At Night - No Flash

[casdsr]

I think that will be very difficult to see the lights and the illuminated area. Please advice
This two files are "At Night - No Flash" and the same place during a cloudy day.
Comments please.

[casdsr]

Same place during a cloudy day.
Comments Please

[Colin Southern]

We would Carlos, but we're not seeing any files. You might like to click on HELP!/Rules above for some step-by-step image posting instructions.

[casdsr]

I think now all is ok.
Sorry, Thanks

[Bear123]

Carlos,
A flash with a diffuser at night might cool down some of the bright (hot spots) . I like the warm effects of the no flash picture compared to the daylight one. Interesting stuff. Noel

[casdsr]

Noel
Thanks about your opinion.
Anyway a flash with or without diffuser will change the natural night ambient color.
Carlos

[joewatt]

In your photo, is the ambient color at night tungsten light? If so, flash will not help, will it?

[Colin Southern]

Hi Carlos,

I'm not 100% just what you're asking, but the essence of the problem you have is that you have a very high dynamic range scene (areas that are very very dark, and areas that are very very bright), so you basically have 2 approaches:

1. To use flash to brighten the darker areas (you can use gels on the flash to change the colour temperature of the flash light), or

2. Use HDR techniques and capture a range of images at different exposures which you can then combine into an HDR composite shot.

A simpler approach might be to take a RAW shot and see how much shadow detail could be extracted, or even take a shot as the ambient light starts to decrease, but before it's too dark.

[casdsr]

Hi joewatt
I have two types of light:
On the road (where I'm shooting) high pressure sodium
Inside the gate compact fluorescent lamps
No flash was used
Thanks
Carlos

[casdsr]

Thank you very much Colin
I appreciate your advice, I think to start using HDR technique, so I'll need a specialized software.
Any suggestion for the software??
Thanks again
Carlos

[FrankMi]

Thank you very much Colin
I appreciate your advice, I think to start using HDR technique, so I'll need a specialized software.
Any suggestion for the software??
Thanks again
Carlos

Hi Carlos, I use Photomatix and have been very pleased with it but there are a number of HDR applications out there. The problem is not so much with the processing of the HDR image as learning how to blend the result back into the original image so that it isn't 'overdone'.

Trey Ratcliff has a free HDR tutorial you may want to look at before you decide which application is best for the kind of HDR you want to shoot. http://www.stuckincustoms.com/

[casdsr]

Hi Carlos, I use Photomatix and have been very pleased with it but there are a number of HDR applications out there. The problem is not so much with the processing of the HDR image as learning how to blend the result back into the original image so that it isn't 'overdone'.

Trey Ratcliff has a free HDR tutorial you may want to look at before you decide which application is best for the kind of HDR you want to shoot. http://www.stuckincustoms.com/

Yes Frank
I'll try it.
Afer I'll let you know with edited image.
Thanks,
Carlos

[casdsr]

Hi Carlos, I use Photomatix and have been very pleased with it but there are a number of HDR applications out there. The problem is not so much with the processing of the HDR image as learning how to blend the result back into the original image so that it isn't 'overdone'.

Trey Ratcliff has a free HDR tutorial you may want to look at before you decide which application is best for the kind of HDR you want to shoot. http://www.stuckincustoms.com/

Hi Frank
With your advice I try Photomatix.
I work on original raw (cr2) file and I follow the very good Ratcliff tutorial.
I got the results you can see.
I think that with different under and over exposures The results may be better, or usinga the night and day images.

[FrankMi]

Hi Carlos, I see that you were able to bring out more detail with less blown highlights than the original post. Usually a set of bracketed exposures will work better for you.

What do you think of your Photomatix results?

[Hero]

I personally like the atmosphere of the first images, only thing i would try is to burn (darken) the two light-sources. Maybe someone can give you some pointers in that direction, I myself haven't yet gotten to grips with dodging and burning in terms of photoshop and the likes.

[casdsr]

I personally like the atmosphere of the first images, only thing i would try is to burn (darken) the two light-sources. Maybe someone can give you some pointers in that direction, I myself haven't yet gotten to grips with dodging and burning in terms of photoshop and the likes.

Thanks Hero
I'd like to agree with you, but how can I try a good solution?
Normally I develop with Lightroom.
Anybody for helping??
Carlos

[Colin Southern]

How about this?

[casdsr]

How about this?

Tanks Colin,
What have you done?
a) Where is the light spot near the house door, we can also suppress the nearer spot (?);
b)The ambiance light temperature is far away from reality;
c) I, personally, don't like the assembly.
Any way I'dd like very much, by didactic reasons, to know, again, what have you done!?
Tomorrow night (here now is 2:00 in the morning) I'll try a "set of bracketed exposures" and will let you know the results.
About Photomatix results I'll give my opinion after to have a little more experience with.
Carlos

[Colin Southern]

Where is the light spot near the house door, we can also suppress the nearer spot (?);

You could, but that is the light that gives the illusion of illuminating the scene (and to a degree it is). If you remove it then the brain would wonder "wheres the light source that's creating the shadows".

The ambiance light temperature is far away from reality;

You can adjust that in Photoshop, but it's never going to be a phtorealistic scene anyway.

Any way I'dd like very much, by didactic reasons, to know, again, what have you done!?

I just popped it into Adobe Camera RAW - adjusted the black clipping point - brightness - exposure - brightness then popped it into Photoshop - cloned out the light on the house (quick/dirty job) - resampled - sharpened.

[casdsr]

Hi Carlos, I see that you were able to bring out more detail with less blown highlights than the original post. Usually a set of bracketed exposures will work better for you.

What do you think of your Photomatix results?

You can see my opinion about Photomatix on "American Way Abroad" new thread.
Carlos