Making the most of The Blue Hour in Waterford

Tonight I decided to put the camera in the car and drive around and see what presented itself. Around 9pm the darkness was starting to become apparent, it was The Blue Hour. I knew that the International Space Station would be heading over Waterford. Thanks to the Twisst service on Twitter 21:10pm was listed and I made my way to the Quay. The light in the sky was still present and as it passed over Barronstrand Street the ISS was a bit too faint, so I repositioned the camera and got the shot below of the ISS over Waterford. It was a 25″ exposure – I used a ND4 filter to try get a few extra seconds exposure … drag out the distance covered by the ISS. The result is below.

ISS over Waterford at 9pmThe ISS over The Quays, Waterford during the Blue Hour

I wasn’t overly happy with the final outcome as I think it’s a tad too bright – so I went looking for a second shot and positioned myself looking towards the bridge on the edge of a path and got a 25″ exposure of the quay and traffic which I was much happier with. I like the blueish streaks of the cars coming towards the camera and the red of the lights going away from it. This was taken at the latter end of the Blue Hour, it’s already getting that bit darker. The only thing is that there is a bit of lens flare on the image, which probably could be photoshopped out if I had time but considering I’m getting these on-line within an hour of taking them, its not that bad!

Waterford Quays by Night - Long Exposure, Waterford, IrelandThe Quays, Waterford during the Blue Hour

I didn’t spend too much time on these shots but certainly glad I ventured out and about with the camera as it has been a while … especially with our “great” summer !

Photo Location : Waterford, Ireland

The Quays, Waterford

The Quays, Waterford