San Francisco downtown with festival lights panorama (1 MB photo)

[obelix]

6 shots with the 105mm Micro Nikkor (Yes!).

Critiques welcome

http://www.anands.net/photos/panorama/byNight.jpg

[Dee]

I haven't been out to Treasure Island yet to take my yearly holiday lit Embarcadero Buildings! I have time off after this week, and that would be a good thing to add to my list of things to do.

A wonderful pano indeed! Nice even lighting throughout. Foggy?

[ubergeek]

Very nice capture of the city lights. However, there are some strange, somewhat faint lights in the sky. Airplanes or some side effect?

Cheers,
Jeremy

[ian408]

It's a nice picture but I feel as if it's almost too bright. I like the sparkle

atop the Transamerica Pyramid.

The lights are navigation lights from the airplanes. Just to give you an idea,
there are three 'major' airports in the SF Bay area. San Francisco, San Jose
and Oakland. Then there are a host of smaller regional airports.

Ian

[dawson]

I really like the golden cast to everything.

[wxwax]

Obelix, that's a terrific job of stitching. Great panorama too, lovely composition, a truly eye-catching image. As far as a critique goes, I'd have been tempted to play with the white balance to make things less orange/yellow. And I'd also have been tempted to make more than one RAW (or even actual) exposure for each frame, so that I could moderate the intensity of the lights. The goal would be a bluer, more appealing color, with the city lights less burned-out.

But please, take my comments in the spirit in which they're offered - I really admire this image, and I don't have the skill to replicate it myself!

Your pal,
Asterix.

[bikehiker]

Very well done, impressive! http://dgrin.com/images/smilies/thumb.gif

[obelix]

I haven't been out to Treasure Island yet to take my yearly holiday lit Embarcadero Buildings! I have time off after this week, and that would be a good thing to add to my list of things to do.

A wonderful pano indeed! Nice even lighting throughout. Foggy?

Thanks, yeah, foggy, as usual :)

[obelix]

Very nice capture of the city lights. However, there are some strange, somewhat faint lights in the sky. Airplanes or some side effect?

Cheers,
Jeremy

Jeremy

Turns out that I forgot to close my viewfinder for this long an exposure :(, the stray lights were caused by stray light hitting the viewfinder. I have to clean this up soon.

[obelix]

It's a nice picture but I feel as if it's almost too bright. I like the sparkle

atop the Transamerica Pyramid.

The lights are navigation lights from the airplanes. Just to give you an idea,
there are three 'major' airports in the SF Bay area. San Francisco, San Jose
and Oakland. Then there are a host of smaller regional airports.

Ian

Ian

Thanks. Yeah, they could be because of navigation lights. Please read my other reply, they could also be because I forgot to close my view finder.

[obelix]

I really like the golden cast to everything.

Thanks Dawson.

[obelix]

Obelix, that's a terrific job of stitching. Great panorama too, lovely composition, a truly eye-catching image. As far as a critique goes, I'd have been tempted to play with the white balance to make things less orange/yellow. And I'd also have been tempted to make more than one RAW (or even actual) exposure for each frame, so that I could moderate the intensity of the lights. The goal would be a bluer, more appealing color, with the city lights less burned-out.

But please, take my comments in the spirit in which they're offered - I really admire this image, and I don't have the skill to replicate it myself!

Your pal,
Asterix.

Asterix :)

I actually took 3 exposures of each shot, f/8 4sec,8sec and 15sec.

Somewhere in my retired life when my 8 month daughter is much older, I will have the time to stitch them all together and then carefully burn / dodge the sky.

I am really a sucker for warm colors, please check my other panoramas here:

http://www.anands.net/photos/panorama

Hopefully, I will get to creating a panorama from the 8 sec exposures and digitally blend.

I really liked the 15 sec exposure because of the starry feel it gives to lights :).

Thanks a lot for your critique.

[ian408]

Ian

Thanks. Yeah, they could be because of navigation lights. Please read my other reply, they could also be because I forgot to close my view finder.
Isn't that done for you when the mirror locks up?

I would definetly like to learn how to better shoot these kinds of panoramas. They
are beautiful.

Ian

[gus]

I like warm colours as well...very nicely done obelix :thumb

[obelix]

Isn't that done for you when the mirror locks up?

I would definetly like to learn how to better shoot these kinds of panoramas. They
are beautiful.

Ian

No mirror lockup in D70 :wxwax

Ian, the rules are very simple

- Lock exposure [use the brightest spot you want to save]
- Lock focus
- Lock WB
- Mount a tripod that allows you to conrol one axis alone (pan tilt head or a panorama base)
- 30% overlap between shots

Stitching can be done through PS CS or through something like Panorama Factory.

[obelix]

I like warm colours as well...very nicely done obelix :thumb

Thanks Humungus.

[dkapp]

Isn't that done for you when the mirror locks up?

I would definetly like to learn how to better shoot these kinds of panoramas. They
are beautiful.

Ian

We have a Bay area photography group. You are more than welcome to join us for any outings. If you want more info, please let me know. We are tossing around the idea of meeting this saturday for a sunset panorama of the skyline.

Dave

[obelix]

If you want more info, please let me know.

Yep, the more the merrier ;)

[ian408]

No mirror lockup in D70 :wxwax

Ian, the rules are very simple

- Lock exposure [use the brightest spot you want to save]
- Lock focus
- Lock WB
- Mount a tripod that allows you to conrol one axis alone (pan tilt head or a panorama base)
- 30% overlap between shots

Stitching can be done through PS CS or through something like Panorama Factory.
Have to take the bike up to TI and give it a whirl one night. Thanks!

Ian