I had the pleasure of leading the Night Photography Workshop on Coronado Island for the Inland Empire Photo Club this past Saturday evening.  We had a nice sized turnout. A few were only able to stay for a short time, while other adventurous spirits braving the cold stayed late into the evening and for some pizza afterwards.  I think everyone had a good time and learned something new.  I know I did, especially regarding some confounding equipment problems which always only seem to show up in the field. For example, IS (Image Stabilization) turned on while on a tripod (causing noticeable blurring) was quite perplexing until discovered; as was, strange extraneous lights being recorded in the night sky.  The later, as it turned out, was apparently being caused by an uncoated uv or protective filter.

I've photographed the San Diego Skyline from Coronado Island many times.  Each time, I seem to come away with something unique.  Sometimes its the different skies, seasons, moonrise, action of the water, etc.  This past Saturday offered different results again.  The air was exceptionally still and clear following a storm the day before, there were the addition of Christmas lights to the scene, the water was more calm than usual allowing for great reflections from city lights.

I've included a couple of my shots from the workshop. The second shot I've shown three different ways.  First as a color shot, then black and white via Nik Silver Efex Pro plugin.  The third example is adding back just a touch of color, which I may like best of all.  Let me know what you think!