Why do pictures turn out like this? I am a total amature, but I don't understand why the blur. I'm not shaking, or driving. I just simply stand there and take the picture. I took about 10 pictures at this spot and they all came out like this. It always comes out this way in the night pictures, or almost night. :(
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v453/pwright1/seattle2/seattle/7280Medium.jpg

It's almost impossble to take a clear night shot without a tripod. Especially if you're moving in a car.

If you're taking night pictures you'll need to attach the camera to a tripod or put it on something like a handrail so it doesn't move.

When you take a photo in bright sunlight the camera uses a fast shutter speed to "freeze" that point in time. In low light those shutter speeds aren't fast enough to get light into the camera (because its dark), so the camera uses a slower shutter speed to take the photo - to get in more light, so the photo doesnt turn out black.

Because the shutter speed is slower the camera needs to be perfectly still (on a tripod) or any movement will blur the image. Any shutter speed less than about 1/125th of a second will need a tripod. This speed is too fast to capture night photos.

Here are some tips for using a tripod or a park bench:

Turn the flash off,
Set the self timer so that the action of pressing the button doesnt blur the image
Set the focus to infinity
turn the ISO to AUTO
Set shutter speed to AUTO (otherwise experiment with custom shutter speeds)


That's an awesome photo by the way. I'd love to see it not blurred.

Thanks for all of the advice. I pulled over on Highway 99 heading into downtown Seattle last night. The Seattle skyline was looking quite spectacular last night. I'll have to get a tripod now. Here is the same shot during the day, slightly further away.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v453/pwright1/seattle2/020205027Small.jpg

^Nice shot

I really like the Seattle cluster and that is a good angle.

it's a pity that you didn't use a tripod. the photo would have turned out great. But i can't blame ya. Run to the nearest store to buy a tripod and make some great skyline shots at night. Try playing with the exposure, aperture and ISO sensitivity when making night shots.

good luck

Yeah nice photo. I always like the Seattle Circuit on Gran Turismo. Might be able to find a cheap tripod in a second hand shop. It just needs to be able to hold your camera and be relatively sturdy and a good height.

Are you allowed to stop on the motorway to take a photo?

Yeah nice photo. I always like the Seattle Circuit on Gran Turismo. Might be able to find a cheap tripod in a second hand shop. It just needs to be able to hold your camera and be relatively sturdy and a good height.

Are you allowed to stop on the motorway to take a photo?

you pretend your out of fuel ;) :) (im always doing that btw)

you pretend your out of fuel ;) :) (im always doing that btw)

Yeah and then when the Highway Patrol stop to deal with you, the fuel magically comes back lol.

In the NZ drivers license test one of the multi choice questions says:

"When are you allowed to stop on the motorway?:

A. Only in an emergency
B. To pick up and drop off passengers
C. To take a photo
D. To have a rest"

I always used to laugh at that one because people would stop to take a photo of the skyline.

Anyway that Seattle skyline looks very dense and tall. I will definately go there when I visit the US one day.

As everyone said, get a tripod. But if you don't have one with you, you can always try to sit the camera on a steady surface and use the self timer. It's not as good (as you can't always point the camera in the right direction) but it's better than nothing.

it's a pity that you didn't use a tripod. the photo would have turned out great. But i can't blame ya. Run to the nearest store to buy a tripod and make some great skyline shots at night. Try playing with the exposure, aperture and ISO sensitivity when making night shots.

good luck

Actually, since that photo was taken from a lane on a highway, I'd have to say he's pretty lucky that he didn't set up a tripod there.

I know what you mean though. Just thought it sounded funny! :)

As everyone said, get a tripod. But if you don't have one with you, you can always try to sit the camera on a steady surface and use the self timer. It's not as good (as you can't always point the camera in the right direction) but it's better than nothing.

That's a great idea for saving yourself some money, if you have the option of buying a remote clicker for your camera. Instead, just set the self-timer!

By the way, I got a tripod that I'm very happy with for USD$39. It has a quick release to go "mobile" with the camera, too.

Thanks gang once again for all the advice. By the way, when I do take this pic I usually pull over, open the sunroof and take the picture. The daytime pic there were no other drivers in sight so I slowed down slightly and took the pic. This pic was taken on Sunday at sunset. I will have to get a tripod though, real soon.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v453/pwright1/seattle2/seattle/7397Medium.jpg

thats a nice shot ;) (abit dark tho)

Seattle really does a great looking skyline. It's got a 900 footer and a bunch of 700 footers, I believe, all clustered together. You get a great shot if your approaching downtown from the east, by highway, or if from the west, from Puget Sound.

I know the clustering makes it look great, but how many square feet of office space is in downtown Seattle?

Seattle's skyline looks great!

Seattle really does a great looking skyline. It's got a 900 footer and a bunch of 700 footers, I believe, all clustered together. You get a great shot if your approaching downtown from the east, by highway, or if from the west, from Puget Sound.

I know the clustering makes it look great, but how many square feet of office space is in downtown Seattle?

According to www.officespace.com it looks like about 44 million square feet downtown. According to that website its much more space than Minneapolis and Denver.

I looked at that website and I think the CBD (ie, Central Business District) has about 22.5 million rentable square feet.

Seattle Central Business District. The Seattle Central Business District, as defined by CSO, is the area bounded by Yesler Way to the south, Interstate 5 to the east, Stewart Street to the north and First Avenue to the west. This area functions as the financial hub of the region and is highly concentrated comprised mainly of high rise office buildings. This is the largest submarket in the Seattle area containing 80+ buildings totaling approximately 22.5 million RSF of space. A great diversity of buildings can be found in the CDB ranging from older historic brick and mortar structures to newer highly sophisticated upscale high rise towers. This submarket is the hub to the region's largest service related industries including Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Washington Mutual, Aetna Insurance, the law firms of Perkins Coie and Preston Gates & Ellis, and many others. Corporate headquarters include Washington Mutual, Northern Life Insurance, and the Simpson Companies.

Oh ok, I guess I read it wrong. Interesting though.

true

keep ISO low and play with aperature and exposure time to get a good shot. use tripod and auto timer for night shots.

i know what i find useful is to carry a minature tripod with me whenever i have my camera. It's about 4 inches tall and then extends to about 8 inches. It's a definate improvement on the "ledge" method. This allows you to find something to put the tripod on, and then you still have the flexibility of correctly composing a shot. Also, it's really pretty painless to keep a folded up 4 inch tripod in your bag or your pocket.

not as nice as having a full tripod, but it's much easier to lug a little one with you all day