it was virtualy darkness upstairs when i took that. the technicals are F 3.2 (aperture) shutter was open for 10.9 seconds with an ISO of 400. the only reason it looks so light is the shutter was open for nearly 11 seconds using a faster film in essence the higher the number the faster it absorbs light but at the expense of quality or noise to put it technically. the aperture is not overly wide. 3.2 to 3.5 would be the minimum a basic zoom lens would do. thats a fixed focal that goes down to 1.8. which is excellent for low light ambient night work

i bet this technique would be great for some pictures like on a clear night just usng the moonlight?

Absorbing natural light and artificial light are two seperate entities. Night stills using only moonlight requires a good open fast lens. f 2.8 or lower. and a slowish shutter speed depending on how much light is around. take one...adjust the shutter speed if its not right, while your practicing it can take a couple of stabs. a light meter can prove invaluable in certain situations where you want it spot on first time...portraits/studio/weddings etc if your painting light the darker the better really, you control the shutter speed so theres no biggie there. i made the mistake of using a low f number which lets alot of light in too fast which gives the impression of light...when i wanted the lines, which i didnt get to rectify before my battery pack died on me. ill be trying some higher ones later. light painting is seen to be a bit of fun..and it is..but its invaluable in portraiture aswell. in a darkened place..you can use the light to highlight features...and the darkness hides the rest.

im being really serious in a topic for once..crikey..ill start being nice about waynes wotsit tan next

Jam.

lol, id love to learn about all photography and different techniques

its one of the most popular past-times according to survey, easier than painting and alot less messy. press the button and its there. photographers are artists with a shorter attention span keep an eye out on ebay and the like for used entry level DSLR's preferably with a lens to get you going. 18-55 is normal. at this stage it wont matter overly on brand as you can move it on afterwards. its purely so you can practice the correlations between shutter speed/aperture when to use a faster iso, and how to mess about and create some really interesting effects. dont expect the low light performance to be pro grade, you will probably introduce noise to low light and light painting or the continious mode to be able to go nuts for more than about 5 shots at a time. After that if you chose to upgrade and keep going my only advice would be chose either Cannon or Nikon. accesory and primarily lens availabilty for these two is the best, not really much to pick between the two, its mainly down to preference. personally i found the Nikon easier to use. so i went with that. play about, trawl the net for info and guides, and dont be afraid to be creative

Jam.

thanks for the advice, might start giving it ago next year.

Having a few second delay helps too so there is no residual shake from you pressing the button.

If you want to start getting into photography I would recommend a decent bridge camera. I have a fujifilm S5800 which I got for £80 a while ago and it is amazing for the money. Yes the sensor isn't as big as the more expensive SLRs but it does have a full manual mode as well as a nice auto mode for my other half.

My picture above was at F/4.5, exposure 1/140 sec, max aperture 3.6

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had a bit of an exploration on the island of bute last weekend..one of my faves

ill try and do a vote thread in the morning..if not pick a fave and PM me. subject line POTM and ill just tot it up and post the winner.

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really wish i could have entered this one but it was from a couple of years ago now but was a good capture so i thought id share it with you (please do not vote on this one )

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Speaking of sunsets! lol

Lee-on-the-solent:


Hedge end:

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She's still alive! -23/02/2017

are those 2 for voting on?

Yeah i guess lol

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She's still alive! -23/02/2017

all i meant was do they conform to the taken within the specified slot of months? not a problem either way i just wanted to check

Yeah the hedge end one was taken yesterday lol, and the lee' on was thursday i think - the week before last.

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She's still alive! -23/02/2017

i put the code in while my mum was sitting behind me

ill upload mine in a bit when photobucket is working agian

return of the one eyed monster eh

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I am going to buy the camera recommended by..... wait for it..... Percy! I quite like the look of that picture so seems a good beginners camera, once I have one i'll take part in this

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its not a bad choice, it is a perfect bridge camera in the sense of it has a full manual mode so you can get your head around the basics of a camera while still having a nice auto mode. The main differences between that and the DSLR's is it a fixed lense, it has a smaller sensor and it costs a lot less.

I bought it with the idea of if I got into it enough I would buy a DSLR, as it is I am so happy with it I don't feel the need to upgrade, a big part of taking good pictures is having the eye for a good picture, I have taken better pictures with a compact than others at times just because of the skill of seeing a good picture.

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