Diamonds and Rust

[ajsmith]

Took this photo in my backyard last weekend. It was a nice New England Autumn night, warmer than usual. The patio furniture was still out so I decided to bring out some candles and take some photos in the dark. I turned off all the outside lights and used just the candle light. Used the flashlight app on my phone to see what I was doing.

This was my first time taking any sort of photos like this. I set the camera to Program mode to see what settings the camera was picking. I changed to manual mode and aperture priority mode after. The first few pictures I took, the camera tried to expose for the background so the candles were over exposed. I tried different negative exposure compensation values and ended up liking -2 exposure compensation.

My camera is a Canon T3 and I used an 18-55mm lens with a tripod and no flash. The settings were shutter speed 1/2 sec, f5.6, iso 100. and the -2 exposure compensation. I shot the photos in the RAW format and was amazed at how much detail it captured in the dark. I processed the files in Adobe Camera Raw and was able to increase the exposure there to show more detail and correct the color.

I know the flames are a little blown out, but should you let that happen to show the glow of the flame? What about the composition, did I used too many candles? Are there "proper" setting for shooting flames? If so does anyone know what they are?

C and C welcome.

[mknittle]

I think it is really good for the first try at something new.

[Digital]

You did very well.


Bruce

[Daisy Mae]

As Mark says..a good first try at something new. Simplify the scene and concentrate on how the lighting plays.

Full marks for using the Joan Baez record title..one of my all time favourites.

[Downrigger]

Nice - imaginative of you to experiment with this. Especially pleasing hues/tones. I wonder if you need a little more DOF than 5.6 gives you or just need to move the center of focus a little further back as the candle and goblet in the back look a little soft to me.

[ajsmith]

Mark,
Thanks for commenting on the photo. I took many photos and some had more DOF and fewer candles. When I started preparing for the photo, my vision was to have many candles of different heights and shapes all either crystal or frosted. I threw in a few gold ones too. I wanted to keep the tones similar and the gold ones blended in well with the foliage. Now that I understand the exposure, I am going to try another back yard night shoot soon and will use some different set ups.

[Downrigger]

I look forward to seeing the next iteration - you are working on a very nice idea, I think.

[ShaneS]

Very nice Ali...I too will look forward to future iterations of this theme.

[ajsmith]

Sharon,

Thanks for commenting. I am going to try shooting in the dark again soon and will try your suggestions.

Heard the Joan Baez song recently and it stuck in my head... it's one of my favorites too.

BTW, I'm a fan of all your photos.

[Daisy Mae]

yes, it is quite a haunting song Ali.

Thank you so much.

[mknittle]

I think it is a wonderful starting point. I really like the leaves and autumn colors. Like Sharon said try to simplify scene and see how you like it. I am looking forward to seeing more images.


Mark,

[Dusty]

Love it and I think you have a good understanding of this type of exposure if it's your first time.
Dave.

[Brownbear]

Very nice. I especially like the light on the leaves and the glassware in the immediate foreground. I look forward to seeing more of these and learning from your threads.

[ajsmith]

Dusty, Thanks for commenting.
I have taken night photos before, but with some other source of lighting. This is the first photo I took with only the candle light and no other source. Wasn't sure how they would come out. I was afraid they would be too dark. I guess using a lot of candles and the reflection off the glass table increased the light. I also have a better understanding of the exposure compensation and was able to utilize that.

[ajsmith]

Hi Christina,

thanks for viewing and commenting.
The foreground area seems to draw your eye in. I think it is the color and shape of the objects and it's a little sharper. I am already planning another shoot, just have to gather some objects to use. There are plenty of candles around and I will be getting the holiday decorations out soon. Maybe I'll take a trip to Home Goods or Christmas Tree Shops for some stuff.