Help!!!

magicmonkey · Feb 25, 2006

I've been thinking of a shot I want to take today but I need a little help on how to do it. I'm planning to take 2 shots (well, a lot more but ending up with 2 anyway). One of the local high street (ped heads only) in sharp focus which I have no problem with and another using a long exposure so that people are just a blur. The problem is how to take a long exposure shot during the day giving enough blur but not washing out the highlights, could anyone give me a few pointers? I was going to use a low aperture with a long exposure but I need to have a large DOF so I'm not sure this would work. I should also mention that I won't have a polarizing filter until Tuesday so I can't get a stop out of it that way, DOH!

hobbes28 · Feb 25, 2006

Good thing is that the higher the aperture (f22-f32) the smaller the opening and the wider the DOF so the longer exposure. In the daylight, though, it will probably only mean getting somewhere around 1/4 second exposure. If you can't get a filter until then, I don't really know a good way. However.. if you're shooting with an SLR, you can make a pinhole for the front of it and shoot through it instead of your lens. If you use a .019 inch hole, you can get somewhere close to 2 second exposures in bright sunlight.

magicmonkey · Feb 25, 2006

heh, I'm still trying to get the hang of aperture at the moment, it's all a bit backwards to me! I guess it's a shot that will always be there so I could take it after I get the filters but thenyou know what it's like when you have just thought of a shot that you want, you have to go get it!

hobbes28 · Feb 25, 2006

I still get them backwards all the time. The way I get past it now is to think, f2.8 vs f22: If f meant seconds of exposure, f22 is longer. If f meant focal range, f22 is wider. If f meant 1/x aperture, f22 is smaller.

But, you see, I'm old and forgetful so I have to make up little things to remember stuff.

I also know exactly what you mean about having to take the picture then. You're talking to someone that has stopped traffic for a picture...

magicmonkey · Feb 25, 2006

well I'm currently shooting a line of objects strewn across my bed to get a bit of a feel for it, I've never really been one for maths so I'm trying to get an instinctive feel for it. Might take a while!!

lol, is this what people mean when they say that they've had art 'inflicted' on them?!

Torus34 · Feb 26, 2006

In a word, bracket.

kfoster · Feb 26, 2006

I believe the way to achieve the longer exposure during the day is to use a Neutral Density filter. Using a NDx8 hoya ND filter will give you a 3 stop difference. The NDx4 would give you 2 stops. Using one of these should darken the seen enough to allow all the movement to blur before the correct exposure is achieved.

I know this technique has been used when photographing buildings that have people walking around between the camera and the building. By adding enough ND filter you can increase the exposure time long enough that the people will not even be seen in the finished shot.