Not in Service
A gas station off Route 165 in Nevada. Part of an old mining ghost town. It's like a museum, and the people that maintain the area do a great job. Just ...
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A gas station off Route 165 in Nevada. Part of an old mining ghost town. It's like a museum, and the people that maintain the area do a great job. Just some light painting on a bright moon night in October 2016
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Oct, 2016Views
2407
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Awards
Featured
People's Choice in Make it look 60s Photo Challenge
Winner in The only one Photo Challenge
Contest Finalist in Image Of The Month Photo Contest Vol 15
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Absolute Masterpiece
All Star
Genius
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 2Top 10 rank week 1
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PRO+
michelemunyak
December 07, 2016
I love photographing old trucks and old barns and i have found a few that have both attributes. I leally like this one and am envious .. Thank you for sharing it with fellow artists and photographer.
PRO+
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
While exploring the Google Maps for my next photo shoot location, I ran across this little area tucked away in the mountains between Searchlight and Boulder City Nevada. The town is called Nelson or Eldorado Canyon Ghost Town. After more online investigation and seeing photos and video of the area, I knew I had to get some sunset and night shots. The place is like a museum with vintage relics all over the area. Nevertheless, the area is all private land, and one must seek approval from the owners and pay a fee before photography.Time
This was shot late into blue hour after sunset.Lighting
The lighting on this night had all the elements for a great photo shoot. Two days prior it was full moon, and the moon was beaming down about 40 degrees from the South East. Thus providing a cool hue to work with. The bright lights from Las Vegas lit the North West sky with a warm hue giving another element to work with. The clouds provided texture and character to the sky and at the same time cover up the stars that would leave trails during the long exposure. And finally, my 2 LED lights gave me the ability to do some light painting for more detail. Nevertheless, when all these elements, along with great subject matter come together, it makes photography very exciting and fun at the same time.Equipment
For this photo I used my Nikon D7100 and Tokina 12-28mm f/4. 3LT Tony tripod. For light painting the Maglite LX50, and the Princeton TEC Byte headlamp. 30 second exposure, 1600 ISO, f/5.6. To get the most light from a distance of about 20 feet, I used the headlamp with clear bulb to light the side of the building and front of the car. With the Maglite on low power, I held it very low to the ground to light the dirt and rocks as well as the pumps and the signs in front of the garage. It took several attempts to get it balanced out. If you've ever did dodge and burn on film prints, it's the same concept; but with the added factor of LED brightness and distance to factor in.Inspiration
I the past, I've seen some amazing looking photos shot at this location here on the ViewBug and in print shops. I've also attempted light painting via a dodge and burn technique but never with this subject matter. I've also watched tutorials and learned about how to light paint these types of shots, but never had the opportunity to do so. Thus, with this photo shoot, I put all my experience in long exposure and light painting to the test, to see if I could create a great image as those I've seen in the past.Editing
With all my photography, I do post processing. Sometimes a lot and sometimes not so much. For this photo, and all my long exposure night photos, I try to get it all done in the camera. In my experience with long exposure, the exposure outcome is critical for how much processing can be done later. And this also goes for White Balance. Having the optimal WB will provide the best baseline for color and hue adjustments. If the exposure and WB are not right, I end up with a lot of noise trying to push the details, loss of color making huge changes, loss of detail and added noise. If the exposure is done well, I can do noise reduction, and make small adjustments to get the image tuned right. Yes, I always shoot RAW for long exposures. For this shot, I used Lightroom 5 and did the basic clarity, contrast, NR, and use of radial filter to enhance 2 small areas that I missed with the light painting. Also, just some minor adjustment to WB to de-saturate some of the blue in the sky. And I added 2 small radial filters for the blue color of the headlights.In my camera bag
For my Night Kit I carry 2 DSLRs one for panoramas and single shots, and the other for time lapse. For lenses, a Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8, and Tokina 12-28mm f/4 for time lapse. Both these lenses are constant aperture with distance scales with hard infinity stops for easy focusing in the dark. I also carry 2 tripods one large, one small. Also, "L" bracket, nodal rail, Interval-o-meter, spare batteries for my lights and cameras, food, water, and appropriate attire. As well as other survival stuff like first aid, compass, etc...Feedback
If you're seeking a similar experience in long exposure night photography, it's not hard to find. Every day there is a night, and where ever you live there is a place similar to this one. Finding great scenes and subject matter is challenging. But not impossible. When you find a place, check it out online, google map it, check the photos and videos of the area too see what others have shot. Also, check the weather patterns, get the best moon and sky conditions for your photo shoot. Also, if you've never did long exposure night photography, give it a try in your back yard at night. And learn how to use the camera's histogram as a reference to learn how to get the optimal long exposure. It all takes time and effort, a lot of fails at first and more success later. But, in the long run, once you train your eyes to see the night in camera exposure, you'll be able to quickly tune in the optimal exposure under any condition. Anyway, I'm truly honored to have this photo awarded on the ViewBug Contest. And I'm honored to have the opportunity to share this information with everyone. I hope more people will go out into the night for photography. Thank you and best wishes in your ventures.
