Lighthouse

[aee]

Any pointers how to take a picture of a lighthouse at night with the sea,sky and light house in the picture if its possible. I do not have photoshop to change the picture

[Dave Humphries]

Why not just go out and try it Awstin?

You can start with scene modes, then review the images on the LCD while out and adjust settings accordingly.

That's the beauty of digital compared to film.

You will need a tripod though, or some other means to ensure the camera doesn't move during what might be a several second exposure.

Cheers, Dave

PS, there are many other image editing programs apart from PhotoShop, GIMP to name but one (which is free).

[Shadowman]

Agree with Dave, also you don't have to wait until it gets pitch black to start capturing, start around sunset and just keep working the scene.

[Ndukes]

If that's the South Stack lighthouse, you should be able to get some great shots just after sunset. If your camera has bracketing, try using it to give you options.

[Thlayle]

I think the 'Columbus Method" (go out & explore) being advocated is definitely a good way to go.

With a lot of night shooting experience, I can say that to capture the night sky (after twilight) well and without star trails (unless you do want them), you will need a high ISO (at least 1600, but 3200 probably more like it), the widest aperture you have, and about 20 to 30 seconds maximum on the time.

Beyond that, unless you are shooting in a true 'dark sky' area, I believe you will find plenty of ambient, nearby light to use that will light up the lighthouse.

You can of course experiment with light painting, using a good light with short amounts of time passing over your subject.

Then there's geometry: with a tall object in the field and a wide angle lens (I use a 14 mm for almost all of my night shots) and that will result in distortion, such as the tower appearing to lean.

Here's a quickly processed one I did with a Canon T2i (550D) and a 14 mm lens. It was part of a sequence I shot for panoramic stitching in Photoshop. Also, it is not the best angle of the lighthouse. I was more interested in getting it against the Milky Way, my real subject. This was processed in Lightroom only. All of the lighting is local, source light from around the building. and nearby parking area.

[Manfred M]

My favourite time for images like the one you are proposing is "golden hour" that occurs just before sunset. I'm starting to experiment is shooting at "blue hour" the period shortly after sunset.

Both of these times provide very pleasing lighting and in sufficient quantity (and direction) that results in good images without some of the issues that can (and do) occur once it gets really dark out. This is a "golden hour" shot, using a tripod and cable release.

[rpcrowe]

Awstin...

What program do you use for your editing?

If you don't have an editing program, I strongly recommend that you get one.

GIMP is a full featured (and free) editing program used by many of our members (one of whom is Donald).

[aee]

Thank you all I will wrap up and go and experiment and also download GIMP.

[aee]

It is South Stack. Great coast line

[Ndukes]

I pass through Holyhead en-route to and from Norfolk a few times each year and often wish I had the time to explore the South Stack (which I see from the car ferry) and the rugged terrain around Snowdonia. I find it difficult to defeat my compulsion to reach my destination asap. You have a photographer's paradise at your feet Awstin.

[Manfred M]

Awstin...

What program do you use for your editing?

If you don't have an editing program, I strongly recommend that you get one.

GIMP is a full featured (and free) editing program used by many of our members (one of whom is Donald).

Awstin - I'm in total agreement with Richard on the need for post-processing and virtually any image. The images one gets straight out of the camera virtually never, outside of perhaps some studio shots, are quite good enough. But please be forewarned; post-processing has a LONG learning curve and it takes a lot of time and effort to become competent in it.

Gimp, like Photoshop, is definitely a piece of software that is very powerful, but by no means easy to master. If you find that Gimp is too large a leap to start with, the various members can direct you to free or paid-for software that they use that might be more suitable for someone just starting to edit images. I'm not much help here as I've been using Photoshop for a very long time.