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Can anyone here recommend any good spots in and around Aberdeen that would be interesting to photograph at night? Now that I have myself a decent tripod, I want to get out and attempt low-light photography, something which I've not done in a long time. I was thinking possibly the harbour with all the boats lit up, would look good? Where else would be interesting?

Thanks in advance,
Craig

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by Craig C

Can anyone here recommend any good spots in and around Aberdeen that would be interesting to photograph at night? Now that I have myself a decent tripod, I want to get out and attempt low-light photography, something which I've not done in a long time. I was thinking possibly the harbour with all the boats lit up, would look good? Where else would be interesting?

Thanks in advance,
Craig

Shots of the Harbour from the Battery would be good.

A panoramic view of the city from Altens would be another.

See if you can get up thon tower at the AECC - that would be a great vantage point.

[pogofish]

The harbour, rivermouth & bridges are all pretty good. IME, the battery less so - there is a surprising amount of black/unlit-space there that weakens your composition. Better go there, just at dusk or dawn IMO. Also, often around dawn, especially if it is quiet, the dolphins come right into the basin so you can see them right-up close. Off the old harbourmasters house or by the water accross from the pub in torry (Campbells?) is a good spot. Its been a while since I've done any night-stuff there so I don't know what the current security regime is like but in the past, you could expect someone to turn-up & check you out/have a chat etc but once they had seen what I was up to, nobody ever said to go. Indeed, I've often ended-up being pointed at more interesting things or got permission to photograph other activities, eg boats under repair etc. Also remember the tide. A string of nice sharp shots with vertically blurred boats as they rose/fell on the tide is most embarrasing!

The fish market can be good but again, anyone wielding a camera can be treated with suspicion/hostility as Inland Revinue have sent their inspectors down there pretending to be snappers before now. Avoid the airport, unless you get advance permission - an encounter with the security there is usually unpleasant. I have photographed & even sketched there with permission before but not for a very long time.

Other places, anywhere in town that is light, where you can get a number of light streaks from traffic etc. Roundabouts on the main roads etc.

Aslo that this time of year is good for the Northern Lights & if you sign-up on something like Aurorawatch alerts & get out of town, there can be some splendid images to get.

Excellent info folks. Much appreciated

[the_collector]

Aberdeen University campus is a favourite of mine - the buildings are beautifully lit at night. I've taken quite a few interesting black and white shots of King's College and Elphinstone Hall. There are so many intriguing pieces of architecture and unusual shapes.......also, the buildings have quite an eerie and imposing presence by night.

[daveofficer]

try just shooting normal streets at night as well, the low light changes the atmosphere quite a bit and what seems like a really dull street during the day and result in a brilliantly moody shot at night. this works particularly well when there's been a bit of rain or just some moisture lying on the ground as you get the street lights reflecting on the ground.

i'd imagine union street would be quite a good place to try with the christmas lights. i've been meaning to go out with my camera ever since they went up. same with hmt.

also remember to look up. if you've got a clear sky then a good long exposure will result in some excellent star trails. set your camera to it's smallest aperture and slowest film speed and try a ridiculously long exposure(so long as your patient and wrapped up warm of course). anything from half an hour to a few hours should result in some pretty good shots. even better if you have a nice building in front of them.

Originally Posted by daveofficer

set your camera to it's smallest aperture and slowest film speed and try a ridiculously long exposure(so long as your patient and wrapped up warm of course). anything from half an hour to a few hours should result in some pretty good shots. even better if you have a nice building in front of them.

You'd be quicker just setting the exposure time to a few seconds, pressing the button and turning the camera a wee bit. Done.

[Chris#2]

But then the building would be blurred and you'd lose 90% of the photo's impact.

Again, good info folks

I've been meaning to shoot HMT at night for ages, but it's somewhere I always forget about when actually out.

[Hog]

Maybe try taking pics of cars passing so you get the light trails. Usually an exposure of over 30 secs is needed, also busy roads are best.

Maybe get a release cable, they save you having to you touch the camera and it reduces the chance of camera shake.

For decent results, dont use a digital camera, it can't handle night-time photography. This is IMHO the biggest problem with digital cameras.

If your trying star trails, go out of town to avoid light pollution.

One of the best images you can get at night is of Aurora's. You can get notification from Aurora websites via email when they think you will witness one.