sea wall

Fast clouds from the south west sweeping above Cape Town's harbour wall.

This is and interesting shot, Chris. Have you considered removing the star trails and the yellow line? Just a thought. To me the subject is the interplay between the clouds and the concrete.

Really nice effect with the sky like that, really pulls you in.

Thanks for the comments!

 

Scott, I see your perception and agree it could concentrate the interplays.

 

I have not strictly manipulated the image. Personally because I like the yellow line as a factual quirk and think the Star Lines offer a reference of realism.

Very good shot Chris. The yellow line is great, it adds a lot to it.

I really like this shot. The rich colours, the inclusion of the yellow line and the star trails really give this a particular feeling of everyday/industrial beauty. But, you could take this in a whole different direction too. I hope you don't mind but, I've attached a quick B&W conversion with an entirely different feeling to it than this (and if you do, I'll come back and delete the post)

Thanks everyone!

 

Ian - I appreciate your time. Choices choices choices, it certainly is a positive aspect of post-editing, being able to have total freedom with the result you want to achieve.

 

The B&W and high contrast/vignetting certainly give it power, darkness, other worldly. I Iike it. On my version I was really cautious of not applying too much contrast, to retain detail and to minimize separating the cross-light and shadows on the sea wall.

 

All the best mate, you're more than welcome to come back again sometime to doctor my images :)

I can believe it last 5 min taking the shot! !

very nice composition and perspective

An very nice nightscape, Chris. What is your experience with noise at 5 minutes (and longer) with the 5D ? I see you selected ISO 50 to be able to expose longer, but also I suppose, to reduce noise. The yellow line - my personal opinion is that it is a bit distracting. Best regards. Peter

Peter - The 5D handles noise extremely well as long as you have the Long Exposure Noise Reduction option activated in Custom Functions and keep the ISO low (Although I've had acceptable results at 800 ISO - processed with Noise Ninja )- The downside to this is that it takes as long as the exposure time for the camera to process the image, which eats batteries big time and leaves you twiddling your thumbs.

 

I've heard reports that exposures going over 10 minutes with Digic II sensors presents purple fringing but I haven't tested the issue on my camera.

 

I've also found that underexposing can lead to unpleasant noise and striping in the dark/shadow areas especially if you try and lighten the areas afterwards. Best to get a full exposure/balanced histogram so it looks like a daylight shot, then tone it back down in PS if need be.

 

I guess you're right about the yellow line... thank you

Hey Chris, I can never tire of night photography. It's really a glimpse at the world few people take time to ponder. I waited for the Canon 20D specifically because it has a bulb setting that finally allowed some experimentation at night that formerly was possible only with film. I agree that the yellow line adds a possible distraction but it directs the eye into the distance just as the clouds and sea wall stones do. The star trails resolve the ambiguity whether or not this is a nighttime shot; however, they are few and faint and as the first commenters mentioned, they don't help the overall composition. Could you try this image again sometime at a point where there is not street lighting shining on the tops of the rocks?

 

An alternative version you might try: crop the entire wall with its yellow line, remove the stars, and try to soften the light/shadow line along the barrier rocks, since it's really about the sky and those rocks. Nice work, Chris.

What time of day (night?) this shot was made?

Thanks Kurt, suggestions appreciated.

 

Sergey - It was 1:30am full moon