I'm fascinated by long exposure shots and want to do more with it. In my research to find tips on how to get good long exposure shots, I ran across this site with some fabulous examples (http://www.digital-photography-school.com/long-exposure-photography). I thought I'd share the site with you and ask you for tips and examples as well. I only have one or two that I have done (but not done well) and could use some advice and inspiration. Here is one I did back in March, but it isn't anything special. I didn't have my tripod with me with I discovered this overflow stream after a heavy rain.
Also, I'd like to know the best lens type to use and if special filters are involved to get the ideal lighting. Any advice/tips you can give would be greatly appreciated.
I love long exposures. And I am just learning too.. so sometimes I go to the different waterfalls and try different apertures and time.. all while using my ND filter and a tripod (you really need both of them)
And for this one ..I didnt use ND filter but I had to do a long exposure to get most of the stars in the sky
That's a pretty great shot! I also discovered I needed a tripod when I hadn't taken it out with me! I could only use the longest shutter speed possible without camera shake!
@dejongdd yup, definitely a well supported and weighted tripod is needed for long exposures, if you are looking for the motion in the image, and not blur. For daytime, you'll probably need Density filters that cut out a lot of light, making it seem dark to the camera. That way you can slow down the shutter speed to get the desired effect.
This one was done in pitch darkness:
And this in a late afternoon, with not much light left:
A combination of circular polariser + neutral density filters is often great for long-exposure waterfall photography. The CPL reduces the difference in brightness between the water and the background, allowing you to expose for longer without blowing out highlights in the water. The ND filter(s) just give you longer shutterspeeds. @dejongdd
Here are a couple of mine:
The only long exposure I have on 365 is this one:
Exposure times: a) 15s, b) 0.5s - 1.3s blended, c) 30s. Only the waterfall shot used filters.
Belive or not, I took this without a tripod or an ND filter! If you dont have either, wait untill sunset and I used a bean bag to hold my camera still! Set your camera on timer and let in go!
This one is actually a combination of 3 different shots. First I traced around my son. Then we started a new shot with the trailing lights. Then added a third one to fill in gaps we missed with the first set of trailing lights.
While not exactly a "long" exposure, this uses the same idea - "long enough to blur part of the image". I did this hand-held (I had no choice), but a tripod does make this style of shot easier. It is just about balancing blur, sharpness, and acceptable sharpness.
One can also use a flash, synced to the rear curtain (end of shot) or fired manually, to freeze part of the subject while allowing other parts to blur. Such as in this:
And similarly in this super-silly selfie:
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And for this one ..I didnt use ND filter but I had to do a long exposure to get most of the stars in the sky
This one was done in pitch darkness:
And this in a late afternoon, with not much light left:
(Taken with a normal point and shoot but inside the woods so no light filter was needed)
And this one of a passing tram:
(also taken with my point and shoot)
Here are a couple of mine:
The only long exposure I have on 365 is this one:
Exposure times: a) 15s, b) 0.5s - 1.3s blended, c) 30s. Only the waterfall shot used filters.
Belive or not, I took this without a tripod or an ND filter! If you dont have either, wait untill sunset and I used a bean bag to hold my camera still! Set your camera on timer and let in go!
One can also use a flash, synced to the rear curtain (end of shot) or fired manually, to freeze part of the subject while allowing other parts to blur. Such as in this:
And similarly in this super-silly selfie: