ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

I was enjoying an evening in Liberty State Park right across the Hudson from Manhattan. The first thing I noticed was that the lights of the city suddenly went completely wonky. Strange lines appeared. Then I heard a rumbling and some splashing water when a huge dragon rose out of the river perched on a giant rock. I'm no St. George, and I had no intention of sparring with this monster, so I took a quick snapshot and beat a hasty retreat.


This is not going to win any awards; but I thought the strange view of the city and a dragon might make an interesting composite. I have no idea where the dragon came from; but you never know what you might find in your own house if you are relegated to house arrest for several days. So no AI here. both photos are mine and even the texture I put on the water came from a shot of the Atlantic Ocean that I took.
Erich

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Curmudgeon Loc: SE Arizona

Beautiful Erich but I think I'd like it better without the dragon and rock

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

Fair enough. The background photo in this composite was done with a D-750 and a 35-70 push-pull zoom. Exposure time was 25 seconds at f/5.6. During the rather long exposure, I stopped many times while zooming. This is what created the horizontal lines as the image was "burned" into one particular spot several times during the exposure. I'm not sure I explained that very well. Essentially: Open shutter, pull, stop,pull,stop,pull,stop, until you have zoomed the entire range. I think I have posted this image without the dragon in another section but probably not in this section. I'll keep working on the composites. One of these days, maybe I'll come up with a decent one. You guys are a big help for me in that regard. It gives me inspiration and something to shoot for. Thanks for taking a look at the image.
Erich

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NJFrank Loc: New Jersey

First let me say, good to see you venturing into the dark side. It can be very addictive. I have to agree with Jack the background can and does stand on its own. If it were mine I would use the dragon emerging from the water without the rock. The rock seems out of place. That is not to say the dragon is a common NYC sight.

Fstop12 Loc: Kentucky

I agree with Curmudgeon but your zoomed shot is VERY NICE!

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

The multi-exposures by pull-stop technique, while similar to zoom blur, results in a significantly different image. Another tool in our arsenal of art photos. Thank you for the explanation.

The camera must have been anchored in a bag of concrete to make a clear image while manipulating the lens over the 25-second exposure. I say this because the lines on the zoomed buildings are so straight.

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

One issue, I'm sure, is that the dragon is not an AI creation; but instead a plastic toy that I got somewhere. I did try to doll it up by itself in PS before I used it; but it still looks pretty much like a toy. So I concentrated on integrating the various images seamlessly; and that is where I definitely need some more work. I then decided to post the background just because Jack asked for it and could not remember if I had posted it before. (I think I did, but not in this section). Thanks for your comments and support. Everyone in this section is really encouraging and that is a very good thing when you are out of your comfort zone.
Erich

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

That is why I re-posted just the background. Thanks for taking a look. I'm still going to try to improve my composite skills; but maybe not with plastic dragons. Thanks for taking a look.
Erich

saxman71 Loc: Wenatchee

I like the city stand alone shot. In the distant past I have played with altering the zoom on a long exposure. This shot makes me want to try that again.

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

I was very surprised at the result of the final shot. I have no idea how I managed not to blur the entire thing as you mentioned. I'm going to chalk it up to a very stable tripod. I also pulled down on the camera while I was moving the zoom ring. That, like using a heaving bad suspended from a tripod post, can steady things. But I also have to realize that, in that particular moment, the stars aligned in my favor. I'm not sure I could recreate the image even with similar conditions and equipment. Thanks for taking a look and, as always, your insights are appreciated.
Erich

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

I love the technique and use it a lot. Sometimes I stagger my zooming (like I did here). Other times I will explore the different effects from direction of zoom. Wide to zoom gives you a different kind of effect from zoom to wide for example.

For best results, you should use a tripod and remember that the sharpest part of the image is going to be in the center of your frame. The blur radiates from there. If you want to reposition your subject, you can always crop in post .
Erich