Camera technique
LEFT With a very slow-moving sky you’ll need a very, very long exposure if you want any blur. This was taken on a Fujifilm GFX 50S with an eight-minute (480sec) exposure with an aperture of f/16 and ISO 100, and a 15EV ND filter
ND filters
Using extreme ND filters
When you buy a new filter, it’s always worth doing a quick with- and-without test to see if there are any potential colour issues. This pair of shots was taken with a Nikon D810 in auto white-balance, without and with a Marumi DHG Super ND 1000 filter. As you can see, the filter with the camera in this set-up has added a perfectly acceptable gentle warmth to the
scene so no problem at all, but using a manual Kelvin setting of 5000Kwould give a neutral result. ND filters are widely available, and here are some brands for you to consider: Hoya: intro2020.co.uk K&F: swains.co.uk Kase Filters: kasefilters.com Lee Filters: leefilters.com Marumi: kenro.co.uk
Using your camera’s timed shutter speeds is all very well, but what if you want to go even longer? Well, that’s where the camera’s B (bulb) or T (time) setting comes into play, because with the help of a remote release, you can keep the shutter open for a long time. Camera meters don’t work in B and Tmodes, so when you shoot extreme ND shots, you need to take a meter reading in one of the normal exposure modes and work it out from there, either using a supplied chart, an app or by some simple maths. So if your exposure is 1/125sec at f/11 and you’re using a 10EV ND, count down 1/60sec, 1/30sec, 1/15sec, 1/8sec, 1/4sec, 1/2sec, 1sec, 2sec, 4sec to 8sec: that’s 10EV. Or if your camera has shutter speeds down to 30secs set to 0.3EV increments, just count 30 clicks or steps (or 20 if your camera is on 0.5EV steps). Smartphone apps make life easier, though. The Lee Filters ProGlass IRND app is free on the Apple App Store and on Google Play. With this, just set the metered shutter speed and then the strength of the ND (2, 3, 4, 6, 10, 15EV) in use to give a new exposure time. Others to look at include Exposure Calculator, Long Exposure Calculator and PhotoPills. Venture into very long exposures and you need to get your workflow sorted. You do not want, for example, to do a 15-minute exposure of a stunning scene to find you forgot to focus, the battery dying halfway through a shot or find you pushed the remote release button to lock the shutter open, but didn’t notice it had become unplugged. By the time you realise you did something wrong, those once-in-a-lifetime conditions will have long gone. First off, make sure the tripod is well and securely positioned. This means in a spot you don’t have people or cars going past the lens and that
ABOVE A bright, windy day when clouds are racing across a blue sky can work really well for long exposures and there is also the benefit that you don’t need very, very long exposure times. One thing to be aware of, though, is that a strong wind can cause the camera or tripod to vibrate and result in blurred shots. You need a solid tripod and if you can, stand close to the camera to shield it with your body. Shot on a Nikon D800 with a 24-120mm lens with a 1000x (10EV) ND filter on the front. The exposure was 67secs at f/22 and ISO 50
you’re using minimum centre column extension and wider sections are extended in preference to the thinner end leg sections. Make sure the lens is clean, there’s plenty of battery, attach the remote release if you are using one and that the composition is perfect. Focus manually and do not touch the barrel afterwards, make sure you are on B or Tmode, having first taken a meter reading, in the desired white-balance setting, and have the right aperture set. On DSLRs, fit or shut the built-in eyepiece blind, because light entering a DSLR’s eyepiece can be recorded – no such problems for mirrorless models. Covering the camera body with something like a black beanie can work, but not a great idea if it’s windy. Most digital cameras have selectable noise reduction; some don’t, so you are stuck with it. Any benefit (assuming there is any in Raw) is offset by the
extra time the noise reduction process needs. With many cameras, it is literally double the exposure time and it is out of operation during that time, so you are better off without it. Now, you’re ready to go and all you have to do it determine the time you are going to hold the shutter open for. Now open and lock open the shutter and start your timer/stopwatch. All this sounds obvious, but in the heat of the moment, missing out one step can be very, very frustrating.
ABOVE With Marumi DHG Super ND 1000 filter
For more Summer Festival technique, go to photographynews.co.uk . This month, shoot physiograms,
star stacks, ICM abstracts andmake people vanish with ND filters.
ABOVE No filter, camera in auto white-balance
Issue 77 | Photography News 13
photographynews.co.uk
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