[GUB]

In very busy gardens, I'm not sure if a tripod would be possible. Would a monopod work sufficiently?

Yeah a monopod makes a big difference especially if you are hand shooting and can have Shake Reduction enabled. Obviously a tripod is superior but not always an option. We have a "light up your bike" night here in Wanganui. People walking around wearing leds is about as difficult as it gets if you want some detail as well as the lights. The situation is so difficult you have to make sure the colours are great so people don't notice the soft images.. And you have to be mobile because it is a parade.

Attached Images

View Picture EXIF

File Date

 

[robgski]

Since getting my K-1, I rarely use exposure bracketing for night shots.

Also to the shoot in RAW - that is probably my absolute biggest weaknes

Try the in-camera HDR, it's not RAW but it often produces a great final result.

[NotMyFatDog]

You may want to pick a lens that gives good starbursts. The SMC DA 15 Limited is famous for them, but there are other good options. You need to stop down quite a bit though (depending on lens). Longish exposures on a tripod give the best results, and might even produce pleasing light trails from vehicles for added interest.

The "glow" you mention can be got by overexposing the highlights; most photographers (including me) try to avoid this.

Composition? Perhaps start off by having your main point of interest off-centre, perhaps around 1/3 of the width from the edge, with something leading your eye towards the centre.

DFA 28-105 @ 53 mm, f/11, 12 sec exposure.

Please show some examples so we have a base to go on, a term like glow can mean something completely different from one person to another. The lens selection should not make a difference as long as it can “fit” the scene you want to capture. The exposure can be difficult to get right without experimenting, every scene is different due to different levels of brightness and color temperatures. A tripod is the best tool you can use for this if you really want good results. Without seeing what you are doing I would suggest finding a point of view that looks pleasing to you, choose a lens that can frame what you want to see using some basic composition ideas like rule of thirds and leading lines, set up you camera on a tripod and use live view, if you can move around and look at it via different angles and viewpoints. Once you have found a composition you like, set your exposure to manual, set your ISO to 100, your aperture around f8 to f10, and try different shutter speeds to see what the results look like. Obviously you can also change aperture settings to adjust depth of field if needed, or to get a faster shutter speed if needed. Then if there are people in the scene you may also need to boost the ISO to avoid blur if that’s a problem. This is just a couple of ideas to get you going, you’re going to find what works for you best after some trial and error and success. I would also suggest going on Flickr and look at some examples, you’ll see good and bad, look at the compositions of the good ones and try to think what makes them good, look at the exif and see how they did it.

What focal length is appropriate? It is depended on what you want to shoot.
Setting tips? A steady tripod, native ISO, f whatever depending on what effect you like. I like Starburst effect, so I usually use f11 - 16 if I am on a tripod and I only buy lens with good starburst effect, DA limited 15, 21, 35 SMC are good for that. A shutter release or remote control. Manual focus. Expose for the highlight. Shoot raw and learn post-processing.

This photo I do handheld (K3), and I keep ISO at 320, f1.8, 1/60. The image before post-processing was super dark. Post processing is very important for night photography, IMHO.


This one is on a tripod but I can not do it longer than 8 sec or I will lose all details in the highlight (ISO100, f11) . Again, the shadow parts are super dark before post-processing. At native iso on K3, a lot of detail in the shadow can be recovery.

Yes Gimp is not kind to newcomers.
Here is a set up guide I did to help it make sense to the newcomers.
Setting up Gimp for the first time. - Pentax Linux - PentaxForums.com
If you have installed the latest Gimp (2.10) then install Darktable on your computer. It is a stand alone program but in this situation it also works as a plugin for Gimp. If you "open with" Gimp then Darktable opens first . In Darktable the adjustments you need are more accessible and intuitive.

I did not realize that you could raise the shadows so much. I thought once something was dark, that was it. Thank you for the guide and Darktable suggestion, I'll download that now!
The following pics are shot with a K-7 but I have a KP coming in the mail (YAY) and will be going back with some practice and wise advice under my belt...

From a couple years ago, 16mm Rokinon lens... definitely thought to increase the ISO so I will try lower ISO next.

[GUB]

I did not realize that you could raise the shadows so much. I thought once something was dark, that was it. Thank you for the guide and Darktable suggestion, I'll download that now!
The following pics are shot with a K-7 but I have a KP coming in the mail (YAY) and will be going back with some practice and wise advice under my belt...

From a couple years ago, 16mm Rokinon lens... definitely thought to increase the ISO so I will try lower ISO next.

If you are happy with say, iso 3200, which is 5 stops of in-camera gain then you will be happy with 5 stops of shadow recovery in post processing.
If you do that shadow recovery with the simple exposure value tool then it will be basically identical to the iso 3200 shot.
If instead you use the curves tool (or similar acting sliders) you can bring the shadows up without frying the highlights.
The caveats to that in darktable --
A) in dt there is only 3 stops of exposure value available - the rest has to be done on the curves.
B) It is tricky to get the curves to tune it exactly right - a slight movement will make a big difference.
Take a look at the great advice I got here on page 6 for this exact purpose. The Darktable Users Coterie - Page 6 - PentaxForums.com
PF rocks for people wanting to learn!