Lights over the lake

[allenlennon]

Well now, hasn't it been a while since i posted anything!!!! I am the master at procrastination!!

Tonight i decided to stop by a lake i drive pass all the time and have a go at night time shots of lights. I always wanted to do night time cityscapes over water but seeing as Sydney is about a 3 hour drive for me, this shot of the intersection will have to do for now.

I need to practice more. But this is the best i could do. I really want to to up to Sydney to do a night shot over the harbour and capture the glorious city night life, but seeing as the price of fuel is not in my favor, and my work schedule is not that good. But when i get a bit of time i might go by train to get there and make a day of it.

Now for the shot, if i were to do it again, i will have another look at other view points. I had to clone out a tree branch from the shot, but i didnt realise till i got home that i could of went a few steps towards the water to get rid of it. It may not be the best photo out there, and first try at this, i believe i did alright. Definitely need to have another go.

Lights over a lake by AllenLennon, on Flickr

I spoke to a friend of mine and she thinks if i exposed it to show the sky it would be better. this is a very quick edit of the same photo, i had to crop it tighter because i suck at cloning, as there was a part of a branch there in the top right corner. i upped the exposure, and masked the lighted area and the reflected area to the oringinal edit.



But im in favour of the darker one. Next time i will try it again when there is more stars and less moon light.

Any and all C&C

[deetheturk]

Nice capture Allen, I prefer the lighter version!

David

[Ndukes]

Nice capture Allen, I prefer the lighter version!

David

Me too. It's a nicely balanced tranquil image.

[Kodiak]

•
Hey Allen,

I don't believe that it could improve much more on your last version. In fact,
for better result, you may consider an earlier hour where the daylight will be
just as low as to balance the artificial lights on the dock.

[Shadowman]

I think this particular spot is worth exploring further and will serve as a good training ground. Other things to look for are brighter skies and perhaps different angles of view.

[gregj1763]

The lighter version for me as well mate and the crop worked as it got rid of the houses on the left.

[vaez]

i agree with david

[IzzieK]

I like the edited version too. But since in the first version what distracts me is a little bit too much foreground, on the second one, which is the brighter version, now the foreground and background as the same size...would be better with lesser of the foreground for me. But then, this is just my opinion...no one complained about it anyway...

[allenlennon]

Thank you everyone. I am planning on getting here again to explore this again when it's a bit earlier on.

[Kodiak]

Thank you everyone. I am planning on getting here again to explore this again when it's a bit earlier on.

Thanks Allen, as we all wish you keep your promises!

Then, let there be hope… brothers and sisters and stay tuned as the next
episode of "Lights over the lake" will appear soon! ;-)

[FootLoose]

I agree with others, the 2nd version is a better exposure, but I prefer the composition of the first.

Re the trip to Sydney: I realise that is a personal challenge for you, Allen, but the photo you have posted here is closer to reality for most people in this country. I'd be happy to see a lot more country "road-scapes" at night rather than another night shot of Sydney.