Please enlarge these photographs by cliciking on them to get a better view of them.
Not too far from where I live we have a water fountain in the center of a small lake. The lights and the water out of the sprays are set to music and quite spectacular to see. The closest I could get to it was about 50 feet.
My first attempt came out like this.....not very good as you can see!! :(
But I soon got the hang of it.
I had gone there unexpectedly and only had my small P&S with me.
Next time I will take my 400D and the tripod as I am sure I can do much better than this.
If you enlarge the pics you will see a lot of ducks in the foreground on some sandbanks.
Some of the spraying water shots are fairy good but I think I needed a higher ISO on these.
Any ideas, advice or suggestions would be welcome? 
26 comments:
Hey this is good Joan, especially the last one!
On the 4th of July hubby would shoot pics of the fireworks, but when they started, mister was nowhere to be found (getting me a coffee), so I tried frantically every setting I knew to get something on my screen...sigh - it's good we have photoshop!!!
I thought you did quite good Joan. I'm not very up on night photography, and we sold our tripod before I really got into taking digital, and I struggle with night shots even though my camera has a nighttime setting. I did a series on the fireworks this year, and thought they turned out pretty good, but then again there was plenty of light there.I definately will be watching your comments for any suggestions.
B.
Hello Jeannette. Murphy's Law at work again. :) I never do any processing on my pictures except for cropping. If it is not good enough I discard it. :)
Hello Becky. I always like to try new things and have been wanting to go to this fountain for a long time. It is quite adrive there though and they are busy working on the roads in the area so I have been putting it off. I have never tried fireworks as they are banned in SA. Why? People with pets complained!! It is strange how the pets we had as children did not mind them as we set off fireworks on many different occasions.
If not perfect its a good start. Actually I think the eerieness anyway.
These are really superb shots! I loved the fountains in the lights!
Thanks TB. They were not too bad for the first time but I am sure I can do much better with the other camera. Because all this is set to music it is actually a great and very entertaining way to spend an hour.
Thanks for your kind words Kcalpesh. :)
Nice Joan! I like it. More than I like the photos I like the experience of trying new things and exploring new posibilities. It's the adventure and learning process that makes it all worth while. My Grandpa used to encourage me by saing, "If it were easy anybody could do it."
Thanks also for showing the good, the bad, and the ugly. This is encouraging for beginners like me because I have a hard drive full of opportunity for improvement and it's nice to see that I am not the only one with those types of photos. LOL
They turned out great in the end and I really enjoyed the effect.
Craig
Hello Craig. Your Grandpa was quite right. In my life I have seen everything as a challenge and have never said "I cannot do it". Maybe not as well as the next person but we all have to start somewhere. Today I pride myself at being able to do anythng I want to.
You should have seen my first macro's!! You would have had a good laugh at them. The person who was my mentor had a lot to teach me and I love him for taking the time to do it.
So don't worry if the first is not the best like mie were, with practice we all improve, even me. :)
You're a fast learner. I think they look very good. I'm lousy at night shots. Guess I should be practicing for those night safaris.
Didn't realize fireworks are not allowed there. Although pretty there are bad environmental affects and my dogs always freaked.
I like this kind of pictures and I like this yours.
I have two blogs and in the second one many times I post things like these.
Just luck Gaelyn, with a small bit of knowledge thrown in. :) I know dogd are very sensitive to the noise and I fell sorry for them. It would have been nice to have designated places for them sometimes though.
Thanks Andrea. I do sometimes go to your other blog too but do not leave comments there. I know I should.
Are you all ready for your trip? It is not long to go now and I am sure you cannot wait anymore for it to begin. :)
It's interesting about the pet thing. I think it's a good idea.
The pets (dogs) in our area are all scared to death of fireworks, but there is no ban on them. Our dog goes nuts, and sticks so close by us. He won't go to the bathroom either till hours after the noise stops.
B.
I think they are great Joan..I have a tripod and a monopod that I should use....Michelle
I'd say that you've done very well, Joan. I haven't done very much night photography. When I do, I use a tripod and a remote shutter release.
Hello Becky. This country is so small laws like this get passed very quickly.
Thanks Michelle. I do have a tripod but did not have it with me so I rested the camera on a steel pipe.
Thanks Steve. I have never used a remote although I had two for my previous camera. It was an interesting exercise and I am keen to go and try again with the 400D when it gets warmer.
Very pretty! Night photography is hard...too hard for me other then the moon.
Hello Mary. I think it is a case of practice makes perfect. :)
Joan: Great photos of a wonderful show.
Thanks Tom. They did not come out too badly for a first attempt. There are some nice restuarants around the lake and it is nice to sit and watch the show while eating.
I think they're beautiful and definitely not bad at all! I love water features like this though I don't get to see many at night.
Thanks TB. :) This one is not on every night and I will definitely go back there sometimes and see if I can improve on these.
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