Theme #2 : Long Exposure with a tripod Theme Ends on 15th October 2009
From today we will kickstart the new theme
Long Exposure on a tripod.
Typically, exposures of few seconds or longer qualify as long exposures.
Handheld high ISO shots do not qualify as long exposure, so for such shots, you definitely need a tripod.
Many P&S cams take exposures upto 10 seconds, and some Panny models can go upto 60 seconds in Starry sky mode.
For DSLRs(most) there is no limitation.
Without a shutter release(remote) you can take exposures upto 30 seconds, and with a remote in bulb mode you can go upto as long as your battery lasts.
To Kickstart the theme, I will post a couple of pics.
Note, these are very very long exposures
First - Pangong Tso.
Technical details
142s
F4.5
ISO 200
18mm
Second, Hanle Gamma Ray array. The moon is behind the clouds, so unnatural light. Infact long exposures of windy night skies often yield very dramatic shots
589S
F6.3
ISO 200
18mm
Some tips - Use a tripod, handheld, you will always get blurry shots, not matter how steady your hand. Over 1/6th of a second or so, even image stabilization does not work. Shots with 1/6th of a second etc., are not long exposure
- When camera is on tripod switch of image stabilization. Some lenses and cameras can detect tripods, but this is not always the case
- Use an ISO closer to lower number. For example if you have a DSLR capable of ISO 100-3200, take shots at ISO 100 or 200 because noise is more at higher ISO's and noise can ruin a shot. If you have a P&S camera, stick to lowest ISO, for example ISO 80
- If you want to get stars, use a wider aperture, otherwise stars will be faint. But that will also mean you would need to frame the shot so that you can focus near infinity, and the nearest part of your frame is few meters away. At wide angle, even when lens is full open you can get everything from few meters to infinity in focus
- Hot sensor means more noise. So unless you are shooting in environments where ambient temp is below 10 degree C, take a few minutes break between shots to allow sensor to cool down
- The easiest long exposure shots are cityscapes where even a 5 second exposure can yield you bright shots
- If you are shooting a dark moonlit landscape at night, sometimes even 30 seconds yields a dark shot. So if there is a full moon, try ISO 400 at max aperture. Without the moon, or even when moon is half even 100s can be less
- Long exposure shots of waterfalls rivers yield silky water
Happy shooting fellas. Remember, stick to the rules, do not post handheld shots less than 2-3 seconds. 5 seconds + preferred.
And last but not the least, with a Neutral density filter, you can actually take long exposures even in the evening, for example, this shot
Exposure = 6s
Aperture f/8.0
18mm
ISO 100
It was taken late evening with a tripod.
Last edited by tsk1979 : 1st October 2009 at 12:16.
|