Not everyone will find this post of much interest, but, for fun, give it a try. If you read my earlier posts you will remember that in one of them I mentioned trying some long exposure photography. In that post I said that the person who wrote the article I read on the subject said he usually took 500 to 700 images during an outing expecting he might find one he would show.
Well, I have had fun (read "struggled"!) with this process in recent mornings and evenings during the periods that the light is about right, though changing rapidly, and I have difficulty getting one image or at the most two. Admittedly, I am learning and he has lots of experience and therefore is quicker. But, if you are involved in 3 or 4 minute exposures, or longer, with the light getting darker or lighter, time alone, before it is too bright or too dark, constrains you to about 15 images - at 2 minute exposures 30 images - 1 minute exposures 60 images - see where I'm going with this? And these times don't allow for much changing of settings or the inevitable snags. OK - allow 2 hours of "shooting" time. That still only gets you to 120 images for one minute exposures.
How he gets to 500 or 700 is a mystery to me.
Just to give you some idea of the process, here is a brief overview, not including finding the ideal location, setting up tripod etc. So, now on location with camera mounted and aperture and focal length selected, remember to turn off image stabilization (because you are using a tripod you don't need it and having it on creates problems), compose your image (which takes a bit of time) then, using a remote shutter release, take a photo to assess exposure; adjust if necessary to be sure you are exposing as much "to the right" on your histogram as possible to get the maximum amount of data without overexposing, and take another photo. Exposure where you want it? Good. OK, note exposure settings and screw on the neutral density filter(s). Hurry, light levels are changing - can't get the @&*#%* filter on!
Finally, the filter is on! Don't forget to turn off auto focus because with the dark filter the camera can't "see" well enough to focus and while it is searching for a focus point it won't allow you to release the shutter. OK - auto focus is off. Now check whatever chart you use to assess shutter speed for whatever density filter(s) you are using - I use an app on my iPod. Set the camera to manual or bulb, depending on the shutter speed required (most cameras will only go up to 30 seconds on manual) - if over 30 seconds it's bulb time so now you need whatever timing device you use to be sure you are exposing for the time required for the correct exposure - thousand-one, thousand-two, etc., or an iPod, for example.
Where the heck is my iPod? Oh, here it is. By this time, unless you are much faster than I, the light has changed so you need to make a bit of a guess about how much it has changed and alter shutter speed or aperture accordingly. This is morning and the light is getting brighter so I need a slightly shorter exposure time or maybe smaller aperture. Hmm…which to use? I'll try one stop smaller aperture. Darn, I am already at f22, the smallest aperture on my camera, so I need to change shutter speed one stop. Now, using the remote, trip the shutter. No reaction from the camera! What's the problem? Oops, forgot to turn the remote back on.
Now it's working and we're into a 3 minute exposure. Drat, some people are coming - they'll think I'm nuts standing here on the beach by this camera and tripod looking at the water - and they are about to walk into my camera's field of view! Oh well, they will just be a blur, but a blur I didn't want! Ok - three minutes is up so close the shutter and have a look at the screen. *&%$, it's over exposed so I need to reset the exposure, either by guess and by golly or take the filter(s) off and start the process over again. And since all that took at least 10, maybe 15 minutes, you might understand why there are only three marginally acceptable images (a colour and black and white of each) after several outings! None of them accomplished what I had hoped for, but they are here because they are all I have, so I hope you like them. :-) By the way, during the time I took these last two photos the ocean was very active with lots of waves crashing over the end of the breakwater, which accounts for the soft white areas on either side, sending spray much closer to me than I would have liked.
