I took this on a trip to the Santa Monica beach and pier with one of my clubs. We met for dinner then stuck around for sunset. It was the middle of the week but there were still a bunch of people there. It was a nice break from the heat inland.
I shot this with a Nikon Z9 and a Sigma 14-24mm f2.8 DG DN Art lens and an FTZ adapter at 18mm. I used ISO 64 to avoid any noise. I chose f/20 to maximize depth of field and to get the starburst effect of the lights. It was a 30 second exposure. I used camera raw and photoshop to do the editing. I got rid of some distracting holes and security cameras in the structure wall and cropped to eliminate the beach below. The lighter color of the sand was distracting and the people were blurred and didn't really add to the story. I increased the sharpness and played with the dehaze slider to enhance the sky.
I hope everyone's summer is going well.
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7 comments posted
Lane B Lewis
This is a delightful colorful image. It looks to me on a bit of a tilt. (Perhaps a bit of straightening to the left). The only thing I would think about doing would be to lower the highlights on the lights on the right because they take my eye out off the image. Nice job. Posted: 08/13/2026 01:26:23
Andrew Lewis
Looking at it again, I think I might have sent the wrong image to Bruce. This one definitely has a tilt. I appreciate the observation on the highlights, Lane. I think you're right that that side of the frame is a little hot. Thanks for your thoughts. Posted: 08/14/2026 12:38:15
Mark McKinney
Lane makes some good points. I really like the color of the sky! I don't worry too much about noise anymore as the filters are so effective. You wewre using a tripod so you could use any ISO you want. I like the star effects! I like the Ferris Wheel and that great leading line on the right. I think that is lens distortion on the left and that can be correc ted with Transform/warp. Posted: 08/13/2026 22:24:24
Andrew Lewis
Thanks for the comments, Mark. I'll have to play with transform and see what I can do. There are a lot of lines and planes to watch at this wide an angle. I appreciate your points. Posted: 08/14/2026 12:40:20
Harley Rubens
I agree with others about the colors standing out. Nice fun story of an evening and carnival at the beach. I agree with Lane about the tilt. I like the star effects around the lights also as Marc pointed out. If you can, I suggest you raising the shaDOW TO bring out the wood on the pier legs and lower the highlights, as Lane mentioned. This may bring bring out more details in the bright areas. Clarity may bring out more detail in thw wheel. Denoise as was discussed would be interesting to see but there may not be ennough colored Pixels I very inviting Photo Andrew. Posted: 08/16/2026 19:53:19
Bruce Michelotti
Nice pano Andrew. The lights, colors and light stars give this a feel of true excitement and bring us back to the fun of being a kid at the amusement park. The slide provides a nice leading line into the shot bring the Ferris Wheel into play. I like how you are using the pier harbor lights as a base for the shot (or lower frame if you like). The others have covered lots of details for you, but I would suggest to lower the exposure a bit. To me the colors are a bit muted and a lower exposure would help intensify them. Especially on the Wheel. Posted: 08/22/2026 15:36:01
Jill Corr
This is a super cool photo. I was immediately drawn to the Ferris wheel, the focal point of the image. Then my eye took me to the negative space on the left. Maybe enhance that sunset red over there to balance against the super bright colors in the rest of the image. My eye then took me to the dark underside of the dock. I think that lightening that part would not detract at all. It's an interesting geometry. And, I agree about the horizontal and vertical lines in the image. That's a quick fix. Overall, this is a gorgeous image capturing a wonderful place. Posted: 08/22/2026 16:51:30
