Long Exposure 101 (Pt 2) ND Filters and Landscapes

skiesandsports (60)in #longexposurephotography • 7 years ago

Long Exposures 101 (Pt2) ND Filters and Landscapes

The second in my two part (at the moment) series about Long Exposure photography, technique and tips. The first part is here - https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@skiesandsports/long-exposure-101-pt1-a-few-shots-from-10-years-ago-and-a-few-more-recent

Welcome to the second part of Long Exposures 101. Hopefully this, along with the first post, will offer a few bits of useful advice regardless of budget or experience. Long Exposure was one of the first techniques that really got me excited about photography. As a student on a limited budget buying my first DSLR and kit lens left me with no extra money for fancy filters or lenses. Night time long exposures were the first shots that I felt stood out from my early photography work. They got me through the door so to speak with various managers and publications that got me into live music photography as an amateur - with just a few portfolio shots!

This was always the kind of shot I really wanted to make. Stunning landscapes with a dreamlike look that only a true long exposure can give. I've always been drawn to water, and to me it never looks better than when it's been rendered creamy by a good ND filter. In the shot above I've used a Hoya Pro ND 1000 (10 Stop ND Filter)

ND Filters

To me, ND filters are the best filters in the world. Yep, I know you love your polarizing filter, but NDs do things that post processing just can't match. If you're just getting the one filter, try to get the darkest ND filter you can, a ten stop ND will give incredible results. Remember one stop = double the exposure time.

Working on a 1 second exposure, a One stop filter will double your exposure to 2 seconds. A two stop will double that to 4 and so on. A Ten Stop filter will take that one second exposure to OVER 17 minutes! I'd also advice grabbing a Graduated ND filter if you're using a slide system.

I used to own a BW 10 stop filter, but when I sold my Fuji X Pro 1 and wide angle lens I also sold the filter. I'd enjoyed using the camera for personal work but the focus just didn't work for me. Instead I now put up with the extra weight of my Canon gear (the same camera I use for weddings) along with a 17-40mm wide. It was a different filter size to the Fuji lens anyway and the Hoya filter comes in much more reasonably priced than the BW. That said there are a few things to consider with ND filters -

Cheaper ones often have a poorer covering, resulting in an uneven light distribution - effectively some parts of the image will be under a 10 stop ND while some could be under a 5. Even a good filter like a Hoya isn't a SILLY amount of money, so I'd really advise going for the best you can afford - just like with lenses! I do wish I'd gone for the LEE system, just because it's so easy to use with different lenses, and to stack filters, for instance a 10 stop with a graduated ND for the kind of Landscapes I love to shoot. I've always been reluctant to go for a slide filter for NDs as I've been a bit afraid of light leaks but everything I've seen of the LEE system has been fantastic.

This shot was taken on the same morning as the first in the Lake district.

When it comes to landscape shots I'm a sucker for foreground interest. Whether that's landscape lines leading you into a shot, or a fortunate object that you notice like the log in the first image. That's really a personal preference thing, I've seen incredible shots with no foreground interest, so please don't take that as gospel!

Either way I honestly believe that when it comes to landscapes there are only two times of day worth shooting - Sunrise and Sunset. So you better make the most of them!

Be Prepared

For me, that means arriving at a location 45-60 minutes before sunrise to scout for the best spot. Even if I've been there before I try to get there as early as I can. Things change, especially with water present. Whether that's washing something up on the beach, or the water level rising or falling drastically. Getting into position, figuring out the best angle, and setting yourself up for that perfect shot takes time. Arriving at a location in a rush to beat the sun is always a more stressful experience!

Work for the shot

As you can see, these shots weren't taken from a nice safe spot on the lakeside. I had to scramble across the slippery rocks to find the angle that really stood out (Bonus tip - if you love water like I do, get a decent pair of wellies, or better yet Waders!) I ended up with wet socks despite my footwear, but it was worth it!

Dress for the occasion

We visited a few lakes during our trip, and this was from another sunrise shoot. Whenever I head out I try to make sure I'm dressed for the occasion. So warm clothes - the temperature can plummet just before sunrise, so it's always good to be prepared! I also always try to wear my trusty headtorch. If you're shooting sunrise or sunset, then the chances are you'll be on location when it's dark. There's nothing worse than trudging to a location in the dark, stumbling over all sorts of obstacles on the way there - the same applies on the way back from a sunset shoot!

Your Tripod is [Probably] Waterproof

My tripod is in 3 foot water in the image above. It's a 10 year old very average tripod, but it does the job really bloody well! Most of the time the best shots aren't easy, and that usually means planting your tripod in an unusual position to get that shot. In the image above I was trying to get further into the lake for better perspective. With no waders to hand I ended up knee deep in November water (In the UK that's friggin cold!)

But to me, it was totally worth it :

Just give it a go!

Ok, so this isn't the most in depth article ever, but hopefully between part 1 and part 2 there is plenty of information to get you started. You don't need expensive kit, a couple of ND filters will give you a big head start but they aren't a necessity! The main thing is to just get out there and give it a go! I'd love to see your first tries or hear any questions you might have! I can't say I'll have all the answers but I'll give it a go and let you know if I'm not sure!

I really hope you enjoyed this series. I'll be doing the second part of my [proper] introduction later on for those of you who would like to learn more about me. As always followers are greatly appreciated!

Thanks Steemians!

All images are my own work and not to be used without my prior written consent

#photography #introduceyourself #teach #contest

7 years ago in #longexposurephotography by skiesandsports (60)

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askaran (53) 7 years ago

Wow, incredible photography. I love it :)

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1 vote

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skiesandsports (60) 7 years ago

Thanks @askaran, much appreciated!

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steemmillionaire (65) 7 years ago

This is just amazing!

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skiesandsports (60) 7 years ago

Thanks!

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mattniblock (53) 7 years ago

Great post and lovely results. Thanks for sharing.

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photocontests (64) 7 years ago

You have made 5 comments today in one of my 52 photography hashtags and received a 1 percent upvote for your effort!

>Learn more here<

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markangeltrueman (67) 7 years ago

Real good stuff here. Good to see a tog putting the effort into steemit and writing about their techniques and what they are up to . That's a sure fire way to make an impact here . Looking forward to seeing more from you.

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skiesandsports (60) 7 years ago

Thanks @Markangeltrueman, that's awesome to hear! I'm still new but would love to make an impact here if I can. I'm not normally a fan of social media but I'm totally addicted to Steem! Not a bad time to get addicted either, just shot my last wedding of 2017 with a little break before the 2018 season kicks off!

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markangeltrueman (67) 7 years ago

Yeah, there's a level of addiction in actually getting financial reward for your efforts. With content like this im sure it wont be long before you attract some hard hitters to your work.

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skiesandsports (60) 7 years ago

Definitely, I have no idea how you attract hard hitters but it's really good to hear I'm on the right track!! I have some ideas for this weeks posts already :) Hopefully they will be genuinely useful to new photographers out there!

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markangeltrueman (67) 7 years ago

Nice work on those upvotes ;)

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skiesandsports (60) 7 years ago

Thanks @Markangeltrueman! Woke up this morning and checked my feed, couldn't quite believe the number! Good job I've got another post lined up for this evening!!

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markangeltrueman (67) 7 years ago

I wouldn’t expect the same again. Looks like you got an upvote by curie which is a one off. Keep at it though, hopefully it gained you some followers.

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skiesandsports (60) 7 years ago

Haha I'm certainly not expecting every post to be like this! But it's given me a nice little boost in power and followers so it's like a handy little booster for my steem progress :)

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beatdragon (44) 7 years ago

this is amazing!

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skiesandsports (60) 7 years ago

Thanks @beatdragon!

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cristinamuah (43) 7 years ago

Your images are etherial <3... Thanks for detailing what you went through to get that perfect shot! People don't always realize how much goes into preparation.

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skiesandsports (60) 7 years ago

Thank you so much @cristinamuah! Verity much appreciated! I'll be doing plenty more informative posts :) Hopefully they will inspire one or two people at least!

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