making a wish. . .

well went out to starbucks for some coffee with the mrs. tonight. . .took a few of the kids and the camera. . .i tried to use the fountain (as i thought it looked neat as a background) but im not too sure if it worked. . .besides my sb700 set up at the lower right of the picture overexposing his shoes. . .what else should have i done to make this shot better. . .my first attempt at a night shot. . .thanks in advance. . .

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Camera Maker: NIKON CORPORATION
Camera Model: NIKON D700
Lens: 24.0-70.0 mm f/2.8
Image Date: 2013-03-27 08:29:59 -0700
Focal Length: 70.0mm (35mm equivalent: 70mm)
Aperture: f/8.0
Exposure Time: 0.250 s (1/4)
Exposure Bias: none
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure: Manual
Exposure Mode: Manual
White Balance: Manual
Light Source: Flash
Flash Fired: Yes (enforced, return light not detected)
Orientation: Normal
GPS Coordinate: undefined, undefined
Software: Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows

Hi; 1/4 sec seems a short shutter speed for low light shot, but then if no tripod with you it would limit how slow you could go; I'd go back with tripod and experiment with longer shutter speeds; I'm no expert but hope I helped

len said:

Hi; 1/4 sec seems a short shutter speed for low light shot, but then if no tripod with you it would limit how slow you could go; I'd go back with tripod and experiment with longer shutter speeds; I'm no expert but hope I helped

Click to expand...

thanks Len. it was shot on a tripod. I tried longer shutter speeds but the fountain lights were pretty bright. it started blowing out on some parts and I was on Lo. iso. I wanted to keep some detail of the fountain at the same time bokeh it as well. I used rear sync flash to expose my son but still wanted the available light of the fountain. I guess I was asking too much of the photo. lol. thanks for the critique. and yes, I'll probably be back there periodically to experiment more. it's a nice location and plenty of photo opportunities. day or night.

For a first attempt I applaud you. You did great. The only thing I could see with the setup you had would have been to use the D700 on board flash to fill in a little bit more. Bit this experimenting takes time and sometimes kids get impatient. But I really like the shot.

I can't see his face! Perhaps have him on the far side of the fountain next time (but then you won't be able to really see his face either)??? The mood is pretty good and I agree with Marcel using the on board unit for fill would be a good technique.
Seems to be a challenging venue at night I don't know how I could do it any better to tell you the truth but I am all about challenging situations...

All and all pretty good attempt...

lol. I had him turn his head towards the water on purpose. again for mood purposes. it's funny cause I drop my on board output so it doesn't show up in the shot. just enough to trigger the sb700. I'll try adjusting it back up a bit for fill as you all have mentioned. thanks again for all the input.