Ok, most of you know I've only really started getting into photography since getting the digital camera. The only real experience I've had with shutter speeds was one night camping out and taking pictures of cars going past with the shutter open. (Stop laughing!) So, I read the description for the competition - eh? Photo's after twilight? NO FLASH? and laugh myself stupid. Ok, what I paid for my digital camera isn't much for a DIGITAL camera, but I could have got a decent amount of starters kit for a standard (don't mean to use that word in a belittling way, but best I can think of at the mo) 35mm camera. The only thing is, my camera decides exposure time, not me. So all of a sudden I'm wishing it had been something easier....except, no. Half of the point of this forum for me (after being substantially patted on the back by you lot) is for it to advance me and make me learn. That's why I'm now downloading pictures from my camera taken from wet rocks with an incoming tide at the beach at 22:30 with not a soul for miles. And guess what? I have learned so much in the last 2 hours you wouldn't believe it!! I love this place! Thank you all!

Well it is the reason of this news groups exchange and discover..I do learn a lot too...New in digital too!

Well balanced pic. These night panoramas are not the most original subjects, but still, its hard to see a good shot. And you did it well. Pic would be nothing without those clouds. And improvement tips, I cant get anything in my mind. Really good photo, I hope it could be mine. And if you want really learn, get impulses, go to local library and search press photos of the year. I dont remember the correct name of the book, but there are the best journal photos of the current year shown in it. For me, that was the book that really opened my eyes. Photos from r e a l life. .n

.......until I met Alpha I thought f-stop was a form of contraception!!!! (",)

It is hard to be crittical JordyArts for me i am a beginner in digital.. But wonder if this picture whas taken few minutes before you whould have catch a real good sky contrast and the cloud whould have comme better! Like we say here in french translated of course at time when you couldn't decifer a wolf from a dog ..but still the sky is there but the sun as berly gone. But from what i do remember from playing with 35mm long time exposure is fancy at this time of the day and the posemeter is playing trick on you depending if you point the sky or the gound. Pointing the ground here whould have made the sky come whiter and you whould lost contrast on the color of the remainning sun and on the other way pointing the sky you whould have darken de bottom to much..Considering what i see there whas not that much more that you could have done.. i guess. With the digital cam i have,i'm hable to play with time exposure and aperture hope fully...Dc4800 of kodak

Hey Jordyart, For what it's worth. If you are only using a digital camera. You can have more light without waiting for the moon to come up. Just take your pictures JUST after the sun has dropped below the horizon. Frequently there is enough light to do something which will look dark without being pitch black. I don't remember what kind of camera you are using. But also perhaps it has a "night" mode or something like that to make your pictures not look as dark. If you are using a point and click 35mm camera you can also use faster film. 200 speed film does look better but if you can't set the amount of time to leave the shutter open you may want to graduate to 400 ASA film. It's more grainy however as long as you don't have the picture enlarged too much it should be OK. I have taken night shots with 1600 speed file w/o a tripod. The stuff fast enough where if you hold still you probably won't notice any shake. However the grain. The grains are about one mm in diameter for a 10cm X 15.5cm picture. My suggestion guess. Experiment with 800 speed film and a tripod. Good Luck. Buy the way. Nice shot. For a first time it's something to be proud of. Remember to record what you did of course just incase you want to repeat it. Bsteph

Thanks, all! The camera is my usual Fuji MX1200, which basically has no settings whatsoever, and doesn't even tell you how long the exposure is gonna be.....oh, well.... when I get the new one .... LOL