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Long Exposures
October 11, 2024

I’ve been struggling with a block recently, constantly turning from one direction to another, not knowing what I wanted to do, photograph, learn or research. I’ve got my website to a good place (finally!) so its time to push on and build on that solid base. 

But, where do I go next and what should I learn?

I’ve got a stack of photography books waiting for me to read but I’ve been picking them up, casually leafing through the pages and putting them down again. There’s loads I want to dig deeper on, loads of eMails I’ve received from subscriber lists I’m on but everything is building up.  I’ve spent a couple of weeks not really getting anywhere…

So, I’ve finally pulled myself together and on the back of an eMail I received – which I actually read – I plucked long exposures from my long list of topics and tried a few things out. This is something I’ve tried before but mostly at night – where its relatively easy to produce great pictures from light trails in various places – city centre, a bridge looking down to a motorway, etc. What I though I’d do this time was try it during the day to make it much more challenging for myself. 

"Long exposure: the dance between stillness and motion." – Unknown

Taking long exposure photographs during the day can create stunning images, like smooth water surfaces, motion-blurred clouds, or bustling cityscapes that appear almost deserted. To do this, you’ll need a Neutral Density (ND) filter, which reduces the amount of light entering the camera, allowing for longer exposure times even in bright daylight.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started with daytime long exposures using an ND filter.

Choose the Right ND Filter

  • ND filters come in different strengths, measured in stops, which determine how much light they block. The higher the number of stops, the more light they block.
  • For daytime long exposures, you’ll typically need a filter with at least 6 stops (ND64), but for more dramatic effects, 10 stops (ND1000) or even 15 stops (ND32000) are commonly used.
  • Consider the level of light you’re shooting in. For very bright conditions, a stronger ND filter will help you achieve longer exposures without overexposing.

Set Up Your Camera on a Tripod

  • A tripod is essential to keep your camera stable during long exposures.
  • Ensure your tripod is stable and can hold your camera steady for extended periods, as even slight movements will blur your image.

Compose and Focus

  • Compose your shot without the ND filter on so that you can see clearly through the viewfinder or on the screen.
  • Switch your lens to manual focus to avoid your camera trying to refocus when the ND filter is attached. Manually focus on the part of the scene that you want to be sharp.

Calculate Your Exposure Time

  • With the ND filter off, set your camera to Aperture Priority (A/Av mode) and choose a small aperture (e.g., f/8 to f/16) to get a baseline exposure. Note the shutter speed your camera chooses.
  • Use an ND filter calculator app or manually calculate the new shutter speed based on your ND filter strength. For example, if your base shutter speed is 1/125 sec, and you’re using a 10-stop ND filter, you’ll need an exposure of 8 seconds.

Switch to Manual Mode and Apply the ND Filter

  • Switch to Manual Mode (M) on your camera and set the aperture, ISO, and calculated shutter speed.
  • Carefully screw on or attach your ND filter. Be cautious not to bump your camera, as this can change your composition or focus.

Take the Shot

  • Use a remote shutter release or your camera’s built-in timer to avoid camera shake when you press the shutter button. This is especially important for longer exposures.
  • Check your image. If it’s overexposed, reduce the exposure time or use a stronger ND filter. If it’s underexposed, increase the exposure time.

Experiment with Exposure Times

  • Long exposures are a bit of trial and error. Try different exposure times to see how they affect the look of your image, especially if you’re capturing moving clouds or water.
  • Remember that the light may change throughout the day, so you might need to recalculate exposure as you go.

Additional Tips

  • Use a Low ISO: Keeping your ISO low (ISO 100 or lower) will minimize noise and maximize image quality during long exposures.
  • Bracket Exposures: Take multiple shots at slightly different exposure times to ensure you get the perfect shot.
  • Mind the Weather: Wind can cause vibrations on your tripod, and changing light conditions may impact your exposure settings. Cloudy days often provide a more even light, which can be ideal for long exposures.

Daytime long exposures with an ND filter open up a lot of creative possibilities, so experiment with different filters and subjects to see what effects you like best. Enjoy capturing those dreamlike, silky smooth scenes!

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Basics  /  Creative  /  Gear  /  Learning
Handheld Shutter Speed
July 13, 2024

Minimum Shutter Speed for Handheld Photography

Photography is a fascinating blend of art and science, where understanding technical details can significantly enhance the creative process. One of these crucial technical aspects is shutter speed, particularly when shooting handheld. Let’s dive into what shutter speed is, why it matters, and how to determine the minimum shutter speed for handheld photography.

Understanding Shutter Speed

Shutter speed, one of the three pillars of photography (alongside aperture and ISO), refers to the duration the camera’s shutter remains open to let light hit the sensor. It is measured in seconds or fractions of a second. A fast shutter speed (e.g., 1/1000s) means the shutter opens and closes quickly, capturing a brief moment in time, while a slow shutter speed (e.g., 1/10s) keeps the shutter open longer, allowing more light to hit the sensor but also capturing more movement.

Why Shutter Speed Matters

Shutter speed affects both exposure and motion blur. A faster shutter speed reduces motion blur and is essential for freezing fast-moving subjects, whereas a slower shutter speed can introduce motion blur, which can either be a creative effect or an unwanted artifact. When shooting handheld, maintaining an appropriate shutter speed is crucial to avoid camera shake, which can result in blurry photos.

The Reciprocal Rule

A widely accepted guideline for determining the minimum shutter speed for handheld photography is the Reciprocal Rule. This rule suggests that the shutter speed should be at least the reciprocal of the focal length of the lens. For example, if you are shooting with a 50mm lens, your shutter speed should be at least 1/50s. If you’re using a 200mm lens, aim for a shutter speed of at least 1/200s. This rule helps counteract the natural hand movements that can cause camera shake.

Crop Factor Consideration

If you are using a crop sensor camera, such as APS-C or Micro Four Thirds, you need to account for the crop factor. The crop factor is a multiplier that effectively increases the focal length of your lens. For instance, an APS-C sensor typically has a crop factor of 1.5x. So, a 50mm lens on an APS-C camera would act like a 75mm lens (50mm x 1.5), and you should use a minimum shutter speed of 1/75s.

Image Stabilization

Modern cameras and lenses often come equipped with image stabilization (IS) technology, which can significantly reduce the effects of camera shake. Image stabilization can allow you to use slower shutter speeds than the Reciprocal Rule suggests, sometimes by several stops. For example, with effective image stabilization, you might be able to shoot at 1/25s with a 50mm lens instead of the recommended 1/50s. However, the effectiveness of IS varies between systems and even between different models, so it’s always good to test your specific equipment.

Factors Affecting Minimum Shutter Speed

Several factors influence the minimum shutter speed required for handheld photography:

  1. Focal Length: Longer focal lengths magnify not only the subject but also any camera movement, requiring faster shutter speeds.
  2. Camera Resolution: Higher resolution sensors capture more detail, including any blurriness from camera shake. With high megapixel cameras, you may need to use faster shutter speeds.
  3. Handheld Technique: Your ability to hold the camera steady impacts the minimum shutter speed. Bracing yourself, using proper hand placement, and controlling your breathing can help reduce camera shake.
  4. Lighting Conditions: In low light, achieving faster shutter speeds can be challenging without increasing ISO or using a wider aperture, both of which have their trade-offs.
  5. Subject Movement: If your subject is moving, you’ll need to use a faster shutter speed to freeze the action, regardless of whether you’re shooting handheld or using a tripod.

Practical Tips for Handheld Photography

  1. Use a Fast Shutter Speed: Always aim for a shutter speed faster than the reciprocal of your lens’s focal length. Err on the side of caution, especially in challenging conditions.
  2. Enable Image Stabilization: If your camera or lens has IS, turn it on. It can provide significant benefits in terms of reducing camera shake.
  3. Improve Your Technique: Hold your camera close to your body, use both hands, and keep your elbows tucked in. Lean against a stable object if possible.
  4. Adjust ISO and Aperture: In low light, increase your ISO or open up your aperture to allow for faster shutter speeds. Be mindful of the trade-offs: higher ISO can introduce noise, and a wider aperture reduces depth of field.
  5. Take Multiple Shots: When in doubt, take several shots in quick succession. The chances of getting a sharp image increase with multiple attempts.

Advanced Considerations

  1. Shutter Speed and Stabilization Systems: Different systems like Canon’s IS, Nikon’s VR, Sony’s OSS, and in-body stabilization (IBIS) have varying degrees of effectiveness. Familiarize yourself with your specific system’s capabilities.
  2. Telephoto Lenses: When using telephoto lenses, the need for faster shutter speeds becomes more critical due to the magnification of camera shake. Consider using monopods or tripods for additional stability.
  3. Environmental Factors: Wind, unstable surfaces, or moving platforms (like boats or vehicles) can all necessitate faster shutter speeds to maintain image sharpness.
  4. Creative Effects: Sometimes, a bit of motion blur can enhance the artistic quality of your photo. In such cases, experimenting with slower shutter speeds can yield interesting results, but this often requires a steady hand or intentional movement.

Real-World Examples

Imagine you are photographing a street scene with a 35mm lens on a full-frame camera. According to the Reciprocal Rule, your minimum shutter speed should be 1/35s. However, you notice some motion blur at that speed, so you increase it to 1/60s to get sharper images. If you switch to a 70-200mm lens, at 200mm, your minimum shutter speed should be at least 1/200s, but considering practical experience, you might opt for 1/320s to ensure clarity, especially if shooting moving subjects or if you’ve had a bit too much coffee that morning.

In low-light scenarios, such as a dimly lit room, using a fast lens (e.g., f/1.8) and increasing ISO can help you maintain a faster shutter speed, but be mindful of the noise that higher ISO settings can introduce. Experiment with your camera’s capabilities to find the best balance.

Understanding and applying the concept of minimum shutter speed for handheld photography is fundamental for achieving sharp, high-quality images. While the Reciprocal Rule provides a solid starting point, factors like crop factor, image stabilization, personal technique, and environmental conditions also play significant roles. By practicing and experimenting with your equipment, you can find the optimal settings that suit your style and conditions, ensuring your handheld shots are as sharp and clear as possible. Happy shooting!

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Basics  /  Gear  /  Photography
Camera Gear On The Go
November 15, 2023

I carry around all sorts of non-camera or photography specific equipment when I go out on a shoot. There’s allsorts of stuff lying around our homes that can be useful to ensure that you are well prepared or have whatever tool, gadget or random bit of stuff on hand when you need it. Here are some of my ideas…

  • Cloths / towel(s) – depending on the weather you might get a little (or a lot) wet. But that’s ok, your camera gear is much more important. Keep it dry at all costs! Also, a good supply of lens cloths coz we hate that dust (and smears!)
  • Extra batteries – make sure all your camera, drone, phone and tablets are all fully charged before you leave home; sounds obvious right! Easily overlooked, believe me! I’ve done it. Take spare batteries for torches, flash units – whatever needs them.
  • Battery pack – I have a rechargeable battery pack that I take just as a back up as I’ve known my phone to rapidly lose charge sometimes and it can be used to top up most devices with the right cable; which brings me to the next item…
  • Charging cables – no good having a battery pack and a flat device without the right cable to join them together is it?
  • Memory cards – take plenty! Don’t run out.
  • Notebook / pens – taking notes while out is something that I’ve got into a good habit with; locations, image settings, random thoughts, etc. It all goes into the book for future reference
  • Head torch – you always need both hands, right? A head torch for low light / night shoots allows you to see well without having to juggle (and potentially drop) your expensive gear
  • Screwdriver – my tripod has a clamp that screws into the bottom of the camera and is held into the top of the tripod which needs one of these. Also, you just never know
  • String / grips / clips – very useful for holding twigs and small branches out of the way when shooting flora and fauna; cliping stuff to your tripod to avoid a wet floor
  • Snacks / drinks – those long walks need energy! It can be a long way till the next brew!
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Basics  /  Gear
Gear To Consider
October 6, 2022

I have all sorts of gear and accessories that I have collected over the years along with allsorts of useful bits and pieces in my camera back. Browsing Amazon and other camera websites, spotting stuff in sales, seeing what other photographers use and recommend has resulted in all manner of things I have tried – some I use all the time whereas others I bring out when I have a particular idea or need or am taking a particular type of picture. In fact, I’ve just downsized my camera bag as I was carrying too much around with me all the time and moved most of my gear to another carry box that’s also easy to throw into the car boot when I go out and about.

In my camera bag now I just keep the essentials:

  • My camera and a few lenses
  • Spare camera batteries
  • Spare memory cards – you can never have too many!
  • My drone – for another perspective (up above) I fly a DJI Mini 2
  • The controller, spare batteries and spare propellers, etc. for the drone

And that’s about it! I have deliberately cut that down to the absolute essentials to make sure that I am focussed and don’t spend too much time overthinking what I else I could be using and I’m certainly no longer carrying gear around for the sake of it. Often now this makes me think about what I’m intending to go out and shoot and it makes me plan better. There are times when I get out and find I’ve left something at home but that’s where the ‘spare box’ comes in:

My next most important stuff is kept in a big plastic container that, having said that above, tends to find its way into the car most times! There is all manner of things in there:

  • My DSLR tripod – I used to have a cheap £20-£30 tripod when I got started until I invested in a 3 Legged Thing tripod a couple of years ago which I love. Very compact (but not the lightest) it is certainly sturdy and extends to a great height
  • A cheap mobile phone tripod
  • An ‘octopus’ camera tripod where the legs bend and grip around stuff
  • A Go-Pro camera and box of attachments – you never know when you might need to capture some action video!
  • Binoculars
  • A selection of coloured and special effects filters and adaptors for the various size lenses I carry
  • Remote triggers – some link to apps on my mobile phone, some are wired remotes and some are wireless (including the standard Nikon one)
  • A programmable, wired remote for taking timelapse photos
  • A flashgun
  • Cleaning cloths, pens, batteries, a torch, leaflets from the front of camera mags, etc.

At some point or another all of this comes in handy and gear comes / goes into this box over time.

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Basics  /  Gear  /  Photography
New Camera Startup
October 6, 2022

So you’re shiny new camera has arrived. You’ve unpacked everything, charged and inserted the battery and memory card and attached the lens (hopefully to the front!). So what now? But maybe not. This is an expensive piece of kit and you want to make sure you’re doing everything right. If you’re struggling with these starter tasks then the absolute first thing you should be doing is reading the camera manual to at least get this far.

It sounds like an absolute obvious thing (and I admit that I hate reading manuals and intructions) but camera manuals are an absolute goldmine of information. How do I actually take my first picture? How do I view it when I’ve taken it? What do all the buttons mean? What do SOME of the buttons mean?

The first pass through the manual will be and absolute mind-mash and there will be plenty of (if not most) terms, processes and functions that you will have no clue about, even with the camera in your hands. You might be able to change the settings as the manual describes but you certainly won’t understand why you would need to and what effect they will all have on your finished picture.

Don’t worry. You are at the start of a very long journey of learning…perhaps one that won’t ever finish! Skim read it the first time perhaps. Make notes in it, highlight stuff, put some markers in there for quick reference. Make a list of things you want to understand first. Have some easy goals in mind though so here’s a starter checklist:

  1. Find your way around the basic controls of your camera
  2. Make sure you know how to make sure the camera is on (or off) fully auto mode
  3. Charging and inserting the battery
  4. Connecting the lens
  5. Inserting and formatting a memory card
  6. Turning it on!
  7. Make sure auto-focus is turned on
  8. How to focus using the shutter button (hint: half press it!)
  9. Take your first picture
  10. Working out how to review your first image

Sounds like a bit of an epic? Don’t worry it’s all totally achievable and fairly easy to get through with the help of the manual. For now, forget about everything else and get through that list. At that point, give yourself a pat on the back and take plenty more pictures to get the feel of the camera, how to hold it and get used to using it. Practice for a bit. You are well on the way of the start of your journey!

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Basics  /  Creative  /  Gear  /  Landscape  /  Learning  /  Photography  /  Travel
Controlling Light With Aperture
October 6, 2022

How do we see? Admittedly some are better than others (without my glasses I’m as blind as a bat!). But, in order to see our eyes need light. It enters through the pupil, is focussed by the lens (or the other way around with glasses!) then hits the optic nerve where it goes off to be processed by the brain.

Camera’s work on exactly the same principle. It needs light (sometimes not very much) to be able to see the area in front of it to record the image. It is focussed by the glass in the lens, then goes through a hole in the lens (like the pupil), before passing into the camera sensor (optic nerve if you like) to record the scene. There’s a little more to it but that’s the basic.

Grab too much light in the recording and the image will be OVER EXPOSED. Don’t get enough light and the image will be UNDER EXPOSED. Mostly these are bad as you’re looking for a sweet spot somewhere along the line between the two that give a good balance of a few things (bear with me), but sometimes over or under exposing an image is what we want. The important thing is we need to manage and control the exposure and make sure it’s not down to guess work. On auto mode the camera does a lot of work for you and tries its best with the information it reads from the scene to take the most appropriately exposed picture – or so it thinks.

But, three things can be adjusted to control exposure – aperture, shutter speed and ISO. Getting all this right for the type of image you are trying to achieve is what we’re all about over the next few posts. Get them right in connection with each other and you’ll instantly make a massive jump forwards in the quality of your images from ‘point and shoot’ to something more refined, balanced and looking much more professional.

Let’s start with APERTURE.

This refers to a hole or a gap in the camera’s lens – the word simply means ‘opening, hole or gap’. It is closed by default and how wide it opens can be controlled in manual mode to determine how much light enters the lens and the camera sensor is exposed to. Open the hole really wide and a lot of light comes in, open it only a little bit and not so much. Change the aperture setting and you control the size of the hole.

The size of the hole is referred to as the ‘f stop’ and if you’ve seen ‘f2’ or ‘f13’ or similar then this is what it is referring to. There will be more on f-stops and how they relate to lenses in a later section.

What I find really confusing is that smaller f-numbers give a bigger hole. See the following image:

Different aperture settings and relative hole size for light

F2.8 gives a massive (relative) hole to let in lots of light, often used in low light situations, and f11is a much smaller hole that lets in hardly any light at all – much less than f1.4 and there is a sliding scale in between.

This is just an introduction to the concepts of aperture and I’ll write more on it in a separate post. This simple understanding should suffice for now. Hopefully.

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