Long Exposure Tips - Pt. 2

Continuing on from last week:

6. Use a cable release or remote: To minimise camera shake, use a cable release or remote to trigger the shutter. Alternatively, you can use the camera's self-timer function to delay the shutter release. A cable release or remote can significantly enhance long exposure landscape photography in the following ways:

Copyright with KiranCK

A. Reduces camera shake: Using a cable release or remote allows you to trigger the shutter without physically touching the camera. This can help to avoid any camera shake, which can blur your image when using long exposure times. This is particularly important in landscape photography where sharpness is often critical.

B. Allows for Bulb mode: Some cable releases and remotes allow for Bulb mode, which lets you keep the shutter open for as long as you hold down the button. This is useful for extremely long exposures, such as those needed for night sky photography or capturing the movement of stars.

C. Greater flexibility: Using a remote trigger can also give you more flexibility to position yourself relative to the camera, which might be helpful in certain shooting scenarios.

D. Reduced risk of condensation: In colder conditions, physically touching the camera can cause condensation to form on the lens, which could affect the image quality. Using a cable release or remote can help to minimise this risk.

E. Increased comfort: For long exposure shots that require the shutter to be open for extended periods, a cable release or remote can be more comfortable to use, as you don't need to keep your finger on the camera button.

F. Allows for sequence photography: Some remotes come with the ability to program a sequence of shots or an intervalometer function, which can be useful for time-lapse photography.

7. Shoot in RAW: RAW format provides greater flexibility in post-processing, allowing you to recover details and adjust exposure, white balance, and contrast without degrading image quality.

Shooting in RAW is particularly important in long-exposure landscape photography for several reasons:

A. Increased Dynamic Range: RAW files can store a wider dynamic range (i.e., the range of light levels from the darkest shadows to the brightest highlights) than JPEG files. This is especially important in landscape photography, where scenes often have a high dynamic range. Shooting in RAW allows you to capture more detail in both the shadows and highlights, which can be brought out in post-processing.

B. Better Quality: RAW files preserve more detail and colour information than JPEGs because they are uncompressed and unprocessed. This means that you can make more adjustments to the image in post-processing without losing quality or introducing artifacts. In long-exposure photography, where noise can often be an issue, this can be particularly beneficial.

C. Greater Control Over White Balance: When shooting in JPEG, the camera applies a white balance setting to the image, which can be difficult to adjust accurately later. In contrast, RAW files store the full colour data captured by the sensor, allowing you to adjust the white balance in post-processing without any loss of quality. This can be especially useful in landscape photography, where the colour temperature can vary significantly, for example, between areas lit by the sun and those in shadow.

D. Noise Reduction and Sharpening: When shooting in JPEG, the camera applies noise reduction and sharpening algorithms to the image. These can often be less sophisticated than those available in post-processing software, and you have little control over how they are applied. In contrast, RAW files allow you to apply noise reduction and sharpening in post-processing, giving you more control over these processes.

E. Non-Destructive Editing: When you edit a JPEG image, you are permanently altering the pixels in the image. If you make a mistake or want to try a different editing approach, you may not be able to revert back to the original image quality. In contrast, when you edit a RAW file, the original data is preserved, and any changes are saved as separate instructions. This means that you can always revert back to the original image and try different editing approaches without any loss of quality.

F. Exposure Adjustment: If you slightly overexpose or underexpose your image, shooting in RAW gives you a better chance of recovering detail in post-processing. This is particularly important in long-exposure photography, where estimating the correct exposure can be challenging, especially in changing light conditions.

G. Compatibility with HDR and Exposure Blending Techniques: Techniques like HDR and exposure blending involve merging multiple exposures to achieve a greater dynamic range or to blend different elements of a scene. These techniques typically work best with RAW files, as they preserve more dynamic range and allow for more precise control over the blending process.

One downside of shooting in RAW is that the files are larger and take up more storage space. However, the benefits in terms of image quality and post-processing flexibility generally outweigh this downside for serious landscape photographers.

8. Bracket exposures: Bracketing exposures, also known as exposure bracketing, is a technique used in photography where several images are captured in sequence at different exposure settings to ensure that a satisfactory exposure is achieved. This technique is especially useful in situations with high dynamic range, i.e., where there are both very bright and very dark areas in the scene.

In the context of long-exposure landscape photography, bracketing exposures can serve several purposes:

A. High Dynamic Range (HDR) Imaging: In landscape photography, the range of light levels (from shadows to highlights) often exceeds what the camera can capture in a single exposure. By bracketing exposures, you can capture detail in both the highlights and shadows by blending the exposures in post-processing to create an HDR image. This is usually done by taking at least three shots: one at the metered exposure, one underexposed to capture detail in the highlights, and one overexposed to capture detail in the shadows.

B. Insurance Against Uncertain Lighting Conditions: In long-exposure photography, estimating the correct exposure can be challenging, especially in changing light conditions such as sunrise, sunset, or when there are moving clouds. Bracketing exposures provide insurance against these uncertainties, increasing the likelihood that at least one of the shots will have the desired exposure.

C. Creating Smooth Transitions in Blurred Elements: When shooting with long exposures, elements like water and clouds can become beautifully blurred. However, this can also result in loss of detail. By bracketing exposures, you can blend an image with a shorter exposure time (where moving elements are less blurred and more details are visible) with the long-exposed image in post-processing to achieve the best of both worlds.

D. Noise Reduction: Long exposures can often result in increased image noise. By bracketing exposures and blending them in post-processing, you can often reduce this noise. This is particularly useful for night sky photography, where long exposures are necessary to capture the stars or Milky Way, but can result in significant noise.

E. Focus Stacking: In some cases, bracketed exposures can also be used for focus stacking, which is a technique where multiple images taken at different focus distances are blended together to achieve a greater depth of field. In this case, you would bracket both the focus and the exposure.

When bracketing exposures, it's important to change only the shutter speed, not the aperture, to maintain a consistent depth of field across the shots. Most modern cameras have an auto exposure bracketing (AEB) feature that automates this process, allowing you to specify the number of bracketed shots and the exposure difference between them.

After capturing the bracketed shots, they can be blended together using post-processing software like Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop to create the final image. This is typically done using HDR merging or exposure blending techniques.

9. Be mindful of the weather and conditions: Wind, rain, or rapidly changing light can make long exposure photography challenging. Be prepared with lens hoods, lens cloths, and protective covers to protect your gear. Weather and environmental conditions can significantly impact long exposure landscape photography. Different weather conditions can offer unique opportunities for creating dramatic and compelling images, but they can also present challenges. Here's how specific conditions can affect your photography:

Copyright with Luca Calderone

A. Lighting: The quality of light is crucial in all types of photography, but it is particularly important in long exposure landscape photography. The time of day and the weather can dramatically affect the light. For example, the soft, warm light at sunrise and sunset (known as the golden hour) can create beautiful, dramatic images. In contrast, the harsh midday sun can create strong shadows and overexposed highlights, making it challenging to get a balanced exposure. Overcast days, while often considered dull, can provide diffused light that evenly illuminates the landscape, making it ideal for certain types of images, such as waterfalls or forest scenes.

Copyright with S&B Vonlanthen

B. Clouds: Cloudy or partly cloudy skies can add drama and movement to long exposure shots. The movement of the clouds during the exposure can create a blurred, dreamy effect. On the other hand, a completely clear sky can look somewhat plain in a long exposure image, unless you're shooting star trails at night.

Copyright with Casey Horner

C. Wind: Wind can both help and hinder long exposure photography. On the one hand, wind can create interesting effects, like movement in trees or grasses, or streaks of fast-moving clouds. On the other hand, strong wind can make it difficult to keep your camera steady, even on a tripod, which could result in blurry images. Wind can also kick up dust or spray from waterfalls or waves, which could potentially damage your equipment.

Copyright with Ernesto Scarponi

D. Rain and Snow: Inclement weather can create unique and dramatic images. Rain can add mood to a scene and create interesting patterns on water surfaces. After the rain, there may be puddles that can be used for reflections. Snow can create a clean, minimalist landscape, and falling snow can add a sense of depth and motion to an image. However, both rain and snow present challenges in keeping your camera and lens dry, and you'll need to take precautions to protect your equipment.

Copyright with Jolly Yau

E. Fog/Mist: Fog or mist can add a wonderful sense of mystery and mood to your photographs. In long exposure shots, moving fog captured over time can create a dreamlike, ethereal quality. But shooting in fog can also be challenging as it reduces contrast and can confuse your camera's autofocus and metering systems.

Copyright with Goran Vučićević

F. Tides: If you're shooting seascapes, the state of the tide can dramatically affect your images. High tide might allow you to capture waves crashing against rocks, while low tide might reveal interesting rock formations or patterns in the sand. Long exposure can be used to create a smooth, milky effect with the water.

Copyright with Glen Ruben

10. Experiment and practice: Long exposure photography requires trial and error to achieve the desired effects. Experiment with different settings, compositions, and subjects to refine your skills and develop your own style.

Remember that patience and persistence are key when working with long exposure techniques. With practice, you can create stunning landscape images that showcase the beauty and dynamism of the natural world.

Trial and error is an essential part of long-exposure landscape photography. Despite the technical understanding of camera settings and exposure, the unpredictable elements of nature, changing light, and the unique characteristics of each scene make it impossible to perfectly predict the right settings or the final image. Here are some reasons why trial and error is particularly important:

A. Learning and Understanding: While the theory of photography is important, the real learning often comes from trying things out, making mistakes, and learning from them. This experiential learning helps you understand how the theory applies in real-world situations.

B. Dealing with Unpredictable Elements: Nature is unpredictable. Light changes, clouds move, water flows, and all these elements are constantly changing. Experimenting with different settings and techniques helps you understand how to deal with these unpredictable elements and capture them in the best possible way.

C. Understanding Your Equipment: Each camera and lens has its own characteristics. By trying different settings and techniques, you get to know your equipment better. For instance, you learn how your camera's sensor performs at different ISO levels, how your lens performs at different apertures, or how to focus correctly for a given scene.

D. Developing a Personal Style: Experimenting with different techniques, compositions, and post-processing approaches can help you develop your own unique style. By trying different things, you discover what you like and what resonates with your vision.

E. Improving Composition: Trial and error is not only about camera settings. It's also about experimenting with different compositions. Moving your camera just a few inches or changing the angle slightly can drastically change the image.

F. Post-Processing: The experimentation doesn't stop after you've taken the photo. In post-processing, you can experiment with different ways of developing the RAW files, blending exposures, or applying adjustments to achieve the final image that matches your vision.

In the context of long-exposure landscape photography, trial and error could mean experimenting with different exposure times to get the right amount of blur in moving elements, trying different apertures to get the desired depth of field, or bracketing exposures to deal with high dynamic range scenes. It could also involve trying different times of day or weather conditions, or coming back to the same location multiple times to get the right conditions.

Therefore, while understanding the theory of photography is important, don't be afraid to make mistakes. Each mistake is a learning opportunity that can help you improve as a photographer. As the saying goes, "The only mistake in photography is the one from which we do not learn."

A completely different technique is solargraphy. Solargraphy is a technique used in photography that involves taking extremely long-exposure photos to capture the path of the sun over a given period of time. The result of solargraphy is an image showing the sun's trajectory across the sky, also known as a solargraph. This technique is often used to illustrate the sun's apparent motion, caused by the Earth's rotation and revolution around the sun.

A solargraph taken from Antarctica

Here's a detailed explanation of the process:

1. Pinhole Camera Creation: Solargraphy uses pinhole cameras, which are usually handmade using everyday materials. The camera is essentially a light-proof box with a tiny hole (the pinhole) on one side and a piece of photographic paper on the other. The pinhole acts as the camera's lens, focusing light onto the paper to create an image. A common way to make a pinhole camera for solargraphy is to use an empty soda can, with the pinhole made in the side and photographic paper placed inside.

Copyright with Jill Davis

2. Choosing the Location and Direction: The camera is then placed in a location where it can capture the sun's path across the sky over a long period of time. The direction the camera points can affect the final image. For example, if the camera points east, it will capture the sun's morning path, while pointing west will capture the evening path.

3. Long Exposure Time: Solargraphy involves very long exposure times. While a typical photographic exposure might last a fraction of a second, a solargraph exposure can last for months or even a year. The long exposure time allows the camera to capture the sun's path across the sky over a long period of time.

4. Developing the Image: After the exposure period, the photographic paper is taken out from the camera in a darkroom or a similarly low-light environment to avoid overexposure. The image is then scanned into a computer before any light can affect it, as it won't be chemically fixed like traditional photography. The scan gives a negative image, which can then be inverted and adjusted digitally to produce the final image.

5. The Final Image: The final image shows streaks across the sky, each streak representing the sun's path across the sky for one day. The height of the streaks in the image changes over the course of the year due to the tilt of the Earth's axis, creating a pattern that can be quite beautiful and revealing about our planet's movement in space.

It's worth noting that solargraphy is a form of lensless photography, as it doesn't use a traditional glass lens to focus light. This gives solargraph images their distinctive, dreamlike quality, with soft edges and a lack of sharp detail.