My last 2 photos have been long exposures of water and I've noticed that my best, or at least my favourite photos have been long exposure water scenes which is not all that surprising, as I live by the sea.
I have learned a lot about long exposures over the last few months and thought it would be nice to see other peoples photos of long exposure water scenes, be it the sea, rivers, lakes, waterfalls etc. Maybe post some info about exposure time etc to help other people out and any general tips you have for people that want to try it out themselves.
I'll start it off with a few of my own photos and the relevant details. Also my general tips would be:
1) Your tripod is never as steady as you think it is, at 30 or more seconds even the slightest movement can ruin the shot. Try to dig it into the sand/earth if you can.
2) You don't need to spend a fortune on a neutral density filter. I got a 9 stop ND500 filter from Light Craft Workshop for 60euro.
3) Use mirror up mode (if you camera has it) and a remote shutter release (or self timer) to minimise vibrations.
4) Shoot in RAW as this will give you some more freedom if you under or overestimated the shutter speed.
Looking forward to seeing your photos and tips.
Paul
10 second exposure at f/11 to get a lot of it if focus and not too long as to keep the rocks under the water visible.
30 second exposure to get as much colour out of the sky as possible.
25 second exposure to really smooth the water and blur the clouds.
@jonesp Wow, these are stunning! I love long exposure water shots and had to get to grips with them to an extent during the winter months.
The darkness has often forced me to make the most of the blue hour after work. And up until now I have only a small table tripod, so for me the most important thing has been to find the right wall, rock or wooden post to rest it on...and the wind in the North East is a constant factor messing up long exposures!
I don't have any filters at the moment but would love to try some in lighter conditions.
30 sec exposure at f10 and ISO 100 to get the detail of the lighthouse and the lighter tones:
I'm not a huge fan of the cotton candy softness of some water pics, that seem to be popular right now, like with waterfalls but in a more a placid scene like with Paul's pics it works pretty well.
With waterfalls, I don't want to lose the sense of power. And once it goes really soft that sense of power does seem to get lost. Here is one I made trying to split the difference, to some extent, between power and softness. I think I was successful in conveying that. Tumalo Falls, Oregon. I used my circular polarizer and set a small aperture to get a fairly long exposure.
Best tip I can give on my long exposure shots is find the shortest long exposure that will give you the desired effect as it will increase likelihood for steadiness which increases sharpness.
@bmnorthernlight Thanks. Your lighthouse shots are wonderful. I know what you mean about the wind. An unfortunate side effect of living by the sea and it really call kill a great shot. I try and keep the tripod as low as possible as this helps a lot. Am following you now, and look forward to seeing some more from you.
@jonesp Thanks, that's very kind! followed you right back, lots of great shots in your album. I guess I am at a little advantage there with my tiny tripod at the moment. But tripod head for the big one is due to arrive next week and I can't wait to go out and play!!
Here is another one, slightly different this time as I'm in it. Was not that easy to stand perfectly still for 30 seconds with the wind howling but the long exposure really helped draw out the colours in the rocks and water on this dull day.
I used a tripod and delayed shutter release for this image using my Powershot S90 shooting in RAW ... 10s & ISO 80 ... Had problems with bright lights of Petronas Towers over-exposing but I really liked the end result!
These are all awesome shots, a wonderful thread. My favorite long shutter speed picture is hosted elsewhere, but here's one I have here. The water is a fountain waterfall, and I wanted it as smooth as I could get it. I used a 20 sec. shutter speed, and since it was getting too light for this type of thing, the aperture was f16. That meant the starburst was bigger than I really wanted.
@kerristephens Lovely Kerri. The water looks silky smooth. @kmrtn6 Great first attempt Kylie. Way better than mine which was totally out of focus! @gark Gark - Stunning. @mtngal I actually like the starbursts and the way the lights curve in the water. @grizzlysghost Great shot of the crabs. Very unusual. @simon0128 Lovely shot Simon. @cirasj Looks like the perfect place for some long exposures Joe.
Wow! These look like a LOT of fun. I really really want to try this. I shoot 99% of my photos on manual mode and manual focus in RAW format simply for the practice. I've only had my camera for 3 months so I am still learning. How do I set my camera up for a long exposure without letting in too much light? Would I keep the ISO at 100?
@justpeachykeene They are a lot of fun Peachy. I've only had my camera just over 3 months as well and I always shoot in manual and RAW as well so its not too hard.
You can shoot at dawn or dusk if you don't have an ND filter or even a grey day with not much light which will allow you to have a slower shutter speed. A smaller aperture (f/20 for example) will help greatly as well. Low ISO is a good idea as well.
If you want longer exposures, like some of mine or especially garks (@gark) which are a few minutes long, you will need a 9 or 10 stop ND filter.
@flagged Lovely shots flagged. I think the b&w works well. And I agree, one of my fav types of shots too. Were there really 3 foot swells? Must try that tomorrow.. big waves here at the minute.
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The darkness has often forced me to make the most of the blue hour after work. And up until now I have only a small table tripod, so for me the most important thing has been to find the right wall, rock or wooden post to rest it on...and the wind in the North East is a constant factor messing up long exposures!
I don't have any filters at the moment but would love to try some in lighter conditions.
30 sec exposure at f10 and ISO 100 to get the detail of the lighthouse and the lighter tones:
15 sec at f9 and ISO 100:
With waterfalls, I don't want to lose the sense of power. And once it goes really soft that sense of power does seem to get lost. Here is one I made trying to split the difference, to some extent, between power and softness. I think I was successful in conveying that. Tumalo Falls, Oregon. I used my circular polarizer and set a small aperture to get a fairly long exposure.
this one is though :D
30 seconds f14 also with the 10 stop ND filter
Here is one of mine done in the morning without any filters.
This is a dam near my house that I took a photo of every month last year.
@kmrtn6 Great first attempt Kylie. Way better than mine which was totally out of focus!
@gark Gark - Stunning.
@mtngal I actually like the starbursts and the way the lights curve in the water.
@grizzlysghost Great shot of the crabs. Very unusual.
@simon0128 Lovely shot Simon.
@cirasj Looks like the perfect place for some long exposures Joe.
You can shoot at dawn or dusk if you don't have an ND filter or even a grey day with not much light which will allow you to have a slower shutter speed. A smaller aperture (f/20 for example) will help greatly as well. Low ISO is a good idea as well.
If you want longer exposures, like some of mine or especially garks (@gark) which are a few minutes long, you will need a 9 or 10 stop ND filter.
Hope this helps.
@monika64 Hand help for 1.6 seconds Monika. I'm impressed!
@jeancarl Lovely photos JeanCarl, I especially like the fountain one.
@lyno Very nice. The tree is an interesting element.
@swguevin Very cool Sheila. You've captured the power very nicely.
Exposure: 14.7 sec (147/10)
Aperture: f/32.0
ISO Speed: 100
Focal Length: 32 mm
@lalola616 I got that Barbora. I just meant my first attempt at long exposure was terrible.
and...
Long exp one of my favorite things to do.