Landscape Photography at Nighttime

I am focusing on improving my landscape photography skills and this weekend being very busy, I only managed to pop out to take couple of shots at night time.  It was the first time I have tried this at night and I need to practice a lot still!

I struggled to get the camera to focus on a certain point and allow me to actually take the shot.  I have tried using Auto Focus and set the speed and aperture manually, but really struggled.  The camera simply wouldn't focus.  I then had to change the composition completely and focus on something in a fairly brightly lit area that was much closer to me than what I originally focused on.

Also, the nearby streetlights affected the color of the pictures a lot.  The lights being an orange color, has cast an orange haze over the photos.  I thought it best not to try to take landscape pictures at night again because I felt so disappointed by the results afterwards, but then found this article when doing some online research about it::  http://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/night-landscape-photography/

After reading this article by Mr Steve Paxton, I actually want to try and get it right.  He made it sound so interesting and rewarding when you finally do get a well-exposed, well-composed shot!

Before last night I never even considered trying to take landscapes at night, because I never thought it would be possible.  Now his article made it clear that the darker it is, the better your chances of getting a great shot.  Another thing I have learned is that I would have to use a much longer shutter speed than what I was using.  I only kept the shutter open for a couple of seconds, but will definitely try to keep it open for a couple minutes at a time next time.  I have noticed last night that what he has said about the battery life in cold weather is true.  I had a fully charged battery and by the third or forth photo I took, the battery was only half-full.

Working full time weekdays and only really being able to focus on photo shoots after hours and weekends anyway, I now have more opportunities which I didn't realize I had before.