A Little Night Light

[Teton Chuck]

I've been trying to do some night time photography, something entirely new for me. This shot was taken in Jackson Hole at night time during the shoulder season when there are very few people in town. I just liked the lights and worked at trying to capture the mood. C&C? Thanks. Click for large.

[Donald]

That transports me instantly back to late-September 1990, when I spent 2 (or was it 3) nights in Jackson Hole. The mood and feel of this image captures exactly what my memory told me it was like. I remember walking round from the motel we stayed in (Whose name I can't remember and I was just using Google Earth to try and find it. It sorta looked like the Ranch Inn - Was it there in 1990? The reason we chose it was because it had a Scottish flag flying outside. The owner, we found out, had been to Scotland with, I think, the military) to a steak house and going along sidewalks just like this.

I think you've done a tremendous job of that image. Lovely rich tones. The colour is great. And the composition just works for me.

[DeepWater]

Hey Chuck
I really like the image - I think you did a great job of capturing the warm glow of the lights, and I like the three elements of light you eyes are drawn to - through the window, the door, and down the sidewalk. Overall a nice image.
Since this is CnC I will throw out a couple of thoughts. I like the light on the sign in the foreground, but the light on the building is a touch excessive - distracts a bit from the effect of the window light. I don't know if this was a raw capture, but if so you could tone it down a tad with the exposure slider and the adjustment brush if you are using Adobe. Same goes for the light in front of the sign down the sidewalk.
I also noticed that your f-stop was 5.6 - if you like the "star" effect around lights try stopping down some more (say f-16 perhaps ??) You will find that you get a "star-burst" effect around your lights in the shot. Some people like it, some don't but its just a thought. Will post an example when I start my desktop. Nice work and keep shooting
James

[DeepWater]

Chuck
Since this is about your image and not mine I chose not to post an example here - just posted it to mini comp. under title of "Old Senator theater at night" - image was shot at f22 and 15 second exposure - Nikon d-300. Gives you an idea of the effect I was talking about. Probably not a great effect for your image here, but when you want to call attention to the lights in your shot works great.
Cheers!

[Teton Chuck]

Donald, thank you for your comments. The Ranch Inn was here in 1990. I must drive by and see if there is still a Scottish flag flying our front. I am pleased that the photo brought back memories. I was trying to capture the feel of our little town at night and it seemed to work for you. And that is encouraging for me as I try to expand my photographic subject matter.

[Teton Chuck]

James, I appreciate your comments and suggestions. They are very helpful. I will play around with this image some more to see what I can produce. I checkout our your photo in mini comp.. Very nice. I have played with the "star" effect but mostly when shooting nature photos. I didn't even consider trying that when I was taking this photo. To be honest I was just trying to figure out how to get a decent photo at night. Perhaps I will go back and play with stars.

[Mike Buckley]

worked at trying to capture the mood.

You definitely succeeded. This is very appealing.