1. Three legs are better than two. A tripod is absolutely essential, but rather than running out and purchasing any old tripod I strongly suggest saving up for a well built model from a reputable tripod manufacturer, Gitzo and Manfrotto are two that spring to mind. A tripod that is poorly built or overly light weight for your camera will be next to useless as it will shake with any light breeze or even under the vibration of your cameras shutter.
2. ISO, the way to go. So we are about to photograph using low light levels, first things first turn your ISO up, right? WRONG. Digital sensor noise becomes particularly bad during long exposures and the best way to avoid such noise is to shoot with a low ISO. For most circumstances my camera performs best set to 100 ISO so I try to leave it there. Simply lower the shutter speed to obtain a correct exposure, after all, with a good tripod you camera isn't moving anywhere.
3. The density, it is neutral. Ever heard of a neutral density filter? Available in a myriad of strengths and rated by how much light they cut. Essentially ND filters decrease the amount of light hitting your sensor whilst imparting no other changes in color temperature or visual quality. In practise they often change the color temperature slightly however it is nothing that can't be fixed with white balance. Now lets assume we are photographing a waterfall and we wish to render the water as a soft mist. First you would select a low ISO and a small aperture in order to obtain the slowest shutter speed possible, yet the shutter speed may still be faster than you wish. Just pop on an ND filter to slow things down even more and do a little dance. Just because.
4. Is Film, Is Dead. For long exposure photography it's not. Unlike digital sensors which develop unpleasant noise during long exposures film handles it nicely and can render some really great long exposure images. One issue of note when using film for long exposure work is a bugger known as reciprocity failure. Basically film loses sensitivity to light over the length of the exposure and this must be compensated for. Find a reciprocity chart for the specific brand and type of film you are using, make your exposure corrections and bob is your uncle, assuming you have an uncle named bob, that is.
5. Torch it baby! No No, before you go setting things on fire just hold on a sec. The torch I'm referring to may be less fun but is an essential item to carry when heading out and about for some long exposure photography. Yep, it's one of these battery operated light making gizmo's. When shooting long exposure photos it is often approaching darkness or times of low light so having a torch handy makes life much easier than feeling around for dials and buttons.
2. ISO, the way to go. So we are about to photograph using low light levels, first things first turn your ISO up, right? WRONG. Digital sensor noise becomes particularly bad during long exposures and the best way to avoid such noise is to shoot with a low ISO. For most circumstances my camera performs best set to 100 ISO so I try to leave it there. Simply lower the shutter speed to obtain a correct exposure, after all, with a good tripod you camera isn't moving anywhere.
3. The density, it is neutral. Ever heard of a neutral density filter? Available in a myriad of strengths and rated by how much light they cut. Essentially ND filters decrease the amount of light hitting your sensor whilst imparting no other changes in color temperature or visual quality. In practise they often change the color temperature slightly however it is nothing that can't be fixed with white balance. Now lets assume we are photographing a waterfall and we wish to render the water as a soft mist. First you would select a low ISO and a small aperture in order to obtain the slowest shutter speed possible, yet the shutter speed may still be faster than you wish. Just pop on an ND filter to slow things down even more and do a little dance. Just because.
4. Is Film, Is Dead. For long exposure photography it's not. Unlike digital sensors which develop unpleasant noise during long exposures film handles it nicely and can render some really great long exposure images. One issue of note when using film for long exposure work is a bugger known as reciprocity failure. Basically film loses sensitivity to light over the length of the exposure and this must be compensated for. Find a reciprocity chart for the specific brand and type of film you are using, make your exposure corrections and bob is your uncle, assuming you have an uncle named bob, that is.
5. Torch it baby! No No, before you go setting things on fire just hold on a sec. The torch I'm referring to may be less fun but is an essential item to carry when heading out and about for some long exposure photography. Yep, it's one of these battery operated light making gizmo's. When shooting long exposure photos it is often approaching darkness or times of low light so having a torch handy makes life much easier than feeling around for dials and buttons.
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Read more great articles from samuel - wedding photography - film vs digital and destination wedding photography in Sydney Australia
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