The first photographic image was captured by Joseph Nicephore Niepce. These early images required more than 8 hours of exposure time, and the images soon faded away since he lacked any permanent method for “fixing” the shot. Today’s Digital Single Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras require just a small fraction of a second to capture a correctly exposed image even in average light. As the sun creeps up over the horizon on a new day the landscape photographer knows too well that exposure time can quickly change from minutes to seconds to fractions of seconds. You’ve got to think fast to get the shot.
There are filters that can help prolong the darkness and increase the exposure time if you’re after creating a long exposure, for example, when you want to create that soft milky water effect when shooting a waterfall. These are called Neutral Density Filters.
Essential equipment for long exposures include, a tripod and a cable or wireless remote shutter release.
The main point that I want to make in todays photo-tip is that the break-through or ah-ha moment in photography for beginners comes when you understand the relationship between shutter speed and aperture setting. To start practicing this technique it is essential to shoot in the Manual setting. Once you get the ah-ha moment yourself you can quickly switch to Aperture Priority mode and adjust ISO settings to suit and move your photography along from good to great.
These techniques are key to what will be discussed and practiced on the Exploring Photography Workshop. Book now.
