Hi, I need some help with over exposed slow shutter speeds. I was taking a shot of a brook this morning with the lowest ISO on the D300, f22, and exposure compensation at -5 and still did not have "milky" water with the slowest speed I could get. Some over exposed images, a few really black shots, and not great water. Any help is greatly appreciated.
exposure compensation at -5 and still did not have "milky" water with the slowest speed I could get.
Lindy, the problem with using -5 exposure compensation is you're speeding up the shutter speed five stops from what the meter says it should be, and the way to get fuzzy/cottony water is to slow the shutter speed.
So you're doing the right things in using the lowest iso and most stopped-down aperture, but then you're reversing those measures by using -EC. And you can't use much +EC in that situation to slow shutter speed because that'll blow highlights badly.
Typically, such images are captured on cloudy, dark days using circular polarizer or neutral density filters (which restrict light and slow shutter speed). One way to accomplish the same thing without laying out money for filters is to photograph the scene before sunrise or after sunset, when the ambient light is low enough to produce exposures of 2 to 30 seconds (depending on a number of factors such as water speed, etc) when using lowest iso and fully stopped down aperture. I've done this several times, and as the light builds (morning) or falls off (evening), your shutter speeds change and you get a full range of effects because of that.
At those shutter speeds, a sturdy tripod and a remote shutter release or the camera's self-timer feature are a must. Mirror lock-up helps as well on the shorter shutter speeds to eliminate the slap that can tremble the camera, but isn't as much of a factor when the shutter speeds get into the multi-second range.
There have been a few times when I've used +EC to slow the shutter speed one full stop (say from 4 sec to 8 sec or from 8 sec to 16 sec) because I just couldn't get slow enough ss using the techniques I've mentioned. This resulted in somewhat blown highlights, but they were easily recovered using the RAW preview screen in Photoshop.
Great advice, especially shooting while contrasty light is minimized (morning, evening, cloudy).
However, nothing can take the place of a good (and relatively inexpensive) Hoya 8x Neutral Density filter, which will allow you to slow down the shutter speed by 3 stops and which can make the difference between success and failure with your endeavor.
Hi Steve
thanks for the help. I really did not understand that negative ev speeds up the shutter speed but now I get it. I did use the self timer with tripod etc which I know helped me alot. Thanks again, I will head out earlier next time.
Hi Steve
thanks for the help. I really did not understand that negative ev speeds up the shutter speed but now I get it. I did use the self timer with tripod etc which I know helped me alot. Thanks again, I will head out earlier next time.
Lindy, another tip is to use a longer focal length lens. Many wide angles stop down only to f22, while you can get f32-f45 out of some longer lenses. My Canon 100 f2.8 macro stops down to f32, my Canon 200 f2.8L to f45. Even in waterfall/rapids situations, there are tighter compositions on offer, and going from f22 to f45 can mean a difference in shutter speed measured in seconds, and that can make ALL the difference.
Another thing - try to shoot water in the early morning or late evening (within 2 hours after sunrise or within two hours prior to sunset). There are a couple of reasons for this.
First, there is less light especially early or late in the daylight cycle. You'll automatically get a slower shutter speed without having to resort to grads or polarizers.
Second, the light tends to be "softer". Huh? Since the light has to go through a lot more of the atmosphere, it will be a bit more scattered. Maybe some clouds on the horizon to diffuse the light a bit. Also, more moisture in the air to diffuse the light in the morning or more haze/humidity/thunderstorms in the evening to accomplish the same thing. Think of the difference in light between a bright sunny summer afternoon with no clouds vs the light after a Spring rainstorm in the evening.
Third is color. Depending on the exact nature and orientation of the waterfalls, you may be able to pick up some of the glow of the rise/set. Pretty rare, but can happen. Plus the sunrise/sunset may be more interesting than the water itself - another shooting op.
Last, especially in the morning, the world is a lot more peaceful. At least for me, it reminds me why I got up in the first place.
I'd also keep a polarizer handy. It will get you an extra stop or two of light loss, will do wonders for cutting reflections and help to pop color. Or be another item to accidently drop into the water as an offering to the ghost of old Velvia 50, not that I have EVER done, at least not more than once.
Discussion
7 repliesLindy, the problem with using -5 exposure compensation is you're speeding up the shutter speed five stops from what the meter says it should be, and the way to get fuzzy/cottony water is to slow the shutter speed.
So you're doing the right things in using the lowest iso and most stopped-down aperture, but then you're reversing those measures by using -EC. And you can't use much +EC in that situation to slow shutter speed because that'll blow highlights badly.
Typically, such images are captured on cloudy, dark days using circular polarizer or neutral density filters (which restrict light and slow shutter speed). One way to accomplish the same thing without laying out money for filters is to photograph the scene before sunrise or after sunset, when the ambient light is low enough to produce exposures of 2 to 30 seconds (depending on a number of factors such as water speed, etc) when using lowest iso and fully stopped down aperture. I've done this several times, and as the light builds (morning) or falls off (evening), your shutter speeds change and you get a full range of effects because of that.
At those shutter speeds, a sturdy tripod and a remote shutter release or the camera's self-timer feature are a must. Mirror lock-up helps as well on the shorter shutter speeds to eliminate the slap that can tremble the camera, but isn't as much of a factor when the shutter speeds get into the multi-second range.
There have been a few times when I've used +EC to slow the shutter speed one full stop (say from 4 sec to 8 sec or from 8 sec to 16 sec) because I just couldn't get slow enough ss using the techniques I've mentioned. This resulted in somewhat blown highlights, but they were easily recovered using the RAW preview screen in Photoshop.
However, nothing can take the place of a good (and relatively inexpensive) Hoya 8x Neutral Density filter, which will allow you to slow down the shutter speed by 3 stops and which can make the difference between success and failure with your endeavor.
thanks for the help. I really did not understand that negative ev speeds up the shutter speed but now I get it. I did use the self timer with tripod etc which I know helped me alot. Thanks again, I will head out earlier next time.
Here is a link to a series of four articles on taking waterfall shots:
http://www.ronbigelow.com/articles/waterfalls-1/waterfalls-1.htm
A good step-by-step guide.
thanks for the help. I really did not understand that negative ev speeds up the shutter speed but now I get it. I did use the self timer with tripod etc which I know helped me alot. Thanks again, I will head out earlier next time.
First, there is less light especially early or late in the daylight cycle. You'll automatically get a slower shutter speed without having to resort to grads or polarizers.
Second, the light tends to be "softer". Huh? Since the light has to go through a lot more of the atmosphere, it will be a bit more scattered. Maybe some clouds on the horizon to diffuse the light a bit. Also, more moisture in the air to diffuse the light in the morning or more haze/humidity/thunderstorms in the evening to accomplish the same thing. Think of the difference in light between a bright sunny summer afternoon with no clouds vs the light after a Spring rainstorm in the evening.
Third is color. Depending on the exact nature and orientation of the waterfalls, you may be able to pick up some of the glow of the rise/set. Pretty rare, but can happen. Plus the sunrise/sunset may be more interesting than the water itself - another shooting op.
Last, especially in the morning, the world is a lot more peaceful. At least for me, it reminds me why I got up in the first place.
I'd also keep a polarizer handy. It will get you an extra stop or two of light loss, will do wonders for cutting reflections and help to pop color. Or be another item to accidently drop into the water as an offering to the ghost of old Velvia 50, not that I have EVER done, at least not more than once.