GSCCC News. Guide to Daytime Long Exposures M

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1 GSCCC News GULF STATES CAMERA CLUB COUNCIL States of Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi & Florida VOLUME L NUMBER 7 AUGUST 2016 Guide to Daytime Long Exposures M arcel Proust Set your composition and focus before applying the filters. said: The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. Long exposures have exactly that; an incredible power to let you see a place that you think you know well with new eyes. A long exposure photo is a parallel universe where I can escape from the frenzy of modern life. Technically, it is just a matter of shutter speed, but I believe it is also a matter of mood and feeling. Taking a long exposure shot is easier than you could expect. Just put your camera in Bulb mode, and open the shutter for the required time. In this tutorial, we want to share some tips that can help us all have fun with this fantastic technique. 15 minutes later using a 10-stop circular filter. 1. Visualize the shot in your mind. When shooting long exposures, what you see with your eyes will turn out different than what you ll capture on camera. 2. On clouds. To create a well-balanced composition, figure out the direction where the clouds are moving towards. Also try to evaluate how fast they are moving. If you re taking a seascape shot, check how wild is the sea. This will help you in choosing a correct shutter speed to get a really dramatic sky and a silky sea without making everything flat and dull. 3. Wind is your enemy. Use a sturdy tripod, and once set firmly on the ground, hang on it your backpack to increase the stability with weight. Keep in mind that few seconds of wind gust can compromise a two minute exposure, and above a cliff strong winds are quite common. If possible, use your body as a wind shield for your camera. Continues on Page 4

2 Pictorial Color Prints 1st Place Reaching for the Sky By Bill Hayes from PICTORIAL COLOR PRINTS Judged by Slidell Photography Club Reaching for the Sky 14 Bill Hayes Italian Sunset 13 Maker: Bob Bozarth Oklahoma CC Title: Skyraider on My Tail 13 Maker: Andy Lay A River Runs Thru It 12 Jack Young Cattle Lovers 12 Maker: Pat Leger Lafayette PS Pictorial Color Prints 2nd Place Italian Sunset By Bob Bozarth from Oklahoma CC Pictorial Color Prints - 3rd Place Skyraider on My Tail By Andy Lay from 8 Clubs Participating Pictorial Color Prints Club Totals 45 Oklahoma CC GNOCC 41 Lafayette PS 40 Louisiana PS 40 Beaumont CC 35 Northlake CC 19 Page 2 GSCCC News

3 Pictorial B&W Prints 1st Place Mill Among The Foliage By Carol McCreary from Oklahoma CC PICTORIAL B&W PRINTS Judged by Slidell Photography Club Mill Among the Foilage 13 Carol McCreary Oklahoma CC What s the Time? 12 Maker: Minnetta Heidbrink Greater New Orleans CC Title: Morning at Convict Lake 12 Maker: Jack Young Life Goes On 11 Jim Walsh Flying Dachshund Game 11 Maker: Jan Dreskin-Haig 7 Clubs Participating Pictorial B&W Prints 2nd Place What s The Time? By Minnetta Heidbrink From Greater New Orleans CC Pictorial Mono Prints Club Totals Oklahoma CC Lafayette PS GNOCC 39 Beaumont CC 37 Northlake CC 11 Pictorial B&W Prints - 3rd Place Morning at Convict Lake By Jack Young from AUGUST 2016 Page 3

4 4. Focus on the subject before adding the filters. As ND filters can be really dense, it would be difficult to get your subject in focus using autofocus, or even manually focusing through the viewfinder. The best solution is to always compose and manually focus the scene before adding filters. Remember that there is nothing worse than having a magnificently-composed 4-minute exposure that is out of focus. or a printed chart may be a good idea, but if the light conditions are changing (like sunsets, sun being covered by clouds), just add (or subtract, if you expect the light to increase like in a sunrise shoot) an extra 15-20% to the resulting time. Remember, taking a test shot is also recommended for checking the composition and focus. 5. Use a remote shutter. Your camera is extremely sensitive to vibrations. Using a remote shutter will prevent you from touching the camera. If possible, use a programmable remote shutter you ll be able to get several minutes of exposure without constantly checking your watch! 6. Predict the sun s position. Unlike still photography, in a long exposure shot, you should avoid having the sun in the frame. This is because after two minutes of exposure, the sun will not be around anymore. The sun itself, plus every surface in which it will reflect, will be so overexposed that it would be almost impossible to recover it in postproduction. To predict the position of the sun, there are apps you can download on your mobile device. 7. Clouds and storms are your friends. If you think that the current weather condition prohibits you from taking a photo now, it won t be the same in an hour. Use images from satellite to predict where the storm is moving to, and remember that the best clouds are at the end of a perturbation. 8. Calculate, don t improvise. The perfect light can last only few minutes or even seconds. If you are taking a 3-minute long exposure, you have only one chance to get your shoot. The best strategy here is not to improvise how long should the exposure be after mounting a 10-stop filter. Take a test shot without filters with the desired ISO and aperture first. Once you re happy with the exposure, stack on the desired ND filters and compensate for the stop introduced by the filters in the shutter speed. Using an app for your mobile 9. Use your histogram instead of your LCD. Don t trust the LCD. The LCD display of your camera is extremely luminous, and is no good for reviewing the image you just took. Use the histogram instead. By checking the histogram, you can quickly visualize if the calculations you made for the shutter speed is correct or not. In case they are wrong, looking at the histogram will allow you to calculate the correction needed. To improve the experience with LCD in strong daylight condition, you can use a Loupe. 10. Be aware of light leakages. In a long exposure shot, every infiltration of light in your camera will compromise your work with banding and color casts. The solution is incredibly easy and cheap: use black tape. Before taking an exposure, remember to cover your viewfinder and the edges installed in the filter holder with black tape. 11. Wait a minute between an exposure to another. Every time the shutter opens, the electricity flows through the sensor of your camera, resulting in the sensor warming up. This is not a problem in still photography, because the exposure time is a Page 4 GSCCC News

5 fraction of a second, but as soon as you reach one minute or more, the heat will form hot pixels in your photo. Waiting a minute from an exposure to another will allow the sensor to cool down. A Gear Guide For Long Exposure Photography Camera Body: You can shoot long exposures with almost every camera. The essential function is the Bulb mode that will allow you to get exposures longer than 30. My go-to body is Canon EOS 5D Mark III. Loupe: It s difficult to review images on your LCD display when it s sunny, so I always use a Loupe. Apps: There are lots of apps for your smartphone or tablet that will calculate the correct exposure time after stacking in your camera ND filters, or apps that tell you where the sun will set. My favorite apps are PhotoPills; and Long Exposure Toolkit which has all you need to get started included a step by step guide. Lens: A wide angle lens is the perfect choice. You will use a tripod anyway, so you don t need an image stabilizer. A fast lens is not required, as you ll be shooting almost every photo between f/8 and f/16. My recommended lens: Canon EF f/2.8 or EF17-40mm f/4. Tripod: A sturdy tripod is your best friend. If you are going to travel a lot, a carbon fiber tripod is a great choice. Filters: A good set of filters is required to get long exposures right in your camera. My go-to travel set includes Singh Ray Slo-Mo 5, 10 and 15 stops; the Lee 6 stop and 10 stop ND filters, a Polarizer, and many Graduated ND filters. ND Variable filters are gaining popularity, one single accessory that can provide 1, 2 or 3 stops by adjusting its ring; however, they work only for lens lengths over 40 mm; for lenses wider than that you might observe a hard vignette. Batteries: Always have spare batteries with you. Shooting minutes of exposure can dramatically reduce the battery life. Memory Card: Long exposures don t require fast and large memory. Invest in reliable brands, and always have a spare memory card in your pocket. Flash Lights: Remember, safety first. Multi-tool knife and duck tape: They should be in every photographer backpack! AUGUST 2016 Page 5

6 NATURE PROJECTED DIGITAL Judged by Heard Nature Photographers Club NATURE Projected Digital 1st Place Grizzly Carrying a Salmon By Tom Savage from Grizzly Carrying a Salmon 15 Tom Savage Humming Bird Feeding Young 15 Maker: Mark Lagrange Greater New Orleans CC Title: Riding the Sun s Warmth 15 Maker: Ron Shue Teeth Of The Gator 14 Donald Crais West Bank CC Cattle Egret and Babies 14 Maker: Marilyn Graham 13 Clubs Participating Nature Projected Club Totals 54 West Bank CC 35 Plano PC 52 Oklahoma CC 35 Houston PC 46 Beaumont CC 34 Slidell PC 39 Central Texas PC 33 GNOCC Lafayette PS 38 Northlake CC 19 Louisiana PS 35 NATURE Projected Digital 2nd Place Humming Bird Feeding Young By Mark Lagrange from Greater New Orleans CC Nature Projected Digital 3rd Place Riding the Sun s Warmth By Ron Shue From Page 6 GSCCC News

7 NATURE Prints - 1st Place Vigilant Wasps By Inge Vautrin From Oklahoma CC 9 Clubs Participating NATURE Prints 2nd Place Cowbird Stud Muffin By Stephern Kern From Beaumont CC NATURE PRINTS Judged by Heard Nature Photographers Club Vigilant Wasps 14 Inge Vautrin Cowbird Stud Muffin 14 Maker: Stephern Kern Beaumont CC Title: Transitions: Spring s Promise 14 Maker: Steve Donovan A Quiet Morning 13 Anne Stevens Lafayette PS Desolate Dunes 13 Maker: Bill Hayes NATURE Prints 3rd Place Transitions: Spring s Promise By Steve Donovan from Nature Prints Club Totals 49 Oklahoma CC Beaumont CC 43 Lafayette PS 37 GNOCC 33 Slidell PC 28 Louisiana PS 24 Northlake CC 6 AUGUST 2016 Page 7

8 GSCCC Competition Schedule Month Competition Judging Club / Send Entries to: AUGUST Pictorial Projected Digital Color & B&W Photojournalism Projected Digital & Prints Jackson Photo Society c/o Fred Wiggins 425 Cumberland CT, Madison, MS, mrhonkytonk1948@yahoo.com Greater New Orleans Camera Club Rose Parker 300 Valencia Dr., Luling, LA parker52@cox.net SEPTEMBER Pictorial Prints Color & B&W Dallas Camera Club Jan Dreskin-Haig 9323 Guernsey Ln., Dallas, TX janhaig@gmail.com Nature Projected Digital Houston Photochrome Club Carmen Sewell csewell3@comcast.net Nature Prints Houston Photochrome Club Jane Ashley 8613 Cedarspur, Houston, TX, mjashley2@comcast.net For our 2017 Convention Organization Committee, send an to Gene Bachman saying that you d like to participate in the organization of our next Convention. This Committee will aid the Club hosting the Convention. THANK YOU! Thanks to all the participant to the competitions and Congratulations to the winners for those magnificent images. Special thanks to last months competition judging clubs: The Slidell Photography Club and The Heard Nature Photographers Club And last, but not least, thanks to our collaborators, your ideas keep this Newsletter interesting. GSCCC Reps, please keep digital files of all prints submitted for competition. If your image is granted a 1st, 2nd or 3rd Title, please the digital files to Editor, Sandra Gaitan (sgaitan52@gmail.com). Thank You. Page 8 GSCCC News

9 GSCCC Competition Schedule Month Competition Judging Club / Send Entries to: OCTOBER Pictorial Projected Digital Color & B&W Photojournalism Projected Digital & Prints Lafayette Photographic Society Nancy Crays 101 Crescent Ridge Place, Lafayette, LA craysnancy@yahoo.com Jackson Photo Society c/o Fred Wiggins 425 Cumberland CT, Madison, MS, mrhonkytonk1948@yahoo.com NOVEMBER Pictorial Prints Color & B&W Cowtown Camera Club Brenda Smith 908 Shady Grove Drive, Granbury, Tx cell work brendas@colonialsavings.com Nature Projected Digital & Prints Oklahoma Camera Club Carol & Tom McCreary JANUARY Pictorial Projected Digital Color & B&W Photojournalism Projected Digital & Prints 425 SW 53rd Street, Oklahoma City, Ok tcmccreary@cox.net Houston Camera Club Leslie Niemand 4003 Ashton Villa Court, Sugar Land, Texas (281) lniemand@windstream.net Dallas Camera Club Jan Dreskin-Haig 9323 Guernsey Ln., Dallas, TX janhaig@gmail.com FEBRUARY Pictorial Prints Color & B&W Louisiana Photographic Society Gene Bachman 1443 Westchester Drive, Baton Rouge, La home gbachman@cox.net Nature Projected Digital & Prints Lafayette Photographic Society Pat Leger 414 Steeple Chase, Lafayette, LA pleger5@cox.net MARCH Pictorial Projected Digital Cowtown Camera Club Tom Savage savagetom@charter.net Photojournalism Projected Digital & Prints Slidell Photography Club Tess Cottage Pichon Rd Lacombe LA, Tc01hm@aol.com AUGUST 2016 Page 9

10 No ND 3 STOPS 3 STOPS 9 STOPS 10 STOPS 13 STOPS 16 STOPS 20 STOPS 1/1000 s 1/125 s 1/15 s 1/2 s 1 s 8 s 1 m 16 m 1/500 s 1/60s 1/8 s 1 s 2 s 16 s 2 m 32 m 1/250 s 1/30 s 1/4 s 2 s 4 s 32 s 4 m 1 h 1/125 s 1/15 s 1/2 s 4 s 8 s 1 m 8 m 2 h 1/60 s 1/8 s 1 s 8 s 16 s 2 m 16 m 4 h 1/30 s 1/4 s 2 s 16 s 32 s 4 m 32 m 8 h 1/15 s 1/2 s 4 s 32 s 1 m 8 m 1 h 16 h 1/8 s 1 s 8 s 1 m 2 m 16 m 2 h 32 h 1/4 s 2 s 16 s 2 m 4 m 32 m 4 h 64 h 1/2 s 4 s 32 s 4 m 8 m 1 h 8 h 128 h 1 s 8 s 1 m 8 m 16 m 2 h 16 h 256 h Gulf States Camera Club Council affiliated with the Photographic Society of America President Gene Bachman 1443 Westchester Drive, Baton Rouge, LA gbachman@cox.net (225) Competitions Vice President... Gregory Daley, PPSA P.O. Box 3826 photography@captaingreg.net (310) Secretary-Treasurer....Rose Parker 300 Valencia Drive, Luling, LA parker52@cox.net (985) Editor... Sandra Gaitan Kurt 3906 Covington Xing Dr, Corpus Christi, TX, sgaitan52@gmail.com, (361) Directors Carol McCreary, APSA, EPSA 425 S. W. 53rd St, Oklahoma City, OK tcmccreary@cox.net, (405) Tess Cottaage Pichon Rd, Lacombe, LA, tc01hm@aol.com, (504) Tim McDonald 8205 Cantebury Dr., Orange, TX, timmc@gt.rr.com, (409) AUGUST 2016 Page 10