6/08/2011

The 5 Do's Of Long Exposure landscape photos

By Samuel Burns


1. Three's a charm. Yep, we all love a good third leg with it invaluable usefulness and charming demure. And now that we mention it a tripod is just such a three legged beauty. Strong, independent, stable and always willing to lend you a hand, those are the traits of a great tripod, how do you go about finding such a model? Don't rush out and buy the cheapest you can afford, I like to use tripods from Manfrotto or Gitzo and would suggest reading reviews and paying attention to supported weights before throwing your camera on any old thing. A poor quality tripod will not work in keeping your camera stable. Period.

2. Shoot with a low ISO. Contrary to what may first make sense when shooting in low light with a tripod don't jack up the ISO, simply use a longer shutter speed. By increasing the ISO you will increase noise, this particularly becomes an issue in long exposure photos so set your ISO nice and low.

3. Use neutral density filters. Sometimes there are occasions when you may wish to create the effect of a long exposure such a swirling water or streaking clouds yet there is too much light to facilitate the exposure time you desire. First of all you can lower your ISO and stop down your aperture however this may not be enough. If that's the case call upon ND filters which basically act as sunglasses for your camera, allowing less light in, thus increasing exposure time. ND filters are available in a range of strengths so choose a couple that will suit your desired results.

4. Long live king Kodak. Now Kodak is often not the film of choice for me, but what is important is that film still has it's place in photography. One area where film still outshines digital is in long exposure photography. Whereas digital cameras produce harsh noise during long exposures film chugs along nicely with few ill effects. One thing to be aware of if shooting long exposures on film is an annoying neighbour named reciprocity failure. Reciprocity failure likes to come in and ruin long exposures on film and must be dealt with accordingly. Basically find yourself a reciprocity chart specific to the film you are using, make any necessary exposure changes and all should be well in the world.

5. Carry a torch! Often when shooting long exposure photos it will be dark or getting dark, I can't tell you how many times I've forgotten a torch and had to fumble around as darkness fell. A torch is so handy to keep in your bag for such occasions.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment