I Need Help in Night Photography (Sample Photo attached)

1. 71

   rLcasaLmeposted 11 years ago

   My main problem in night photography is the glare, flare, and glow of artificial lights. In the photo attached, you'll see that the lights produce a star effect and you'll also see that the big building slightly produced its replica beside it due to its lighting's effect on my lens.
   How do I get rid of this? The photo could have been better if it was clean and neat.
   I've also tried taking the same shot at different exposures but those light effects were still there.
   

   replyreport
   1. 39

      myownlifeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I am not sure if you could be succeed unless you take from the distance, the reason when you take from the distance in the night apart from your target we can view dark so it's the reflection of light, just my guess, some professional may have good reason or solutions. Good luck

      replyreport
2. 61

   jackcoburnposted 11 years ago

   Try checking your ISO levels. I found when I started trying night photography my ISO levels were too high. try putting it on its lowest number. What type of camera do you use?

   replyreport
3. 61

   jackcoburnposted 11 years ago

   I forgot to say the reason I say that about the ISO is because I had a similar problem

   replyreport
   1. 71

      rLcasaLmeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      my iso is at its lowest when i took this shot

      replyreport
4. 60

   photostudiosupplyposted 11 years ago

   While doing night photography, you just need to accurate the metering mode. Choose spot metering and a mid toned area for a balanced shot.

   replyreport
   1. 71

      rLcasaLmeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      i guess i'll just try a different angle and play with the metering to help achieve a balanced shot.

      replyreport
5. 71

   rLcasaLmeposted 11 years ago

   I just noticed something. Whenever I point my lens to a lamp post, it creates unpleasant starry glares. I don't know why this always happens.

   replyreport
6. 89

   tammyswallowposted 11 years ago

   The lights acutally look pretty. You can put your photo in Photoshop for free and use the shadow and highlight features to remove some of the glare.

   replyreport
7. 61

   landscapeartistposted 11 years ago

   I agree with tammyswallow.  The lights do look very pretty.

   replyreport
8. 53

   kgsphotoposted 11 years ago

   Couple of things.  First it helps to clean your lens.  Use lens cleaner tissue so as not to scratch the lens or filter. You can also breathe on the lens to create halos and flares. Also don't shoot wide open always use your smallest aperture.  You should use your cameras program mode which will set the shutter speed for you.  You should also be on a tripod. 
       Part of the problem is the contrast level of the scene.  There is too much contrast which is why your highlights are blown out.  Now the Fix!  There is something called Resiprosity Failure which sez  "The longer you expose photographic material the more density you will create until the process is reversed"  Two things will happen. 1 you will get a great picture. 2 you will get something totally wierd and probably better.  Resiprosity is not an exact science.

   replyreport
9. 71

   rLcasaLmeposted 11 years ago

   Thanks for all the advises. Just graduated from a photography workshop and my photos have drastically improved. I'm now happy with the results, though I still need to practice and explore more and more.

   replyreport