What am I doing wrong?

[MissHoneychurch]

So I tried a couple of times to take pictures of the night scene out of my bedroom window.

These pics I took last night.







How do I get the moon not to mirror and how do I get the tall buildings not to get out of focus. I put the camera on a stack of books (my tripod is broken). Do I need to get an external trigger?

[Cassandra]

1. The trigger would help.

Are your lens and camera good in low light?

[alfredo]

2. A cable release and bracketing will help.

I still haven't figured out how to get good moon shots. My small sensor and slow lens works against good night shots.

[Sheepshank]

3. I read a VERY interesting article in National Geographic

about some forms of picture taking. It would seem to me, based on the info there, that you could greatly slow down the shutter speed (if your camera allows). Maybe even to as slow as 5-10 seconds. You must use a VERY stable surface. Then the trigger will not be as critical.

FYI, in the article he took a pic of some ancient standing rocks. He set the camera on self start with a 30 second delay. He hid behind the first rock and held a flashlight and back lit the rock with shadows falling toward the camera. He would run behind the next rock and hide and do the same back lit thing with the flashlight. He said that the slow shutter speed allowed him to run quickly between the rocks without being picked up as part of the picture...and he was right, there was no sign of him anywhere. I don't have an external trigger, but thought I could use the technique for situations such as yours. Edited to add a link with a picture http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-tips/vigil-stones-richardson/

Of course, in windy weather, where building have some sway or 'give' it may not help at all.

Seriously, this guy has some amazing techniques he is willing to share...http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/jim-richardson-photography/.

[ManiacJoe]

4. If you have any "protection" filters on the lens, remove them.

UV and clear filters server no useful photography purpose on digital cameras. Any extra glass only reduces image quality. (Reflections and ghosting) Expensive filters reduce IQ only a little, while cheap ones do it noticeably.

An external trigger is best. However, the self timer can work well, too. If the camera (Canon 400D ?) has a "mirror up" or "exposure delay" option to reduce mirror vibrations, turn it on.

The moon is extremely bright since it is in direct sunlight. It is not possible to get both the moon and the city lights properly exposed in a single picture like you have here.

[MissHoneychurch]

5. Thank you all for your input

I will keep it in mind the next time I try to shot that scenery.

And I will get me a good tripod ASAP :)

[Gamey]

6. Instead of external triggers or cable releases I use the timer.