What do I want? I want the pizza. Because that is what I want right now, and it is delicious and an easy choice. That's my 'now' perspective.
A better way is probably to consider my future perspective of 20 years from now. As in, what do I wish I had been eating 20 years ago?
Read more »
Strobist
While the latest generation of smartphones can in many ways rival traditional compact cameras, the lack of true long exposure functionality on most phones is a limitation. However, now there’s an app for that with NightCap Pro. It has two unlimited exposure time modes. Learn more
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Every so often I get an email from a blog reader asking “if there is one accessory that you would recommend for long exposure photography, what would it be?”
I wish the answer was a simple one, but of course it is not.
There are so many accessories that I carry every time I go making long exposure photographs. There are also many accessories I carry on a regular basis no matter what, and some I carry here and there depending on the location. So with that all said, here are some of my favorite items, and must have accessories for long exposure photography.
It all starts with comfortable shoes because you will likely be standing for a while or walking around excessively. I personally wear Under Armour sneakers, that were designed for the New York City police department, because they are extremely comfortable and made for officers to be on their feet all day. They also have the traction when needed, like in sand or on wet pavement.
However, when I know that I will be photographing extremely close, if not in, water then I do not use those sneakers. At that point I switch to standard waterproof boots or just remove the sneakers and go in barefoot. Wearing non-waterproof shoes while getting your feet wet is a horrible feeling. So be mindful of your surroundings as Master Yoda says.
A cable release is pretty much a “must have” for long exposure photography. After 30 seconds most cameras do not have the necessary shutter speeds built-in to capture the scene, through a thick neutral density filter like a 10-stop.
I’ve been surrounded by photographers who use cheap off-brand cable releases that stop working after the first use. I’ve also seen fancy intervalometers run out of batteries, making the cable release a dangling useless piece of plastic.
So my backup plan is a cable from Trigger Happy. The beauty is that it’s a thin, lightweight, cable that can easily be packed in any bag or pocket. You then connect it through the headphone jack of your phone (iPhone or Android) and have a cable release that way. Triggertrap is another amazing mobile cable release brand and many times I will switch between apps because the Trigger Happy cable works fantastic with Triggertrap as well.
This is too easy to forget. You wake up super early for sunrise or head out the door just before sunset, hoping to catch that last bit of glow in a glorious long exposure. But then you get to the location and realize, “Holy smokes I didn’t eat anything.”
So this way too often overlooked meal bar idea is a must have no matter what. I even recommend this for standard exposure shooting, on photowalks, or wherever. Having at least one meal bar can boost your energy and fill that hunger craving.
Going along with the meal bar idea is a water bottle. Depending on where you are shooting, stores may not be an option for grabbing a quick thirst quencher. There are also those eco-conscious photographers out there (including myself) that prefer not buying a throw away water bottle.
Typically I carry a Nalgene water bottle that has a decent size loop at the top. Using a carabiner it is attached to my belt or bag so that I’m not physically carrying it, but it’s always with me.
A rain cover is one of those accessories that I have whether I’m photographing long exposures or anything else. I personally use the Think Tank Photo rain covers, but there are so many awesome ones out there including the OP/TECH plastic covers which I consider emergency products.
Although many modern mirrorless and DSLR cameras contain weather sealing (check your manual if you aren’t sure if yours has it or not), they are not waterproof and can still be impacted by the rain. So having the ability to throw a rain cover over your camera can help ensure that the camera lasts a very long time.
Another rain cover option is the Storm Jacket by Vortex Media.
Going along with the rain cover is a lens cloth. If you are going between cold and warm temperatures then your camera will fog up for a bit. If it’s raining then you will likely have water droplets on your neutral density filters. So having a simple lens cloth with you is good to wipe the fog or droplets from the filters.
Another product I keep with me during the colder seasons, is a cold weather mask. More specifically, this one from Under Armour. The reason I like this one is because it can squeeze into the same pouch as my Think Tank Photo rain cover. Additionally, the mask covers enough of my head and face to keep me warm. Of course, if it’s a super cold day like in a “polar vortex” then I would of course prepare for that in addition to the weather mask.
Most tripods with a center column have a hook underneath which makes it easy to hang something weighted. Tripods without a center column usually have an option to attach a hook underneath as well.
The reason you want to weigh down your tripod is because of the extended shutter time. If you accidentally touch your tripod you could move it by accident. So weighing down the tripod can help prevent unintentional movement, thus saving your long exposure.
I’m not saying to bring a heavy weight with you. Instead I’m saying to use your camera bag. You will likely have enough gear in the bag that can make a good 5-10 lb (2.3-4.6 kg) weight. Use the tripod hook and a loop on your bag to create the weight.
This one should be a no brainer but you’ll be surprised how many photographers forget to carry extra batteries. Always keep in mind that the longer the shutter speed, the more your battery will drain. I tend to carry three batteries with me, at a minimum. Usually one in the camera body and two extras in my bag.
Yup, you read that right. You won’t be making a presentation while you wait for your ten minute exposure to finish. But, depending on how dark it is outside and how dark your neutral density filter is, a red laser pointer can help you find a place to focus. If you know a tree is in the distance, put the dot on the tree and focus on it.
You might be wondering why I recommend a laser point rather than a flashlight. A flashlight is also a good idea, but a laser pointer is lighter and can travel in a much further distance than the average flashlight.
Your mobile devices drain very fast. Especially if you are using an App like PhotoPills to calculate exposures or find the right spot for sunset. Or, if you are using your phone as a cable release as mentioned above, then your battery will drain much faster. So I highly recommend having a battery backup.
I typically carry two with me at all times. One has two USB ports, allowing me to help charge a friend’s phone also if needed. The other is the Bolt which was a Kickstarter project. I keep that one as well because it’s lightweight, small and doubles as a wall charger.
Before I finish up this article I want to share a shooting tip for long exposure photographs. Quite often I see photographs where the sky and water is so smooth, which is fantastic. Many times the exposures are spot on and the post processing is beautiful and tasteful. However, sometimes there is something missing from the composition. That being, a point of focus.
Long exposure photographs are some of my favorite types to make and view. However, with such smooth, ghosted and blurred subjects in the scene, not having something in focus can really make a viewer’s eye wonder.
So instead of just capturing a scene of full motion, try to include an object in perfect focus. Stop people’s eyes from wondering and give them a starting point.
Do you have any other long exposure photography tips or accessories to sure? Please do so in the comments below.
The post 11 Accessories for Long Exposure Photography by Scott Wyden Kivowitz appeared first on Digital Photography School.
In 2001 Microsoft released the Windows XP operating system and with it an iconic desktop photograph. Referred to as ‘Bliss’, the lush landscape of rolling grass hills and a crystal-blue sky has, to Microsoft’s estimation, been seen by at least a billion people. To celebrate the retiring of the XP operating system, Microsoft tracked down the original photographer and talked to him about the shot. Learn more
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Andrew S. Gibson is the author of Understanding Lenses Part II: A Guide to Canon Normal & Telephoto Lenses, special deal on now 40% off at Snapndeals for a limited time only.
A potential issue with wide-angle lenses is that you try to include too much information in the frame. It takes real skill to create a strong composition with lenses that have a wide field-of-view. It is easier with normal and telephoto lenses, because you can utilise their narrow field-of-view to compose strong yet simple images with little in the background to distract the viewer.
Let’s take a look at how that works:
Angle of view from a wide-angle lens (left) and long lens (right)
This diagram shows the difference in field-of-view between a wide-angle lens (left) and a telephoto lens (right). You can think of a wide-angle lens as a lens of inclusion: it enables you to fit a lot of the scene in a photo. You can get close to the subject and still fit in a lot of the background.
The telephoto lens is a lens of exclusion. You don’t get so close to your subject and there is less in the background.
Here are a couple of examples:
I took this portrait using a wide-angle lens (24mm on a full-frame camera). I was able to get fairly close to the model and still include a lot of the background.
This portrait was taken using a short telephoto lens (85mm on a full-frame camera). I was able to get in close and exclude most of the background. The effect is emphasized by placing the model against a dark background.
This effect seems to kick in at around 50mm on a full-frame camera (the equivalents are 35mm on an APS-C camera, and 25mm with the micro-four thirds format). Here’s a photo taken with a 50mm lens on a full-frame camera to illustrate:
This means that you can use this technique to simplify composition even if the only lens you have is a kit lens. Just set it to the longest focal length and move in closer to your subject.
There are other ways to simplify composition – you can’t rely just on focal length:
Here’s an example taken with an 85mm lens fitted with a Canon 500D close-up lens:
What are your thoughts? Do you use normal or telephoto lenses to simplify composition the same way? What are your favourite focal lengths? Let us know in the comments.
My ebook Understanding Lenses Part II will teach you how to get the most out of Canon’s normal and telephoto lenses. It contains a buying guide, takes a deep look at aperture and bokeh, and shows you how to focus accurately with telephoto lenses. It’s now 40% off at Snapndeals for a limited time only.
The post How to Simplify and Improve Composition with Normal or Long Lenses by Andrew S. Gibson appeared first on Digital Photography School.
Over the last few years here at dPS, we’ve run some very popular competitions, and this month will be no different!
This month we are working with one of our newest partners – ViewBug – to give away to lucky dPS readers, full access to their Photo Contest and exclusive discounts from photography based partners! ViewBug is an online photo contest community that provides the opportunity for photographers to share photos with chances to win prizes. With ViewBug, everyone can get an opportunity to be discovered!
ViewBug is a community where you can participate in photo contests with cool brands, awesome community of judges, and gain recognition and exposure.
These prizes are designed to allow photographers full access to participation and voting in all of the ViewBug Photography contests. Each will be won by a different dPS reader. Here’s what you could win:
A Year Long PRO subscription to ViewBugs photography contests! A $ 139 Value!
To win this competition you’ll need to:
Visit the ViewBug/dPS Contest page here and upload your entry into the Landscape Photography Contest.
Do this in the next 60 days and on May 5, 2014, ViewBug and its community of photographers will choose the best landscape photos. We at dPS will announce the winners in the following days.
The deadline for entries is Wednesday, February April 26, 2014, Midnight PST. Entries placed after deadline will not be considered. Enter Here!!
This competition is open to everyone around the world no matter where you live.
Disclaimer: ViewBug is a paid partner of dPS.
The post Landscapes Photo Contest! Win One of Two – Year Long PRO Subscriptions from ViewBug! by Darren Rowse appeared first on Digital Photography School.
CES 2014: Three new FinePix cameras are unveiled today, each with an emphasis on providing long zoom ranges. The Fujifilm FinePix S9400W and FinePix S9200 superzooms offer a 50x optical zoom lens covering a 24-1200mm equivalent zoom range, both using a 16.2 megapixel CMOS sensor. The two cameras are identical, with the S9400W adding Wi-Fi functionality. The Fujifilm FinePix S8600 has a 36x optical zoom (25-900mm equivalent) and a 16 megapixel CCD sensor.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
David’s Long Exposure and DoF eBook Long Exposure and Shooting Shallow DoF eBook Bundle (Long Exposure comes with Lightroom Presets) is currently 43% OFF at SnapnDeals – grab it now! (only until January 16th AUS time)
Even if you are an experienced landscape photographer you will know there is lots to consider when approaching the area of long exposure, landscape photography.
The following five tips are just some of the things I have learned, (often the hard way) on my own journey with landscape photography and I hope you are able to take advantage of them and apply them in your own work.
5 Tips for Better Long Exposure Landscape Photography
When arriving at a location you may find yourself rushing to your camera bag in haste to set up your gear. With long exposure photography your mind can often be busy doing the math, calculating exposure times, juggling tripods and fiddling with filters.
Take your time and behold the scene, forget you are capturing a long exposure image and get the framing right. I use the Lee filter system on my Fuji X cameras, which is easy to attach and remove the Neutral Density (ND) filter to the camera between shots. I often remove the filter and capture shorter exposure images to review on the LCD screen. If these images don’t look good there is little chance of the long exposure version looking look.
Don’t be fixated on getting the water looking smooth; instead fixate on framing the water in the photograph to create contrast and make the scene visually interesting.
If you are using an ND10 filter you will know how brilliant they are at stopping light from reaching the camera sensor. Although, theoretically it is possible to capture long exposure images even during the sunniest part of the day, it generally isn’t the best time to shoot.
Prioritize the late evening or early morning for capturing long exposure images so you don’t rely on the ND filter doing all the work. You will find you have much more creative control and will capture more atmospheric images by shooting at the extremes of the day.
If you are shooting the ocean, then the second part of this tip is to research tide times. I’ve ventured out on more than one occasion to shoot a jetty to find it would be hours before the tide was in. There are various services online that will tell you high and low tide times for your specific area.
As with the first tip I really recommend that you spend time studying your location. Imagine your image as three separate layers. The top and bottom layers need to contain something of visual interest with the middle layer tending to be the smoothed out water. Sandwiching of the smooth water between foreground and background detail can add a real sense of drama to a long exposure scene.
Having the camera shutter open for long durations means any dust or dirt on your lens or filter has a greater opportunity to impact on your image. Your post-production software (such as Adobe Lightroom) will go some way to automatically clean up dust but quite often larger spots are visible in long exposure images that wouldn’t be obvious in normal conditions. Having a lens cloth handy and cleaning the filter (both sides) in-between shots can result in less post-production work later on.
When it comes to postproduction processing for long exposure photography I recommend focusing on three areas. Initially you should correct any colour cast created by the ND filter. This is a relatively simple process; in Lightroom use the ‘temperature’ slider to warm the image to a more natural hue.
You should then zoom in and check for any dust spots, these are generally more obvious in the highlights, such as the skyline. Use the Spot Removal tool (Shortcut Q) to remove these blemishes easily.
Finally my top tip is to use the graduated filter tool in Lightroom 5 (shortcut M) to soften the water. You can do this by clicking on the horizon and dragging to the base of the water. Once you have created the filter you can then soften the smooth water by reducing the level of ‘Clarity’. You can also do the opposite of this technique to increase the ‘clarity’ of your skyline.
These five tips, I hope will go some way to improve how you approach long exposure photography, but the most important thing to remember is to relax. There is something ultimately therapeutic about the experience of capturing long exposure images of landscapes, moving water or the night sky, isn’t that what the creative process is all about?
David’s Long Exposure and DoF eBook Long Exposure and Shooting Shallow DoF eBook Bundle (Long Exposure comes with Lightroom Presets) is currently 43% OFF at SnapnDeals – grab it now! (only until January 16th AUS time)
The post 5 Tips for Better Long Exposure Landscape Photography by David Cleland appeared first on Digital Photography School.
“That Nikon Guy” aka Mark Granger does a great job of showing how to use long exposures in different situations to get some stunning effects.
Make sure to watch all the way to the end for his extra special tip on traversing the rocks! Worth a chuckle.
If you have some examples of long exposure photography, please share them in the comments below.
Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.
Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.
Long Exposure Photography Tutorial
The post Long Exposure Photography Tutorial by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.
You must be logged in to post a comment.