first night photography

[Valerio Tarone]

..and my first trial in PS. Data:lens 16-50mm f4 30 sec. bulb iso400
captured last august with NIKON D300. of course tripod.
C&C well accepted(please be gentle)

[Diane Miller]

A nice first try -- this sort of thing isn't easy. My eye wants the tree to be vertical, and to see less contrast. This image is one where the processing is worth discussing.

I would touch out the red lights in the lower right -- flare??

[Valerio Tarone]

Thank you Diane, exactly I wrote to you I have shot only one. Self critique: 1 the lower part is too dark 2 in shooting phase, use higher iso 3 red lights in lower right? i don't see.. . the ridge rock was enlightened by a full moon.
I'm sure I need to expertise the matter!yes.

[Don Railton]

Hi Valerio

I think maybe you have too much contrast with your processing??? The blue is very dark and the light and dark parts of the tree look like too much contrast to me.. My suggestion also is to push the ISO up a little more.. I dont know this Nikon camera performance but I would think you could use a lot higher ISO than 400, as you suggested. I can see the red, Rhight hand side of tree half way up the cliff, and on bottom edge of image below RHS of tree.

DON

[David Cowling]

A good first try at this deceptively difficult type of photography. Good advice given above.

[Don Lacy]

As other have stated this type of photography is not easy and take some practice to get right. You also will have issues using an older camera like the D300 which does not have the high ISO capabilities of newer cameras. The main issue with the image as presented is the noise which has caused banding in the sky. You also have what looks like sensor flare in the bottom right hand corner of the frame. The processing looks to be to contrasty and might be contributing to the noise issue. The other thing is you are shooting with the moon out these images should be taken with no moon in the sky to get the full view of all the stars while not over exposing the foreground. Here is a link to one of the best Ebooks on nightscape photography I have seen and it was a great help to me. http://intothenightphoto.blogspot.com/2015/01/milky-way-nightscapes-ebook-preview.html

[Diane Miller]

I second the recommendation of Royce Bair's book -- it is very comprehensive. I would also add to the list, Seeing the Unseen, by Alister Benn. You might try some similar shots with only a quarter moon.

I don't remember how you process, but as said above, contrast and noise are harsh here. Even for an older camera, it might be worth having another try at the processing.

[Valerio Tarone]

Diane, yes I took a note. Thank you the others, it was as 'attempt'. Higher iso in capture time, yes I had imagined. I don't know where the excessive contrast come from.

[Valerio Tarone]

thank you Don and Diane. I've noted the link and the book. Could the red light in bottom RL be for light pollution from a refuge 100 metres below or for my torch not too far?

[Diane Miller]

The red lights are streaky and in different directions, which suggests they may have been from a red light moving around during the 30 sec exposure. Were you moving a light, or wearing a red headlamp? Light can leak in through the viewfinder during these long exposures -- you should always cover it with black tape if the camera doesn't have a way to cover or close it.

[Morkel Erasmus]

You received some good advice above, Valerio.
I think you could have upped the ISO, even on the D300. Processing can definitely be looked at - but with these shots the in-camera part is even more important.
The newer cameras do a far better job at night - is this the newest option you have?
Composition-wise I would have shot the mountains and sky without the tree - it distracts and splits the frame for me.

[Andrew McLachlan]

I agree with Morkel on the tree...I too would have composed the scene without it...Don and Diane recommended Royce Bair's ebook to me several months ago and yes it is an invaluable resource and clearly explains the special processing steps to optimizing this type of imagery..highly recommended!