I'm honored to have been chosen as winner of last week's Weekly Challenge, Make Me Hungry or Thirsty!, and have been racking my brain to think of a theme for this week's contest. Thanks very much to the previous host Tamia, and to the great photos that were entered as part of that challenge. Would also like to thank everyone for the nice feedback on my cupcake photo, and those who “liked” it.

I had a few different themes in mind for this week. I really like landscape photography, so 'The Monochrome Landscape' was one that sprang to mind. Another was 'Extraordinary Ordinary' because I love the old quote "It's better to take an extraordinary photo of something ordinary, than a ordinary photo of something extraordinary". I was sure that a theme with such a title would never have been done before, but challenge #99 did! So I've gone with another favorite of mine, 'Long Exposure Night Photography'. I'll leave it open as to the subject, so street corners, landscapes, seascapes, cityscapes, indoors, etc. ... it's all up for grabs. It doesn't have to be in the dead of the night either, some of the best times are the twilight period just before sunrise / after sunset. I should also clarify that by long exposure I'm thinking anything of 1 second or longer.


Now, on to how I'll judge. Borrowing Stu/SMF/Tamia's words: "I plan to judge on the basis of quality of the image, with the possibility of bonus points for what I think is originality."

This contest will close at 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time, USA) Tuesday, June 27th, and will be judged on Wednesday, June 28th.

Rules for all the Weekly Challenges: Every week, a new theme is picked and judged by the winner of the previous week. This challenge is Pentax/Ricoh/Samsung cameras only.

Everyone is eligible to send in their best interpretation of the given theme, as long as the photo is taken with a Pentax/Ricoh/Samsung camera. Themes can be subject-oriented or technique-oriented. The host/judge will post winners' names in a separate thread, and will send a private message (PM) the winner to pass the baton on. The winner will then host the next Challenge, and post a new thread with a subject or theme of his/her choosing.

A few examples. Good luck!

[SpecialK]

I did a long driving vacation, from Southern California to Mt Rushmore area via Las Vegas, Yellowstone, Little Bighorn, and Devil's Tower. Got to Mt R about dusk on 4th of July. Hung out on the plaza and people-watched. They had a ranger presentation about 9PM, then started lighting up the faces. I had set up the tripod etc., and had been periodically shooting. This was the first in the lighted series of maybe 8 or so shots. I was manually focusing from here on out and this was the only one in focus! Not only that, it was the worst lighting of the batch, with essentially one spot on Teddy. It became more uniform with more light only moments after this one. It took a lot of PP to even out the lighting this much. But, I have a 20 x 30 canvas of it, and other shots from this vacation on my wall, so all is good.

8 seconds, f5.6, 70 Ltd, K-5.



I went back 2 more times on the way to and from the Minuteman missile museum and Badlands. On one visit, the last surviving member of the blasting team came up to me and gave me his "baseball card" of information. He got onto the project by being on the Mt Rushmore baseball team back then.

[charliezap]

While on vacation in Englewood Fl. I had a nightly nature call and before returning to sleep I went out by the pool and was amazed at the night sky. I didn't have a tripod but I set the camera on a chair for a 30sec. exposure. You had to have been there as they say.--charliezap

[restlesssoul]

Haven't posted before so hope this works. Saw this scene after dinner in Kennebunkport - no tripod so had to rest camera on a fence post. Slight edit & crop in DxO. 25 secs at f8 ISO 100 K5 with F 1:1.7 50mm

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[atupdate]

Dayton, Ohio skyline. One night a year the city promotes a keep your lights on with the various office buildings.



Tim

[RGlasel]

My backyard last summer. This is a 20 second exposure @ f4 and ISO 200, and I still had to bump up exposure 3 stops in post-processing (and tone down the low-voltage lights). At which point the night sky becomes a daytime shade of blue with white clouds.

[slowpez]

Grand Canyon just after sunset. 6 second exposure.

[mattb123]

Is a composite image ok? This is a composite of three images, all taken from the same spot minutes apart. If it's not eligible I'll come up with something else.

Persied Meteors over my campsite
K-3 & DA* 16-50

[J8B]

Thanks for all the entries so far. We've got some great shots already. Keep them coming

Is a composite image ok? This is a composite of three images, all taken from the same spot minutes apart. If it's not eligible I'll come up with something else.

Yeah that's all ok by me.

[rod_grant]

4 seconds is my longest exposure since the digital age.
Taken before I had a decent tripod - camera base just held against the railing of a hotel balcony.

[Hattifnatt]

I have just realized that I haven't done any night long exposures for quite some time, so I'll enter with some old pic. This was a 180s long exposure of the Romanian Black Sea shore with Mamaia resort glowing in the night.

[Patriot]

Dragon's Tail
White Pocket under the moonlight, Vermilion Cliff National Monument, Arizona
D FA 24-70mm F2.8ED SDM WR
27mm/ƒ/4.5/30s/ISO 1000

[StephenHampshire]

25s, moonlight over the Mid-Hants Railway

[Tamia]

Wonderful theme, J8B, and lovely example photos, too. Already lots of terrific entries, as well. Nighttime shots are not my forte, but I'll enter this off-the-wall photo of...

Lightpainting from Moving Car Inspired by JeffJS, a PF Forum member from a few years back. Pentax K200D, Pentax DA 18-55mm AL II @ 18mm, f13, 3s, ISO 100, handheld.

[robgski]

I'm scared of the dark, so thought I'd stay inside, but even there I saw a ghost. Single exposure SOOC. with LED candles for illumination
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