location has changed.

1981 Capri, parked across from the Millenium Dome. Same Pentax Espio 738 as before.

1970 Capri, parked at the base of Canary Wharf. Camera this time was a Pentax K1000 with a starburst(?) filter on.

 

[hwirt]

Misc Nite Shots

Not particularly interesting subject matter just test shots to become familiar with the camera.

Here is a few fireworks shots handheld:

Some general test shots:

These look a lot darker to the naked eye!

The sky looked quite dark in this one to the naked eye.

 

[crackerkorean]

I have posted these already I think but. These were taken with a D70s either the 18-70 kit lense or a 50mm f1.8.
These were taken at the inlaws, they live in the middle of no where. There are some neighbors with lights but nothing that really washed out the stars like where I live.

Random pics fro a few years ago.

This was taken with a blackberry on a moountain bike ride so crummy photo, but makes me wish i had a decent point and shoot to carry.

 

[jpdylon]

very cool! :thmbsp:

 

[TheRed1]

...but I believe that one I just saw was a 1965 Plymouth Barracuda. IIRC it was car of the year and had a 273 cubic inch 4 barrel V8. Actually I only knew that because my first car was a 1965 Dodge dart with the same engine except it was only 2 barrel.

100% correct - if it looks familiar I sold it to some guy from Stafford county back in the early 90s. I miss it but I miss that '63 Dart (225 Slant 6) much more. It was destroyed by a mechanic who drove it into a lift at about 40mph. That old Dart was a great car.

 

[setupcity]

Thanks Chill, the D70 blew me away with what it can do, I wasn't sure about the digital thing in a DSLR until I bought it. I'd like to go for that 10.2 mp body, wait, oh yeah, that little thing called stereo equipment....

 

[Bstable]

100% correct - if it looks familiar I sold it to some guy from Stafford county back in the early 90s. I miss it but I miss that '63 Dart (225 Slant 6) much more. It was destroyed by a mechanic who drove it into a lift at about 40mph. That old Dart was a great car.

Interesting.... I just noticed that you are in Virginia, and I live on the Rappahannock river...the Stafford county line!!!!

 

[loudenuff?]

last week's full moon. shot with Canon SX10IS.

 

[mhardy6647]

recent photos from my son's dorm room.

FYI, he's started a blog of his 'everyday' photos at: http://www.icouldbeahero.blogspot.com/

His technical information on the shots above: "50mm f/1.4 at f/16, just used my windowsill as a support. Exposures up to 30 seconds long, but all at ISO 200. I love the stars from the lights..."