The Speed of Light

[RoyHubbard]

My first post on this forum is a photo I took last year.  My ability in post processing is only just catching up, interested in any thoughts or comments.

[Dick Roadnight]

My first post on this forum is a photo I took last year.  My ability in post processing is only just catching up, interested in any thoughts or comments.

This is a very difficult subject...

The extreme right is at a different color temperature, and could be color-corrected or cropped, but the tree nicely frames the picture.

It can look good if you do this type of pic with flash at the end of the exposure, "rear curtain" with one vehicle "frozen" at the front of the light streaks.

What post software / techniques / settings did you use?

Were the street lights sodium (amber) or what?

[RoyHubbard]

This is an HDR composite composed of eight images taken at f/5.6 between 30sec and 1/4sec, then combined using Photoshop's Merge to HDR function and the Local Adaptation setting.  

The majority of the processing consists of tonal and color adjustments and managing the light bursts; curves, selective color, high pass.  I like the feeling the Orton Effect lends to photos in the city at night, so I applied it as well.  

I do like the tree and placed it intentionally as a compositional element.  I wasn't able to detect the difference in color temperature in this area, I'll need to give it a closer inspection when I'm in front of my retouching machine.  Developing a keener eye for this kind of thing might be in order as well.

I like your idea of using flash to freeze a car in place.  It would have made this shot exponentially more difficult, but it's definitely something to consider for the future.

I'm not at all sure what kind of street lights are used in the city, but the light is certainly amber.  

Thanks very much for your thoughts.

[Dick Roadnight]

This is an HDR composite composed of eight images taken at f/8 between 1min and 1/2sec, then combined using Photoshop's Merge to HDR function and the Local Adaptation setting.

IMHO, HDR does not usually produce results as good as this - have you considered/ used PhotoMerge?

I do like the tree and placed it intentionally as a compositional element.  I wasn't able to detect the difference in color temperature in this area, I'll need to give it a closer inspection when I'm in front of my retouching machine.  Developing a keener eye for this kind of thing might be in order as well.

The tree is fine... it is the grass in front of it that is of a different colour temperature.

I like your idea of using flash to freeze a car in place.  It would have made this shot exponentially more difficult, but it's definitely something to consider for the future.

I'm not at all sure what kind of street lights are used in the city, but the light is certainly amber.  

Thanks very much for your thoughts.

Sodium lights produce amber /yellow light of two close frequencies, so everything comes out biscuit coloured, regardless of filtering. (and the amber indicator filters on cars look white to the eye)

The standard easy (pre-digital) way to get adequate DR in a night shot is to take it a dusk or dawn, so sunlight gives you adequate fill.

[popnfresh]

In terms of the composition, the photo is less about the cars speeding by on the road than it is about the railing in the foreground and the buildings in the background. As a visual element, the stream of car lights is incidental to the shot.

[RoyHubbard]

IMHO, HDR does not usually produce results as good as this - have you considered/ used PhotoMerge?

The tree is fine... it is the grass in front of it that is of a different colour temperature.

Sodium lights produce amber /yellow light of two close frequencies, so everything comes out biscuit coloured, regardless of filtering. (and the amber indicator filters on cars look white to the eye)

The standard easy (pre-digital) way to get adequate DR in a night shot is to take it a dusk or dawn, so sunlight gives you adequate fill.

No, I hadn't looked much into PhotoMerge, but I will now.  Thanks for the suggestion.  I actually have been meaning to try some work with panoramas, so I think the timing is good.

What are the usual shortcomings of HDR in your eyes?  There's lots of careless misuse (IMHO) of tone mapping software without understanding the principle purpose of expanding dynamic range.  To that end, I've had some degree of success with pushing the boundaries of the medium and producing some satisfying results.

In terms of the composition, the photo is less about the cars speeding by on the road than it is about the railing in the foreground and the buildings in the background. As a visual element, the stream of car lights is incidental to the shot.

Thanks for your thoughts.

[RichardGilbert]

Were you using a star filter and was it a full moon? I like the set up but I think that it needs to be darker so the lights from the movement can be seen easier but it's just my personal preference.

[RoyHubbard]

Were you using a star filter and was it a full moon? I like the set up but I think that it needs to be darker so the lights from the movement can be seen easier but it's just my personal preference.

I didn't use any filters and the moon was fairly unremarkable that night, as far as I remember.  I hadn't thought to try and make the lights stand out more, I'll try and burn the roadway some and see whether the result is pleasing.  Thanks.

[Dick Roadnight]

What are the usual shortcomings of HDR in your eyes?  There's lots of careless misuse (IMHO) of tone mapping software without understanding the principle purpose of expanding dynamic range.  To that end, I've had some degree of success with pushing the boundaries of the medium and producing some satisfying results.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Generally HDR eliminates modeling or contrast, but you have got round this and produced a good result - without PhotMerge...

Mixed lighting photography is difficult enough inside, where you have some control over some of the light sources... but this is complicated.

Photographing at dusk gives you fill, but makes the vehicle lights less significant, you cannot turn the street lights off.

You could spend 6 hours at the location and take pictures in different light and mix, mask and match post... this is the joy of digital - imagine doing it all on one sheet of 5 * 4 film?

¿I suppose you could mask out the road in most of the shots, so the car lights are brighter relative to their background?

This is the short of shot I might dream up to make full use of all the tools I want (or have) -

shutter-beams to trigger the flash and shutter when a vehicle is in the right place,
4 big battery flashes,
a Medium Format Digital View camera to get the rail in focus,
electronic shutter to enable auto-firing of a view camera shutter ( maybe not required if the flash, not the shutter would be auto-triggered)
pocked wizards for shutter and flash
4-way adjustable pro lens shade to keep out unwanted light.

...one is supposed to think about the subject, and the artistic impression you try to create, but would you ask a painter to make do with a white-washed wall, a stick and a muddy puddle?  ...yes, it can be an interesting exercise to see what you can do with the minimum of equipment.