Long Exposure Landscape Photography

The word Photography is derived from two Greek words, photo - meaning “light” and graphy - meaning “to draw”. Enter long exposure photography in the digital age, and what better way to allow the light to draw the scene than letting the light scribe the definition and contours of the landscape in front of you.

Long exposure images elongate the moment that a photograph was taken until the reality of the scene before you takes on a surreal twist. Some even say they are an art form unto itself. Running water becomes a silky substance, raging oceans turn into calm pools of glass, stationary cumulous clouds turn into streaking light across the blue hour or night sky, and for the patient, even the bright stars above us can be transformed into bright trails that arc around the north star in the sky.

Personally, there are two reasons I enjoy long exposures. One reason is that it gives us the ability to remove texture from certain parts of the image. Take a waterfall, you can replace hard, high contrast falling water with a silky flow and then allow the eye to focus on the textures and structures of another part of the image. Or even take the water of an ocean, undulating, crashing waves can easily be transformed to placid glass and allow a wooden pier or rocks on a beach to punch out onto the image. The second reason I enjoy long exposure photography is that it allows you to control the introduction of light into an otherwise dull image. It evokes emotion in a photo and can, if done properly, force the eyes right through an image.

Hilton Falls, Milton, Ontario

Dave in Action, 3.2 second exposure, taken mid morning on a sunny day, ND8 filter

Fifty Point Conservation Area, Grimsby, Ontario

Nature Reclaims Industry, 15 second exposure, one hour after sunrise on a cloudy day, ND4 and graduated ND2 filter












White Lake, Haliburton Highlands, Ontario

Ethereal Reflections, 240 second exposure, taken 45 minutes before sunrise on a clear night, ND4 and graduated ND2 filter












Salerno Lake, Irondale Ontario

Midnight Winds, 240 second exposure, taken after sunset on a spring night, no filter












OK, now that we know what long exposure can do to your images and you have seen a few examples… How do we accomplish this type of photography?

Tools of the trade

1. A DSLR camera with the ability to shoot in RAW, set long exposures including BULB setting and also manipulate ISO and aperture.
2. A sturdy tripod to hold the camera in place while you are taking the image
3. A cable release to eliminate camera shake (or, a camera with a shutter delay)
4. Neutral density (ND) filters and graduated neutral density filters (not necessary, but in time, you will want them)
5. A flashlight and a glow stick … You are mostly doing this at night, the glow stick sits on the neck of the tripod so you know where your camera is at all times. The flashlight is so you can see in the dark
6. Appropriate clothing… you do more standing than pushing the shutter button. It can get a little chilly if you show up dressed for daylight and two hours later its black and you are on a windy beach somewhere.
7. Editing software. Nature is rarely perfect. So, using the RAW editor and giving you the ability to further manipulate will empower you to give the image some final tweaks.

Let me go into some details on the “tools of the trade”. My ideal setup for long exposures is to use a wide angle lens, mount the camera on the tripod, lower the camera close to the ground for a better perspective and I manually focus on the foreground about 1/4 or 1/3 up from the bottom of the image.

I set my aperture to f20 or f22 and put my shutter speed to BULB. I set my ISO around 400 (I use Olympus). If you are a NIKON or Canon shooter, try higher and lower ISO’s and see what it does to the shutter speeds. Your ISO capabilities are superior to mine.

I meter the light at the foreground, focal point first, and then I meter just the sky. I use the appropriate ND filter that will give me the desired length of exposure, and then apply a graduated Neutral Density (ND) filter to adjust the exposure of the sky to match the foreground. There are a few manufacturers of ND filters. You can screw on ND filters or use square filters that sit in front of your lens. ND filters come in different levels, each eliminating a percentage of the natural light. The graduated ND filters are just that, graduated from clear to a set ND strength… these are sometimes overlooked but make a huge difference in the final image. Some photographers prefer to have more control and do this in an editing program, me, I am more of a purist and like to do this in the field.

Then, when I am set, I take the image, holding the shutter release for the appropriate time, check the image in the viewfinder, and then take one longer exposure and one shorter exposure. I usually do not take anything less than 100 images when I am on a shoot… remember, this is the digital age, it does not cost you anything to take an image other than time.

Then, when I am in front of the computer at home and I have all the images downloaded. I open everything in a RAW editor. The RAW editor will allow you to adjust clarity, exposure, blacks, fine tune the colour and give you a chance to create a top notch base image.

Once the RAW editing is done, and because nature is rarely perfect, you can now clone out imperfections, eliminate digital noise and do any other editing you wish to do to your image to create a final product you can share with your friends or hang on your wall.

To see more of my landscape and nature photos please visit my Gallery

For more information, please contact me on my website

Putting the Quotes to the TEST

There are a lot of quotes out there in photography… “It’s not the size that matters”, “Want a better photo, pick a better location”… and my favourite from Ansel Adams, “Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter.”

But I have heard two quotes lately that have stuck in my mind. A friend of mine Gary Simmons said to me, “you have to visit a location a minimum of 25 times to get the photograph you want”, and another friend of mine, Gary Stortz said to me, “It’s the six inches behind the viewfinder that makes the difference in a good photograph”.

These two qotes entered my mind the other night while at a location I have never been to before… and I began to ponder these two sayings ...and ya know what, these two things are soooooo true.

Planning, researching and understanding the idiosyncrasies of the location makes a huge difference in the photographs you take home after a photo shoot. Knowledge is power, or in this case, knowledge and planning takes a better photo.

As for coming back to a location time and time again… well, the other nights outing to a location that I have been admiring for over a year was proof of that. I went on a whim and got there only to find, the tides were wrong, the bugs were ruthless and it was too cloudy. I also realized that the shot I really wanted was going to have me ask for permission to get onto someone’s lake front property.

I am going to have to go back after I do some research on the location. I have admired photos from here for a long time and thought, “hey, I can go get those for myself”.

Wrong… not on Friday night… so, I will go back to the drawing board. I will do some research, ask the locals some questions, get permission to access that property and go back… again, and again, and again.

Then I thought, I have this blog, I have a lot of people that read my blog, most novice photographers, why don’t we chronicle me getting the perfect shot, well MY perfect shot out of this one location.

So, stay tuned, watch for the twitter posts at @kpepphotography, watch my site and follow the blog as I detail the steps I take, how many times I go back, just to get a few photos that I know this location offers.

The following three titles in Bold Font are links to the photos I got on my first time to this location… enjoy, its not that I am not happy with them, it just wasn’t what I personally wanted.

The First of Many Photos from My Latest Obsession

Lakeside Serenity

Recession


So here is the plan…

#1 – check photographers Ephemeris to identify sun and moon locations at different times of day.
#2 – research those damn bugs… the looked like shad flies, but I do not know. All I know is I am not standing on that beach getting swarmed again… LOL
#3 - Get permission to enter the private property
#4 – Schedule a trip back this location that’s over 200km’s (100 miles) from where I live

One rule and ten guidelines

Everyone has their opinion on what elements a good photo contains... when you enter a competition, judges will look for things the average person will not even think to look for. I will never forget hearing feedback on an image I entered into a competition; there was a twig hanging into a silky stream of water flow below a waterfall backdrop and it was distracting. I thought WTF, I didn’t even see that... how anal retentive is this guy?

I can also remember a time when someone contacted me to purchase an image of mine from flickr. This was one of those photos that I posted of a house on an island, house was centered, followed no conventional rules, yet they wanted it to give as a gift. Who was I to argue, I knew it wasn’t my best work, but this person was willing to pay good money for an 11x14 print.

For the newer photographer trying to get a grasp on what makes a quality photo it can be confusing and frustrating. If you’re serious about photography and you want to learn more, you have two choices. One, return to school and take college courses. Start at the basics and get the technical side of being a photographer. Or two, you become a student of the successful photographers before us. There is enough information on the web, there are professionals that run workshops and local photographic clubs where you can meet and learn from everything the club would offer.

I took the latter method. I read, I watched, I tried, I asked questions, went out with professionals, put myself out there and constantly asked for feedback regardless of how hard it was to hear the constructive criticism at different points. Now, after taking more than 30,000 digital images I have the confidence to teach others, write articles and hang my images in galleries.

The following are the eleven things that always stay with me, yes eleven... I can’t refine it to ten.

These are things I heard, I tried and I now run through my mind when I stand behind the camera ready to take a photo.

The Rules of Photography

It may sound like a cliché, but the most important rule in photography is that there are no rules. Every situation is different and you are the one taking the photograph. Interpret the scene in your own style. If you and I were standing beside each other, and unless you were mentored by me, our final photographs would look very different.

There are however, a number of proven compositional guidelines which should be considered and are applicable to almost any photographic situation.

These guidelines will help you take more compelling photographs, lending them a natural balance, drawing attention to the important parts of the scene, or leading the viewer's eye through the image.

Once you are familiar with these composition guidelines, you'll be surprised at just how universal most of them are. You'll spot them simply walking down the street, and you'll understand why it easy to see why some photos "work" while others feel like simple holiday snapshots.

Rule of Thirds

Imagine that your image is divided into 9 equal segments by 2 vertical and 2 horizontal lines. Think of it like setting up a game of X’s and O’s. The rule of thirds tells us that you should position the most important elements in your scene along these vertical or horizontal lines, better yet, at the points where they intersect.

Doing so will add balance and interest to your photo. To help you out, some cameras even offer an option to superimpose a rule of thirds grid over the LCD screen, making it even easier to use. If your camera has this, use it for awhile... after some time it becomes second nature.

I put the focal point off to the right and aligned the subject along the right vertical line and the bottom horizontal lines of the grid.
Vancouver Inukshuk


Balancing the Elements in the Photograph

Placing your main subject off-centre, as with the rule of thirds, creates a more interesting photo, but it can leave a void in the other side of the scene can make the photo feel empty. You should balance the "weight" of your subject by including another object of lesser importance to fill the space. The main subject could possibly be larger, or the main subject might be the subject more in focus than the other.

I placed the stainless steel bean off to the left side and balanced the photo with the building to the rear in the right hand side of the photo.
Chicago Bean

Symmetry and Patterns

Everywhere we look we are surrounded by symmetry and patterns. They can be either natural or manmade, and they can make for very a eye-catching compositions. This is especially true in situations where they are not expected.

If you want to create a great effect with symmetry and patterns use them is to break the symmetry or pattern in some way. This introduces a focal point to the scene and increases interest of any image.

I used an entire image of one pattern. The pattern reaches the four corners of this image, but I broke the symmetry by injecting a colour that grabs the viewer’s attention.
Christmas Ornaments

Leading Lines

When we look at a photo our eye is naturally drawn to lines. By thinking about how you place lines in your composition, you can affect the way a person may view the image, pulling us into the picture, towards the subject, or on a journey "through" the scene. The decision is ultimately yours. Remember that there are many different types of line - straight, diagonal, bending, etc... – any will work if applied to the right scene.

I used the pier along the left of the image, and the row of stumps to create lead lines to take the viewer into the photograph.
Fifty Point Pier

Viewpoint

Before you photograph any subject, stop and take time to think about where you will shoot it from. Our viewpoint has a massive impact on the composition of a photo. Rather than just shooting from eye level, consider photographing from high above, down at ground level, from the side, from the back, from a long way away, from very close up, and so on.

My advice to you is to try this. The next time you are going to photograph a scene, think, “from above, from below, close up, far away”... then shoot the scene from all the different vantage points. When you get home, look at them and see the difference the viewpoint of a photo makes.

I could have taken this photo standing up and centered the house, but i wanted the ground to lead the viewer up to the house. I also wanted the sky in the image as well. So, I used a wide angle lens and laid on the ground to get this image.
Talbot Trail Home

Background
How many times have you taken what you thought would be a great shot of a subject, only to find that the image wasn’t as good as you thought because the background was distracting? Go on, you can admit it, no ones around to hear you agree. Hey, I have done it many times... i was so focused on a subject that i forgot to pay attention to the background.

This sort of goes back to the viewpoint as well... taking the background into consideration when choosing a viewpoint is usually something i take into consideration.

The human eye is excellent at distinguishing between different elements in a scene, whereas a camera has a tendency to flatten the foreground and background, and this can often ruin an otherwise great photo. We see in 3D and a camera does not...

Thankfully this problem is usually easy to overcome at the time of shooting - look around for a plain and unobtrusive background and compose your shot so that it doesn't distract or detract from the subject. If you are photographing a stationary object like a flower, a person, a hummingbird feeder, throw up a solid colour backdrop. You might feel silly, but your image will end up being head and shoulders better than someone who didn’t have the foresight to think about this.

I used a black background to keep the focal point on the flower in this image
Velvet Petals

Depth

Because photography is a two-dimensional medium, we have to choose our composition carefully to convey the sense of depth that was present in the actual scene. You can create depth in a photo by including objects in the foreground, middle ground and background. Another useful composition technique is overlapping, where you deliberately partially obscure one object with another. The human eye naturally recognizes these layers and mentally separates them out, creating an image with more depth.

Another way is using the depth of field that different aperture settings can create an open aperture of f/5.6 to f/8.0 will give the photo much more natural depth than an f/20. The smaller aperture setting, f/20 will compress the image and keep the majority of the final photo in focus.

I used the stream and light to help bring the image together. I also included the foreground, middle ground and a background in this image to convey depth and create interest.
The Farm

Framing
The world is full of objects which make perfect natural frames. As a photographer we can use trees, archways and holes. By placing these around the edge of the composition you help to isolate the main subject from the outside world. The result is a more focused image which draws your eye naturally to the main point of interest.

I used an interesting frame, a clock, to frame in the Sacre Coeur in the background. The Pope was there giving a mass and I wanted an interesting image of the church.
Paris Trip

Cropping
Often a photo will lack impact because the main subject is so small it becomes lost among the clutter of its surroundings. By cropping tight around the subject you eliminate the background "noise", ensuring the subject gets the viewer's undivided attention.

You can do this in the camera, or in post processing. My preference is to maximize the pixels of the image and crop in the camera. You can adjust in post processing, but you start with a better composed image versus an image that you might not be able to work with.

I wanted to focus on the facial expression and get the guitar in the image, but i did not want all the clutter of bystanders in the image. So, I cropped in the camera to just focus on his eyes and expression.
Playing for his Food

Experimentation
Now that most of us are shooting with a digital camera we no longer have to worry about the costs of film processing or running out of rolls of film. I can remember a time when i would have a bag of film when i was taking photos of my baby brother laying on blanket, just to make sure I didn’t run out. But now, digital memory cards have the capability of holding 500 to 1000 RAW images. That would have been a lot of drool photos of my baby brother some 30 some years ago.

As a result of the digital age, experimenting with our photos' composition has become a real possibility; we can fire off numerous shots and delete the unwanted ones later at absolutely no extra cost. Take advantage of this fact and experiment with your composition - you never know whether an idea will work until you try it.

As I mentioned earlier, composition in photography is far from an exact science, and as a result all of the "guidelines" above should be taken with a grain of salt. If they don't work for a particular scene, ignore them. But they can often prove to be spot on, and are worth at least considering whenever you are out taking photos.

Someone once said to me, “it’s the 6 inches behind the camera that has the greatest effect on your photography”... so learn, exercise the brain muscle, try different techniques, but most of all, have fun.

Happy shooting!

Holiday Photos

The holiday season is a great time of the year to take pictures of family and friends… whether its grandpa sleeping off the effects of tryptophan from the 2nd helping of turkey, or little Johnny sneaking into the kitchen to steal a deviled egg before dinner, there is an abundance of photographic opportunities to capture.

Below I have listed a few things to keep in mind while you are at the family gatherings…

Capture everything from a different POV

Since it’s a festive time of year and people will be surrounded with food, snacks, presents etc. oh ya, and that perfectly cooked turkey, you might want to your focus on people instead. If it is slightly higher or lower than the eye level, something that offers a different POV, well IMO, that is a perfect shot.

Compose in the camera

The main subject should be framed properly in the viewfinder. Make sure that the background is not too distracting or there is nothing behind that might ruin the entire picture… something like a bright window, or your favorite uncle is giving you the finger.

Remember your rule of thirds when composing and check your light meter to ensure proper exposure.

Get a Little creative

You are the director of this event, and people like to have their photo taken for the most part… so pose them, direct them into positions… the end result will be far better than just snapping off a few hundred photos… trust me… been there, bought the t-shirt…. It could be as simple as offering a suggestion on what you want to be captured in the pictures.

On the flip side, yes I am speaking out of both sides of my mouth… LOL… you can also take pictures while people are caught unaware you are photographing them… wait… anticipate the moment, then throw off a few frames of your aunt drinking straight out of the gravy bowl before she washes it out.

Lighting The Scene

The celebration is usually indoors so if the room is too dark or if the lighting is too low, put on as many light sources as possible. You can customize the white balance setting so it will match with the main source of light. You can also adjust the digital camera sensitivity mode to get bright and clear shots of the subjects and events. But if you think that the daylight would suffice, open up all the windows and let the sunshine in.

Or, pop open the built in flash or throw on the flash and light the scene using organic lighting and flash lighting…

Best of all… don’t be a camera snob… Include yourself in some images…
All cameras have a delay… and you might own a remote trigger… Nothing is stopping you from setting up the camera on a tripod or on the counter, focusing, framing and running over and posing in a photo or two… show those pearly whites or chase the kids…

Photography is all about capturing the moment… and it’s a festive time of year… go and create images that family members will laugh about for generations to come… just like that old black and white of crazy Uncle Fred wearing a suit with a hula hoop twirling around his waist…