Ft Island Beach at night

I went out to Ft Island Beach (gulf coast of FL - a small beach close to my home) late last night to try some night photography. I learned a lot. I learned that groups of teenagers and a few interesting older gentlemen hang out there at night. And that gulls and skimmers fly around even though it's (mostly) dark. I was quite glad to have a friend with me :S3:

Nikon d3s, 24-70 f/2.8 @ 24mm, ISO 1000, f/3.2, 25sec

The orange glow in the foreground and on the pier is from the lights at the beach.

I used a low opacity layer of Topaz simplify on the foreground and an adjustment layer to darken the sky a bit, cropped slightly, leveled and sharpened.

Maureen, its a very nice image, very sharp and 25 seconds is a long time to keep steady, I like how the stars show....I would probably try to darken the LLC bush a bit, just my opinion.
p.s. ... yes anytime you photograph in dark places, it pays to keep your eyes open, especially since we're carrying around thousands of dollars of camera equipment.

Maureen, this turned out great and I'm glad you had someone with you! I like the almost abstract look to this, especially the solid reflection in the water, the pier and the stars. I think I like the light on the bushes. Nice job:S3:

This is super! Very well seen and executed. I thought about the bright vegetation in the lower left corner and I think I agree with Paul, as the main attraction is the glowing pier & reflection. I gasped as I read about your trek through the teenagers & lurking men...consider taking pepper spray along with a big, strong friend.

Thanks for the comments.

Nancy, I'm very careful - I appreciate your concern :S3:

Maureen,
This is really great. My attention was immediately drawn to the pier. And the stars are beautiful. I also love the reflection on the water of the pier.
Nicely done.
Janet

Hi Maureen, love the sky and the light on the pier. Very nice night photo. Glad you had a friend with you. Nancy makes a good suggestion about the pepper spray.

Amazing... Captured.. wonderful orange feels with Bright back star and sky.. Reflection add more to image.. TFS.

I like the simplicity of this image. The orange on the front bushes works well with the same color on the pier and reflections. The vertical frame allows lots of space to balance the lighter areas, as well as lovely stars. The dark bushes in the near front adds a layer providing a sense of depth.