Question about long exposure and filters

[Hobby Shooter]

Hey, I'm in Asia so it's morning here. Later today, I will try long exposure for the first time. I went to pick up a grey filter last week, but they only had 3-stop filters. I only picked up one and didn't give it more thought. Now having read up a bit on it, I see that I would probably need more. I won't by another filter today so my question to you is the following, can I stack a CPL to the grey filter?

I will anyway give it a try, but are there any particular things I need to look out for?

 

[J.R.]

You can always stack the ND and the CPL. I've tried with the Hoya ND8 and the CPL on the 24-105 in the past but the vignetting at focal lengths under 30mm was terrible. It might help if the CPL is a slim filter.

Other than the issue of vignetting, I'd suggest you shoot RAW. The stacked filters are more than likely to generate a color cast which will be tough to correct if shooting JPG.

 

[Hobby Shooter]

You can always stack the ND and the CPL. I've tried with the Hoya ND8 and the CPL on the 24-105 in the past but the vignetting at focal lengths under 30mm was terrible. It might help if the CPL is a slim filter.

Other than the issue of vignetting, I'd suggest you shoot RAW. The stacked filters are more than likely to generate a color cast which will be tough to correct if shooting JPG.

Hi, thanks, yes I always shoot RAW and edit in LR4. That was exactly what I was looking for, if there are any odd things that will show up because of this mix. Unfortunately I have quite cheap filters, can't get good ones where I live. But the CPL is a slim filter. I will shoot from a balcony out over the late afternoon traffic, into the setting sun towards a famous monument here. I will most likely shoot longer than 30mm. I know what you mean about the vignetting, I get it alot also on the 24-105 while using a CPL.

Thanks again!

J

 

[J.R.]

You can always stack the ND and the CPL. I've tried with the Hoya ND8 and the CPL on the 24-105 in the past but the vignetting at focal lengths under 30mm was terrible. It might help if the CPL is a slim filter.

Other than the issue of vignetting, I'd suggest you shoot RAW. The stacked filters are more than likely to generate a color cast which will be tough to correct if shooting JPG.

Hi, thanks, yes I always shoot RAW and edit in LR4. That was exactly what I was looking for, if there are any odd things that will show up because of this mix. Unfortunately I have quite cheap filters, can't get good ones where I live. But the CPL is a slim filter. I will shoot from a balcony out over the late afternoon traffic, into the setting sun towards a famous monument here. I will most likely shoot longer than 30mm. I know what you mean about the vignetting, I get it alot also on the 24-105 while using a CPL.

Thanks again!

J

Shooting into the sun with stacked filters not of the best quality might also give you some pretty bad flare and ghosting (I guess you already know that ). Check out this "test" shot I made with the Hoya ND8 to check the optical effects of the filter while shooting into the setting sun (the Hoya ND8 is strictly middle range, neither the best, nor the worst filter out there).

I finally made the decision to go in for the LEE filter system and things are way much better.

 

[Hobby Shooter]

You can always stack the ND and the CPL. I've tried with the Hoya ND8 and the CPL on the 24-105 in the past but the vignetting at focal lengths under 30mm was terrible. It might help if the CPL is a slim filter.

Other than the issue of vignetting, I'd suggest you shoot RAW. The stacked filters are more than likely to generate a color cast which will be tough to correct if shooting JPG.

Hi, thanks, yes I always shoot RAW and edit in LR4. That was exactly what I was looking for, if there are any odd things that will show up because of this mix. Unfortunately I have quite cheap filters, can't get good ones where I live. But the CPL is a slim filter. I will shoot from a balcony out over the late afternoon traffic, into the setting sun towards a famous monument here. I will most likely shoot longer than 30mm. I know what you mean about the vignetting, I get it alot also on the 24-105 while using a CPL.

Thanks again!

J

Shooting into the sun with stacked filters not of the best quality might also give you some pretty bad flare and ghosting (I guess you already know that ). Check out this "test" shot I made with the Hoya ND8 to check the optical effects of the filter while shooting into the setting sun (the Hoya ND8 is strictly middle range, neither the best, nor the worst filter out there).

I finally made the decision to go in for the LEE filter system and things are way much better.

I suspected there will be issues as that, but wasn't certain about what effect will show, I am only a moderatly good amateur with not so much experience. I've shot into the sun before but never with stacked filters like this, This will be my first try with long exposures, but it'll be fun to experiment and learn some new stuff. As it gets darker I'll probably take the CPL off and just use the grey filter and then maybe no filter at all when the sun has set. If there is no overcast then the moon should come in play also.

Thanks for your input, much appreciated.
J

 

[shutterwideshut]

Hey, I'm in Asia so it's morning here. Later today, I will try long exposure for the first time. I went to pick up a grey filter last week, but they only had 3-stop filters. I only picked up one and didn't give it more thought. Now having read up a bit on it, I see that I would probably need more. I won't by another filter today so my question to you is the following, can I stack a CPL to the grey filter?

I presume the grey filter that you are referring to might be the Neutral Density Filter. If you are aiming to blur movement, a 3 stop ND filter has little effect unless you shoot in low light. A better investment should have been at least a 4 stop ND filter and/or a 10 stop ND filter. For this reason, stacking filters is the method that I usually apply to exploit cloud and water movements in not so low light condition. To give you some idea, here are some of my shots using the stacked filter method:

The day I saw the sun
Canon EOS 5D Mark III ı Canon TS-E24mm f/3.5L II ı Lee 1.2 ND Filter ı Singh Ray LB Warming Polarizer ı Lee 0.9 Soft ND Grad Filter ı 24mm ı 10s ı f/16 ı ISO 100

The day I saw the sun by shutterwideshut on Flickr

The pavilion in black & white
Canon EOS 5D Mark III ı Canon TS-E24mm f/3.5L II ı Lee Big Stopper ı Lee 0.9 Soft ND Grad Filter ı Singh Ray LB Warming Polarizer ı 24mm ı 204s ı f/8 ı ISO 100

The pavilion in black & white by shutterwideshut on Flickr

Dusk over Quezon Island
Canon EOS 5D Mark III ı Canon EF24-70mm f/2.8L II USM ı Lee 1.2 ND Filter ı Lee 0.9 Soft ND Grad Filter ı Singh Ray LB Warming Polarizer ı 24mm ı 20s ı f/8 ı ISO 200

Dusk over Quezon Island by shutterwideshut on Flickr

Nature's Breath
Canon EOS 5D Mark III ı Canon TS-E24mm f/3.5L II ı Singh Ray 0.9 Reverse ND Grad Filter ı Singh Ray LB Warming Polarizer ı 24mm ı 15s ı f/8 ı ISO 100

Nature's Breath by shutterwideshut on Flickr

I will anyway give it a try, but are there any particular things I need to look out for?

Pre-compose without the filter and shoot in manual focus. Use the live view for precise focussing and the Mirror Lock Up method. Shoot in RAW format to have flexibility later in post to deal with color cast(if there is any). : And most of all, don't forget your remote cable release and tripod. Shooting long exposure is fun. Good luck. Cheers.

 

[J.R.]

Hey, I'm in Asia so it's morning here. Later today, I will try long exposure for the first time. I went to pick up a grey filter last week, but they only had 3-stop filters. I only picked up one and didn't give it more thought. Now having read up a bit on it, I see that I would probably need more. I won't by another filter today so my question to you is the following, can I stack a CPL to the grey filter?

I presume the grey filter that you are referring to might be the Neutral Density Filter. If you are aiming to blur movement, a 3 stop ND filter has little effect unless you shoot in low light. A better investment should have been at least a 4 stop ND filter and/or a 10 stop ND filter. For this reason, stacking filters is the method that I usually apply to exploit cloud and water movements in not so low light condition. To give you some idea, here are some of my shots using the stacked filter method:

The day I saw the sun
Canon EOS 5D Mark III ı Canon TS-E24mm f/3.5L II ı Lee 1.2 ND Filter ı Singh Ray LB Warming Polarizer ı Lee 0.9 Soft ND Grad Filter ı 24mm ı 10s ı f/16 ı ISO 100

The day I saw the sun by shutterwideshut on Flickr

The pavilion in black & white
Canon EOS 5D Mark III ı Canon TS-E24mm f/3.5L II ı Lee Big Stopper ı Lee 0.9 Soft ND Grad Filter ı Singh Ray LB Warming Polarizer ı 24mm ı 204s ı f/8 ı ISO 100

The pavilion in black & white by shutterwideshut on Flickr

Dusk over Quezon Island
Canon EOS 5D Mark III ı Canon EF24-70mm f/2.8L II USM ı Lee 1.2 ND Filter ı Lee 0.9 Soft ND Grad Filter ı Singh Ray LB Warming Polarizer ı 24mm ı 20s ı f/8 ı ISO 200

Dusk over Quezon Island by shutterwideshut on Flickr

Nature's Breath
Canon EOS 5D Mark III ı Canon TS-E24mm f/3.5L II ı Singh Ray 0.9 Reverse ND Grad Filter ı Singh Ray LB Warming Polarizer ı 24mm ı 15s ı f/8 ı ISO 100

Nature's Breath by shutterwideshut on Flickr

I will anyway give it a try, but are there any particular things I need to look out for?

Pre-compose without the filter and shoot in manual focus. Use the live view for precise focussing and the Mirror Lock Up method. Shoot in RAW format to have flexibility later in post to deal with color cast(if there is any). : And most of all, don't forget your remote cable release and tripod. Shooting long exposure is fun. Good luck. Cheers.

Nice images ... particularly the third one where the colors are excellent.

Pre-composing without the filter is a good idea but it creates problems when a zoom lens is being used as the zoom will be affected while screwing in the filter - might throw off the focus by a bit.

Cheers ... J.R.

 

[Hobby Shooter]

Hey, I'm in Asia so it's morning here. Later today, I will try long exposure for the first time. I went to pick up a grey filter last week, but they only had 3-stop filters. I only picked up one and didn't give it more thought. Now having read up a bit on it, I see that I would probably need more. I won't by another filter today so my question to you is the following, can I stack a CPL to the grey filter?

I presume the grey filter that you are referring to might be the Neutral Density Filter. If you are aiming to blur movement, a 3 stop ND filter has little effect unless you shoot in low light. A better investment should have been at least a 4 stop ND filter and/or a 10 stop ND filter. For this reason, stacking filters is the method that I usually apply to exploit cloud and water movements in not so low light condition. To give you some idea, here are some of my shots using the stacked filter method:

The day I saw the sun
Canon EOS 5D Mark III ı Canon TS-E24mm f/3.5L II ı Lee 1.2 ND Filter ı Singh Ray LB Warming Polarizer ı Lee 0.9 Soft ND Grad Filter ı 24mm ı 10s ı f/16 ı ISO 100

The day I saw the sun by shutterwideshut on Flickr

The pavilion in black & white
Canon EOS 5D Mark III ı Canon TS-E24mm f/3.5L II ı Lee Big Stopper ı Lee 0.9 Soft ND Grad Filter ı Singh Ray LB Warming Polarizer ı 24mm ı 204s ı f/8 ı ISO 100

The pavilion in black & white by shutterwideshut on Flickr

Dusk over Quezon Island
Canon EOS 5D Mark III ı Canon EF24-70mm f/2.8L II USM ı Lee 1.2 ND Filter ı Lee 0.9 Soft ND Grad Filter ı Singh Ray LB Warming Polarizer ı 24mm ı 20s ı f/8 ı ISO 200

Dusk over Quezon Island by shutterwideshut on Flickr

Nature's Breath
Canon EOS 5D Mark III ı Canon TS-E24mm f/3.5L II ı Singh Ray 0.9 Reverse ND Grad Filter ı Singh Ray LB Warming Polarizer ı 24mm ı 15s ı f/8 ı ISO 100

Nature's Breath by shutterwideshut on Flickr

I will anyway give it a try, but are there any particular things I need to look out for?

Pre-compose without the filter and shoot in manual focus. Use the live view for precise focussing and the Mirror Lock Up method. Shoot in RAW format to have flexibility later in post to deal with color cast(if there is any). : And most of all, don't forget your remote cable release and tripod. Shooting long exposure is fun. Good luck. Cheers.

Hi, yes correct, I mean ND filter. Unfortunately they didn't have any darker filters than that so that's the situation I'm in. I will just take it from there.

Thanks for the tip about composing. RAW yes doing it already and post in LR4. Tripod check and remote cable release check ;D

It'll be fun to try something new and see what come out of it. I really like your pictures!

J.R, I will shoot with both zooms and a prime, I'll try a few different approaches to get the focus right.

Thanks for the tips!
J

 

[Q8-MC]

Hey, I'm in Asia so it's morning here. Later today, I will try long exposure for the first time. I went to pick up a grey filter last week, but they only had 3-stop filters. I only picked up one and didn't give it more thought. Now having read up a bit on it, I see that I would probably need more. I won't by another filter today so my question to you is the following, can I stack a CPL to the grey filter?

I will anyway give it a try, but are there any particular things I need to look out for?

The best brand for ND filters is Lee. There are different kinds of ND Filters such as Big Stopper, ND soft, ND hard and the natural ND.

Canon 5D Mklll 120 sec ƒ/13 ISO100 17mm. Lee Big Stopper Plus Lee Sunset 2


fire With fire by q8-mc, on Flickr

Canon 5D Mklll 200 sec ƒ/22 ISO50 24mm > Lee Big Stopper


Soft Day by q8-mc, on Flickr

Canon 5D Mklll 220 sec ƒ/22 ISO50 17mm . Lee Big Stopper


Motion by q8-mc, on Flickr


If you want to do a motion for clouds in the mid of the day, the Lee Big Stopper will help you to do it.
Sorry about my poor English
Good Luck

 

[Hobby Shooter]

Hey, I'm in Asia so it's morning here. Later today, I will try long exposure for the first time. I went to pick up a grey filter last week, but they only had 3-stop filters. I only picked up one and didn't give it more thought. Now having read up a bit on it, I see that I would probably need more. I won't by another filter today so my question to you is the following, can I stack a CPL to the grey filter?

I will anyway give it a try, but are there any particular things I need to look out for?

The best brand for ND filters is Lee. There are different kinds of ND Filters such as Big Stopper, ND soft, ND hard and the natural ND.

Canon 5D Mklll 120 sec ƒ/13 ISO100 17mm. Lee Big Stopper Plus Lee Sunset 2


fire With fire by q8-mc, on Flickr

Canon 5D Mklll 200 sec ƒ/22 ISO50 24mm > Lee Big Stopper


Soft Day by q8-mc, on Flickr

Canon 5D Mklll 220 sec ƒ/22 ISO50 17mm . Lee Big Stopper


Motion by q8-mc, on Flickr


If you want to do a motion for clouds in the mid of the day, the Lee Big Stopper will help you to do it.
Sorry about my poor English
Good Luck

Hi, first of all, very nice pictures. I hope I can get close to that some day.

Thanks for the tip about the Lee stoppers. I see this as a starting point, if I enjoy it and want to take it further I will most likely have to do some investments in filters to get better results. I'll see what comes out of this to start with.

thanks
J

 

[shutterwideshut]

Nice images ... particularly the third one where the colors are excellent.

Pre-composing without the filter is a good idea but it creates problems when a zoom lens is being used as the zoom will be affected while screwing in the filter - might throw off the focus by a bit.

Cheers ... J.R.

Thanks for the compliments. What you are saying about the problems when a lens is zoomed while screwing in the filter might throw off the focus is valid and I do agree. I have to elaborate though that the reason I pre-compose before mounting any filter is to meter and know what is the current shutter speed to properly expose the scene without the filter so that it will be easier for me to compute precisely how much shutter speed do I need to properly expose especially when using a 10 stop ND filter + 4 stop ND filter + CPL. I use the drop in filters for easier stacking and shoot on the widest end of a zoom lens to overcome the issue throwing off the focus when zooming in. Cheers!

Hi, yes correct, I mean ND filter. Unfortunately they didn't have any darker filters than that so that's the situation I'm in. I will just take it from there.

Thanks for the tip about composing. RAW yes doing it already and post in LR4. Tripod check and remote cable release check ;D

It'll be fun to try something new and see what come out of it. I really like your pictures!

J.R, I will shoot with both zooms and a prime, I'll try a few different approaches to get the focus right.

Thanks for the tips!
J

Thanks. If you have difficulties buying locally then why not consider buying online such as e-bay? Lee, B+W and Singh Ray are filters that I suggest you look into. But Singh-Ray and Lee filters are pricey but worth the investment. The Lee Big Stopper(10 stop ND filter) is now very rare and very expensive in ebay although I know some stores here in Singapore that sell this filter at a very reasonable price. Singh-Ray, on the other hand, has the variable ND filter which you can change the shutter speed between 4 & 8 stops. The only thing is you have to buy this stuff directly on their online store. Nevertheless, Singh Ray's customer service is superb.

 

[Hobby Shooter]

Nice images ... particularly the third one where the colors are excellent.

Pre-composing without the filter is a good idea but it creates problems when a zoom lens is being used as the zoom will be affected while screwing in the filter - might throw off the focus by a bit.

Cheers ... J.R.

Thanks for the compliments. What you are saying about the problems when a lens is zoomed while screwing in the filter might throw off the focus is valid and I do agree. I have to elaborate though that the reason I pre-compose before mounting any filter is to meter and know what is the current shutter speed to properly expose the scene without the filter so that it will be easier for me to compute precisely how much shutter speed do I need to properly expose especially when using a 10 stop ND filter + 4 stop ND filter + CPL. I use the drop in filters for easier stacking and shoot on the widest end of a zoom lens to overcome the issue throwing off the focus when zooming in. Cheers!

Hi, yes correct, I mean ND filter. Unfortunately they didn't have any darker filters than that so that's the situation I'm in. I will just take it from there.

Thanks for the tip about composing. RAW yes doing it already and post in LR4. Tripod check and remote cable release check ;D

It'll be fun to try something new and see what come out of it. I really like your pictures!

J.R, I will shoot with both zooms and a prime, I'll try a few different approaches to get the focus right.

Thanks for the tips!
J

Thanks. If you have difficulties buying locally then why not consider buying online such as e-bay? Lee, B+W and Singh Ray are filters that I suggest you look into. But Singh-Ray and Lee filters are pricey but worth the investment. The Lee Big Stopper(10 stop ND filter) is now very rare and very expensive in ebay although I know some stores here in Singapore that sell this filter at a very reasonable price. Singh-Ray, on the other hand, has the variable ND filter which you can change the shutter speed between 4 & 8 stops. The only thing is you have to buy this stuff directly on their online store. Nevertheless, Singh Ray's customer service is superb.

OK, thanks for the gear tip. I am actually moving back to Europe in a few weeks and will hold any further investments until getting back. Also, this is a first try and I will see if I get hooked, looking at your pictures and if I could at least get close to that, I am sure I will be.

We have some beautiful landscape areas with creeks and a big lake close to our summer house. I'll likely continue to practice there before I'd go all in on more gear for this area.

Interesting comment about how you meter. You're on a quite advanced level. I have a lot to learn just starting out with it. I checked out a couple of videos and will shoot in AV and let the camera give me the shutter speed. It's a start and I don't want too much to think about.

Again, many thanks for all the info.

J

 

[shutterwideshut]

OK, thanks for the gear tip. I am actually moving back to Europe in a few weeks and will hold any further investments until getting back. Also, this is a first try and I will see if I get hooked, looking at your pictures and if I could at least get close to that, I am sure I will be.

We have some beautiful landscape areas with creeks and a big lake close to our summer house. I'll likely continue to practice there before I'd go all in on more gear for this area.

Interesting comment about how you meter. You're on a quite advanced level. I have a lot to learn just starting out with it. I checked out a couple of videos and will shoot in AV and let the camera give me the shutter speed. It's a start and I don't want too much to think about.

Again, many thanks for all the info.

J

Good luck. You are blessed to have those potential subjects around you. Make do first with what you have and shoot in the golden hour/blue hour for optimum results. Long exposure photography is indeed a very interesting genre. As you already shoot in RAW, I also suggest you shoot in either MANUAL or BULB mode for more flexiblity as you don't have enough control of the shutter speed in Av mode. The key to long exposure photography is controlling your shutter speed but watching out with your aperture as well. Also, set your ISO as low as possible. Long exposure may also result in high noise(even at ISO 100) and this you'll have to find out yourself as you get along. Vignetting is also another issue but this can be addressed easily in LR or PS.

 

[J.R.]

Nice images ... particularly the third one where the colors are excellent.

Pre-composing without the filter is a good idea but it creates problems when a zoom lens is being used as the zoom will be affected while screwing in the filter - might throw off the focus by a bit.

Cheers ... J.R.

Thanks for the compliments. What you are saying about the problems when a lens is zoomed while screwing in the filter might throw off the focus is valid and I do agree. I have to elaborate though that the reason I pre-compose before mounting any filter is to meter and know what is the current shutter speed to properly expose the scene without the filter so that it will be easier for me to compute precisely how much shutter speed do I need to properly expose especially when using a 10 stop ND filter + 4 stop ND filter + CPL. I use the drop in filters for easier stacking and shoot on the widest end of a zoom lens to overcome the issue throwing off the focus when zooming in. Cheers!

Agree ... I do the metering the same way - meter using the camera, attach the filter and work back the required number of stops for shutter speed and shoot in BULB mode if the exposure is over 30 seconds.

I guess shooting long exposures will be easier for me with my LEE Big Stopper arriving this Friday. Using the filter holder system is considerably easier than the screw in filters.

BTW, if you do intend to order online at B&H, waiting for an email notification is pointless. The filters run out of stock within a few hours of being displayed as "in stock" on the website and getting a notification and placing an order successfully is next to impossible. I just happened to hit it lucky last week.

 

[J.R.]

OK, thanks for the gear tip. I am actually moving back to Europe in a few weeks and will hold any further investments until getting back. Also, this is a first try and I will see if I get hooked, looking at your pictures and if I could at least get close to that, I am sure I will be.

We have some beautiful landscape areas with creeks and a big lake close to our summer house. I'll likely continue to practice there before I'd go all in on more gear for this area.

Interesting comment about how you meter. You're on a quite advanced level. I have a lot to learn just starting out with it. I checked out a couple of videos and will shoot in AV and let the camera give me the shutter speed. It's a start and I don't want too much to think about.

Again, many thanks for all the info.

J

Good luck. You are blessed to have those potential subjects around you. Make do first with what you have and shoot in the golden hour/blue hour for optimum results. Long exposure photography is indeed a very interesting genre. As you already shoot in RAW, I also suggest you shoot in either MANUAL or BULB mode for more flexiblity as you don't have enough control of the shutter speed in Av mode. The key to long exposure photography is controlling your shutter speed but watching out with your aperture as well. Also, set your ISO as low as possible. Long exposure may also result in high noise(even at ISO 100) and this you'll have to find out yourself as you get along. Vignetting is also another issue but this can be addressed easily in LR or PS.

+1

 

[Hobby Shooter]

OK, thanks for the gear tip. I am actually moving back to Europe in a few weeks and will hold any further investments until getting back. Also, this is a first try and I will see if I get hooked, looking at your pictures and if I could at least get close to that, I am sure I will be.

We have some beautiful landscape areas with creeks and a big lake close to our summer house. I'll likely continue to practice there before I'd go all in on more gear for this area.

Interesting comment about how you meter. You're on a quite advanced level. I have a lot to learn just starting out with it. I checked out a couple of videos and will shoot in AV and let the camera give me the shutter speed. It's a start and I don't want too much to think about.

Again, many thanks for all the info.

J

Good luck. You are blessed to have those potential subjects around you. Make do first with what you have and shoot in the golden hour/blue hour for optimum results. Long exposure photography is indeed a very interesting genre. As you already shoot in RAW, I also suggest you shoot in either MANUAL or BULB mode for more flexiblity as you don't have enough control of the shutter speed in Av mode. The key to long exposure photography is controlling your shutter speed but watching out with your aperture as well. Also, set your ISO as low as possible. Long exposure may also result in high noise(even at ISO 100) and this you'll have to find out yourself as you get along. Vignetting is also another issue but this can be addressed easily in LR or PS.

Hi, back now. I captured 24 pictures during a 75 minute period. I had good help of a friend who is also an enthusiast like me but has some more experience. I will process and post at least one of them by tomorrow.

I am very grateful for yours and J.R.'s advice, it's really helped me. Not sure the result will reflect that though - All I know is that it was fun and I already have plenty of ideas of where I want to try this again and under which circumstances.

Thanks alot guys!
J

 

[shutterwideshut]

Hi, back now. I captured 24 pictures during a 75 minute period. I had good help of a friend who is also an enthusiast like me but has some more experience. I will process and post at least one of them by tomorrow.

I am very grateful for yours and J.R.'s advice, it's really helped me. Not sure the result will reflect that though - All I know is that it was fun and I already have plenty of ideas of where I want to try this again and under which circumstances.

Thanks alot guys!
J

You're welcome! Keep shooting!

 

[cayenne]

OK, thanks for the gear tip. I am actually moving back to Europe in a few weeks and will hold any further investments until getting back. Also, this is a first try and I will see if I get hooked, looking at your pictures and if I could at least get close to that, I am sure I will be.

We have some beautiful landscape areas with creeks and a big lake close to our summer house. I'll likely continue to practice there before I'd go all in on more gear for this area.

Interesting comment about how you meter. You're on a quite advanced level. I have a lot to learn just starting out with it. I checked out a couple of videos and will shoot in AV and let the camera give me the shutter speed. It's a start and I don't want too much to think about.

Again, many thanks for all the info.

J

Good luck. You are blessed to have those potential subjects around you. Make do first with what you have and shoot in the golden hour/blue hour for optimum results. Long exposure photography is indeed a very interesting genre. As you already shoot in RAW, I also suggest you shoot in either MANUAL or BULB mode for more flexiblity as you don't have enough control of the shutter speed in Av mode. The key to long exposure photography is controlling your shutter speed but watching out with your aperture as well. Also, set your ISO as low as possible. Long exposure may also result in high noise(even at ISO 100) and this you'll have to find out yourself as you get along. Vignetting is also another issue but this can be addressed easily in LR or PS.

Hi, back now. I captured 24 pictures during a 75 minute period. I had good help of a friend who is also an enthusiast like me but has some more experience. I will process and post at least one of them by tomorrow.

I am very grateful for yours and J.R.'s advice, it's really helped me. Not sure the result will reflect that though - All I know is that it was fun and I already have plenty of ideas of where I want to try this again and under which circumstances.

Thanks alot guys!
J

Yes, please post your images...anxious to look at them!!

C

 

[cayenne]

Yes, please post your images...anxious to look at them!!

C

 

[Hobby Shooter]

Alright, here we go. It did not come out as I expected which I guess is a good thing. I haven't processed all pictures yet, but I pulled this one to show you guys. I clearly need to practice using Bulb mode.

This picture is taken with a 5D3, 24-105mm, ISO100, 73mm, f/22 and 30sec exposure, with Bulb I could (should) have gotten a longer exposure. A lot of banding and noise (not unexpected). This shot is taken to the west, away from the setting (actually already set) sun. Will post one of those taken into the sun later also. Downsized to sub 2MB for upload here.

Good fun and a lot of learning, this forum at its best. I'll continue to practice this fun technique.

Thanks to all of you guys.
J