HUNTINGTON BEACH AT NIGHT
As promised, while photographing a fantastic Huntington Beach sunset I decided to take a few impromptu shots while walking back to my car. You can see those sunset shots here.
The moon is such an intriguing object to photograph. I really think it’s because of the power it can cast over you. What other object can cause you to gaze at its beauty for so long while entertaining thoughts so far away?
Night photography just seems to reach out and grab my attention crying out for me to capture its beautiful night scenes! Last weekend, I listened to that familiar cry with these results.
Using the #5 lifeguard tower in the foreground, I was finally able to compose a better shot of the moon than originally posted here. I would have liked the moon to be a little more off-center, but changing my perspective brought some unappealing clutter into the frame. I do like the effect of the deep blue sky in these shots. The moon was radiating through a very light haze in this particular shot.
The Huntington Beach Pier aglow in the early evening moonlight.
This is a unique capture of the double-decker restaurant which boasts the world-famous Duke’s Restaurant on the sand in Huntington beach. You’ll find Sandy’s Beach Grill on the lower level. Two amazing restaurants with ambiance that is spectacular!
Is this the most famous pier in the world? Maybe not, but it may be difficult to argue when you consider the notoriety of the “Surf City” intrigue. This view of the Huntington Beach Pier was shot from PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) curbside.
Looking across PCH to the Main Street Promenade in Huntington Beach. Wait, I need to catch this walk light – my car’s on the other side of PCH!
I love shooting at night. It offers such varied challenges with lighting, shutter speed, and ISO settings. I definitely will make plans to come back here soon – with my tripod! I would love to get some long exposure shots of PCH!
On a different note – I just realized this is my 100th post!! WOW!! That was fast!! It seems like I just started this blog.
Thanks for stopping by!
Photographyfree4all's Blog 
Beautiful night photos! I love taking them myself, but it’s rare I get the chance…
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Recently I researched settings for a good “moon shot.” Try ISO 100, F8 and 1/250. My son got some good results with that setting with his Canon PowerShot.
Love night shots – thanks for sharing yours with us.
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Beautiful pics!
A friend and I have been talking about going on a shoot to Huntington Gardens. Have you been there?
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How beautiful. The first one is so captivating–love the blue hues.
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Tweets that mention HUNTINGTON BEACH AT NIGHT « Photographyfree4all's Blog -- Topsy.com said this on October 26, 2010 at 8:11 pm
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment, Kuukisu! I love to experiment with night photography. I’m starting to do more of it. I hope you’ll stop by again.
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The moon is a difficult shot if you want to include it with a landscape. If you expose for the moon, everything else is underexposed. Yet, if you expose for the landscape, the moon is always blown out and without its detail. I’ve seen some pretty amazing photoshopped moon shots where varying exposures are stitched together to create a nice effect, though. I haven’t experimented with that process yet. I think your son’s settings will work pretty well for just photographing the moon though, Dawn. Thanks for this information. I’ll try them out! I’m really glad you stopped by and left this comment, Dawn. I hope you’ll come back again.
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I was really struck by the blue hues as well, Heather. I just think it looks so rich. Sometimes, I wonder if I’m exposing for enough detail. But I think if I were to adjust the exposure any further, it would create a completely different appeal. I’m really glad you stopped by!
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Oh!! I love the pictures of the #5 Lifeguard Tower and the Pier!! They are awesome!! You captured them perfectly. I can almost feel myself sitting on the beach seeing and feeling the beauty.
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You just keep getting better. I don’t remember if I told you this before, but I just love your shots because they bring me little slices of California. My husband and I love our new home, and our new life here in N. Alabama, but… sometimes I get a little bit homesick and your photos help.
Keep’em coming!
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I love the night shots. What a wonderful idea. I have to try and take some photos at night. I never could get my other blog to let me do new posts so I started a new blog. It is http://gwyngodwin.blogspot.com/ Now I have to figure how to connect it to flickr. Keep your post coming I love them and they give me some great things to try.
Until tomorrow.
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Excellent shots, Steve! I’ve been looking forward to seing these for some time! Unfortunately, I can’t see a lot in some of these, cause of the very poor quality of my monitor, which darkens everything much too much (as I have explained recently on my blog). But I’d say I like the shots of the pier best. I love that sense of perspective! I guess Huntington Beach Pier is probably the equivalent of Brighton or Margate Pier in the UK…?
I agree about the magic of the moon. It’s the only thing that you can see in completely different parts of the world that’s always the same!
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Great Shots! will be following keenly your photography from now on, thanks!
http://www.aristacamera.com
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Wow – where to start? After looking through several of your posts, I just have to say that you are an incredible photographer! Your photos are sharp, vivid, crisp … they “show” really well in your blog!
In the past, I’ve seen some amazing photos from other photographers that – once posted on their blogs – seem to have lost their lustre, so to speak. I guess something gets lost in translation??? But yours — yours are very impressive!!!
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Hey, I tried some night shots last night. They are certainly not as great as yours. But I’m trying. Do you use your regular flash or do you have one of those special lights. I finally got my wordpress blog acting right so that is where I will be blogging again.
Have a blessed day and I’ll be looking for tomorrow’s post.
Happy photos.
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Thank you for stopping by and leaving this comment, Illiterati! I have been to the Huntington Botanical Gardens, but it was so late that I didn’t get any shots. It is definitely on my list of upcoming shoots, though! Is that what you’re referring to? I really glad you stopped by! I hope you’ll drop by again, soon.
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I’m always glad to see a comment from you, Miss Betty. I really appreciate your kind words. It was a pretty spectacular evening to photograph! Thanks for stopping by today.
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You are so kind, Lynda! I guess if you keep trying, you will eventually improve – at least that’s my theory! Just don’t ever give up! I’m really glad you can relate in this special way to many if not all of my photos. I’m glad you’re enjoying them. I’ve never been to N. Alabama, but I imagine it’s a bit different than Soothern California – not that that’s a bad thing! Thanks for stopping by, Lynda!
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Thanks, Gwyn! I so appreciate your comments! Blogs can be difficult at times – never quite functioning the way you would like sometimes. Good luck with the new blog! I was actually thinking about going to Blogspot to start another blog that would be mostly a duplication of this one – but would reach a completely new audience of readers. We’ll see. I’m glad you stopped by!
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Good Morning, Kai – or, afternoon where you happen to be! Thanks for your kind comments here! I have to say, when I pulled these up on my IPhone, I had the same issue – just not a bright enough screen to do the shots justice. But, when I look at them on my IMac, they’re have a very nice deep blue hue that I really like! You could be right on about Brighton Pier – pretty famous, too! I’m always glad when you stop by and leave a comment! Thanks!
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Thank you for this kind compliment, Arista! I’m so glad to have you along for this journey. I hope you’ll stop by often as we get into some pretty interesting photography discussions at times. I’ll look forward to reading additional comments from you in the future!
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Thank you so much for your kind words, Kelly! This photography journey only began a few months ago, so I’m still learning. But, I’m trying to move at an excellerated pace because of my extreme interest. I experiment and see successes and failures in my photography. I guess it will always be that way to a degree. But hopefully, the successes will far outweigh the failures as time goes by. I really appreciate your praise! It is very encouraging to me! Thank you for taking the time to contribute your comment – I do hope you’ll stop by again, soon!
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You know Gwyn, I just get out there and try! Sometimes I’m successful and sometimes, not so much. But I keep trying and eventually the shots improve. My first night shots were not that great at all! For these shots, I didn’t use a flash at all. I shoot most of my photography in Aperture Priority Mode, setting the apperture to my desired light needs and then allowing the camera to adjust the shutter speed. These shots were really on the borderline of requiring a tripod (which was in my car). I was using my Canon 50D, with a 28-135mm zoom lens. My apperture setting was 4.0 for many of these shots. Here, I adjusted the aperture until I created the blue hues in the sky that I thought were the most striking. Experiment – that’s the key for me. I read everything I can get my hands on, but then I have to get out there and try it to really see what works for me. I hope that helps you some. Thanks for your comments, Gwyn – I really appreciate them! Great news on your blog!
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I hardly ever shoot at night, but I might just make an effort. Great job.
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Hi Steve. You have some incredible night shots there. Very well done. I couldn’t help but grin when I read one of the comments that asked if you used a flash. In reality though, for anyone that wants to shoot images of the moon only, remember that it is lit by sunshine, so the exposure would be the same as a sunny day. I agree with the advice you give, and that’s to experiment and try different things. The worst thing that can happen is that you use up space on your memory card. 🙂
Bob
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Oh you should try it, dark! With your blog name, it would be the perfect pairing! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and leaving this comment. I really do appreciate it!
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Beautiful Photographs (as always). Great night shots.
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i find night is always better atmospherically.
it’s the same with photography
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That’s probably true, Art. I really thought about it, but it makes sense. Thanks for stopping by and leaving your comment. I really appreciate it.
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All good photos, but that first one is my favorite. You did such a good job with the lighting. I really like the glow around the moon too. I seldom shoot at night, but will have to give it a try soon.
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I would encourage you to give it a try Ms pearl! The moon makes the first shot a bit more difficult, but also makes it one of the best if not the best shot of the series. Thanks for stopping by and leaving this comment! I really do appreciate it.
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We’ve been there. There’s something special about night photography – and California!
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Thanks for the visit and comment! Stop by anytime.
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[…] Grill right on the sand in Huntington Beach! You can see a unique night shot of the restaurant here. Sandy’s is a part of the world-famous Duke’s Restaurant family, which is located […]
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