Incorporating HDR tonemapping techniques with long exposures
The following images were experiments using HDR tone mapping techniques combined with the effects of long exposure times.
Each image was constructed from at least 3 separate exposures using in-camera auto exposure bracketing. In my case, being a Canon shooter, I used 3 exposures of -2,0 and +2 simply for convenience. I believe Nikon shooters have a bit more flexibility in this area.
The images were all taken during daylight hours so it was necessary to use some heavy ND filtering in order to increase the exposure times and achieve a nice misty look to the water. In my case I used an ND400 and an ND8 filter stacked together to achieve this.
With the camera set to aperture priority mode I adjusted the aperture and filter combination (sometimes removing the ND8) to achieve an exposure of 8 seconds. When the shutter button is depressed the camera would then give me 3 exposures at 8 seconds, 2 seconds and 30 seconds (which is close enough to 0,-2 and +2). My particular camera doesn’t let me expose for longer than 30 seconds unless I go to bulb mode and use a remote timer, so out of laziness I tend to limit many of my exposures to 30 seconds. 🙂
The exposures were then combined and tonemapped using HDR software and tweaked in Photoshop to achieve the end result.
Despite all of this sounding a bit technical it’s really quite simple and I encourage you to try it. The results are often very rewarding.
BELOW – Jurassic Afternoon – Sunlight and waves break through a slit in the prehistoric Pinnacles rock formation on Phillip Island.
BELOW – The Mist of St.Pauls – A long exposure at St. Pauls beach, Sorrento, Victoria, Australia.
BELOW – Prehistoria – An image from The Pinnacles, at Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia.
BELOW – Swimming with Dinosaurs – Down amongst the prehistoric Pinnacles rock formations at Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia.
Daytime experiments with the ND400 filter.
The following long exposures were taken during daylight hours using an ND400 and ND8 filter stacked together on the front of my Sigma 10-20mm lens. The combination of these two filters attenuates so much light that peering into the viewfinder reveals an inky blackness even during bright daylight conditions.
It’s therefore necessary to compose the image BEFORE screwing the filters onto the lens. It’s also necessary to adjust the focus manually since the auto-focus system has no chance of working under such conditions.
*** (Update October 2012) The introduction of “live view” to many DSLR cameras means that is’s no longer necessary to compose and pre-focus with the dark filters off the lens. I shoot all the time now using live view to peer through the combined darkness of an ND400 and ND8. The filters now stay on the lens which means there is a lot less fiddling around. If you’re looking for a guide to show you how to use an ND400 have a look at my recent blog post here.***
I found that if I set the ISO as low as possible, and set the aperture very small (i.e. a high number), then it was possible to obtain a shutter duration of about 3 minutes. Such long exposures during daytime create some interesting images. I’m looking forward to experimenting more with the ND400.
The trip to Point Lonsdale
The following are a series of images taken at Point Lonsdale at high tide.
Initially we went there in the middle of the day to try out some “black glass” ND400 filters. The idea was to shoot some daytime long exposures of the low tide water interacting with the exposed rock shelves. Unfortunately I felt a bit disappointed by the results, not because of the ND400 filter but because I had trouble finding satisfying compositions.
Upon returning to Point Lonsdale at sunset the tide was high and there was a bit more foreground interest and some colour in the sky. I managed to find these images a bit more satisfying.
Addicted to the Ocean
A snapshot of a fellow RedBubble photographer catching “last light” at Blairgowrie beach.
An Evening at Spray Point, Blairgowrie.
The following images were taken on an evening excursion to Spray Point / Montforts beach, Blairgowrie.
I’m never really sure where one beach ends and the other begins. 🙂
Tidal Trickle (below) was taken just prior to the sun dropping below the horizon giving some nice pinks in the sky.
Friends and Fatalities (below) is a long exposure shot taken just after the sun had dropped below the horizon.
The extended exposure time makes the moving water take on a misty appearance and blurs the clouds whilst the foreground rocks remain in focus.
The Unpredicted (below) is a long exposure shot showing water flowing off the rock plateaus after sunset.
Despite the deceptively calm appearance of the image this is really a potentially treacherous area with unexpectedly large waves occasionally sweeping across the plateaus.
Out on the rock shelves
The following three images were taken on an excursion to the rock shelves of Montforts beach, in Blairgowrie.
It’s an interesting place to be during the transition from high to low tide, as the water on the expansive rocky plateaus cascades over the sides on it’s return to the ocean.
Whilst here it’s important to be aware of which way the tide is going and also keep an eye out for occasional large rogue waves that sweep across the shelves. Prepare to get wetter than you expected here.
The image below was taken at the neighboring Sorrento beach.
It’s a long exposure taken after sunset giving the oceans surface a deceptively calm and smooth appearance.
Light and Time at my Ocean Beach
A selection of images taken from two excursions to Sorrento beach.
Return to Primal is a long exposure taken after sunset. The true motion of the waves disguised by the slow shutter speed.
High Tide Sphinx is a slow(ish) exposure taken at high tide as the sun was setting behind the Sphinx rock formation at Sorrento beach, Australia.
Life in the Good Pond is a slow(ish) exposure taken at sunset. A polarizing filter was used to take the reflection off the surface of the rock pool allowing the scene below the surface to become visible. The blurring on the water was caused by the wind rippling the surface.
I Peek Around the Corner is another image from Sorrento where a polarizing filter was used to remove the unwanted reflection of the sky from the surface of the water enabling us to see the wonder below. In the distance on the horizon the Sphinx rock formation is visible.
December Hues – a Sorrento sunset
An image taken just after the sun had dropped below the horizon.
I had an ND8 and polarizing filter stacked on the front of the lens to to extend the shutter time and blur the waves giving a soft appearance to the water.
Dusk at Sorrento ocean beach – some long exposures
A series of long exposures taken at Sorrento beach, Australia.
A storm rolls over Port Phillip Bay
Following are 3 images taken yesterday at Ricketts Point, Beaumaris, as a storm rolled across the bay.
The apparent power and turbulence of the clouds in the sky is mirrored by the motion and ferocity of the water. It was an invigorating place to be.
Images from Koonya beach
These images were taken on a recent dusk excursion to Koonya beach on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia.
Dusk is my favorite time of day for shooting, ……it’s certainly MUCH more user friendly than that other time of day, …….what do they call it, ….”dawn” or something like that. 🙂
Long exposures on the Mornington Peninsula
A series of long exposures taken at Sorrento and Blairgowrie beaches on the Mornington Peninsula, Australia.
These images were taken using the Sigma 10-20mm and Canon 17-85 mm lenses with ND8 and polarizing filters stacked on the front in order to slow the shutter speed.
Note – when stacking two filters on the 10-20mm lens the rim of the outermost filter becomes visible in the corners of the images necessitating a little cropping in post processing.
All of these images are available to purchase in various forms and sizes by clicking on their titles.
Blaze – taken at Sorrento beach.
The Glow of Last Light – taken at Sorrento beach.
The Pastel Kiss of Night – taken at Blairgowrie beach.
Welcome the Night – taken at Blairgowrie beach.
Koonya Isle – taken at Blairgowrie beach.
Through Angler’s Eyes – taken at Blairgowrie beach.
Roadside Falls
A small waterfall by the road somewhere south of Woods Point in hillbilly country, Victoria, Australia.
Roadside Falls
Visiting Silverband Falls, the Grampians.
Image taken at the Silverband Falls, in the Grampians, Victoria, Australia.
Milk of the Forest
An image taken from the Toorongo River near Noojee, Australia.
This is available to purchase as a high quality print here.
Paradise Gully
Looking upstream at Cement Creek near Warburton, Victoria, Australia.
A beautiful lush green environment well worth visiting for it’s photo opportunities.
This image is available to purchase as a high quality print here.
Dance of the Silken White
This image was taken from the banks of the Toorongo river, near Noojee, Australia.
It’s a wonderful lush place to visit, it’s only real downside being the local leeches.
This image is available to purchase as a high quality print here.
Flying Solo – exposure after sunset
This image was taken at Sorrento beach shortly after the sun had dropped below the horizon.
The long exposure (30 seconds) smooths out the motion of the waves and gives the ocean a smooth, almost cloud like appearance. The pink hue is a remnant of the sunset.
This image is available to purchase as a high quality print here.
Toorongo Falls – a view from the base
When no one was looking I climbed down off the official viewing platform and walked across a fallen tree trunk to capture this alternative view of the falls.
This image is available to purchase as a high quality print here.
Glide – the salt spray effect
This sunset image taken at Blairgowrie beach, Australia, turned out to be much softer than I expected but I like the final result. The softness of the image is due to a build up of ocean salt spray on the lens filter.
Aqua Dynamics – the beauty of force
This black and white image demonstrates the explosion of forces as a Bass Strait wave strikes bedrock along the Victorian coastline.
I was using a 10-20mm lens here so the saying “objects are closer than they appear” applies here.
This image is available to purchase as a print here.
A few minutes later I was hit by this sweet thing pictured below. You’ll need to excuse the motion blur as I panicked and tried to move the camera out of harms way as the wave hit us.
We, (the camera and I), were both soaked by this Bass Strait “back hander”. At this stage, a couple of days later, both the camera (Canon 40D) and the lens (Sigma 10-20mm) are still working. I must be blessed by the camera gods because this isn’t the first time we’ve had a salt water soaking.
Southern Rendezvous
A six minute exposure taken at night, aperture f11, iso 100 on Blairgowrie beach.
The long exposure reveals the apparent path of objects around the south celestial pole and also transforms the motion of the rough ocean waves into a soft mist.
This image is available to purchase as a print here.
The Reign of the Tranquil – night photography
This shot was taken at one of the many wonderful beaches along the Mornington Peninsula, Australia.
It’s a long exposure taken at night looking out at the ocean.
The long exposure smooths out the motion of the oceans rough surface giving it the appearance of a gentle mist. The rocks sticking out of the mist provide a nice contrast of texture.
The reflection of the rocks in the foreground water provides some additional interest.
The background light comes from the sun which long ago dropped below the horizon. When looking through the viewfinder this glow isn’t visible to the naked eye but the camera’s long exposure picks it up without much trouble.
This image is available to purchase as a print – here
Light’s long Tightrope
A night on Blairgowrie beach.
This image is available to purchase as a print – here
Snapper’s Revenge
A sunset on Sorrento beach.
This image is available to purchase as a print here
Time’s Reflection
The silhouette of a rock at Blairgowrie beach partially hides the setting sun.
This image is available to purchase as a print here
Harvest of the Night Keeper
A 30 second long exposure taken at Sorrento ocean beach shortly after sunset.
The moon and Venus visible in the sky.
This image is available to purchase as a print in various forms and sizes here
The Time of Two Minds
A long exposure shot taken early in the morning.
Title – The Time of Two Minds
Primordial Dawn, ….and Third Planet.
Some long exposures taken well before dawn. It was extremely dark looking through the viewfinder so some guesswork was involved with the composition of these.
Note that the violent crashing waves of the ocean appear as a gentle mist due to the long exposure time. Unfortunately it wasn’t possible to capture the stars in the sky due to clouds rolling in just a few minutes before I arrived on location (bugger).
shutter – 180 seconds
aperture – f8
ISO – 400
Title – Primordial Dawn
Title – Third Planet
Both of these images are available to purchase as prints
Photography by Jim Worrall 