by chphoto | Aug 1, 2014 |
After visiting Willow Falls the other day, I drove north to Osceola, Wisconsin to photograph this waterfall near the St. Croix River. This is another very fun waterfall to visit, however it did involve going down several hundred stairs and then back up again. There were many people visiting this spot and several people were even playing in the waterfall. By using a long exposure time I was able to eliminate them from the image because they never held still long enough to become part of the image. There were a few small kids which were playing in the water that showed up as small blurs, but the spot healing brush in Photoshop took care of that easily enough. ISO 100 – f/11.0 – 20.0s – 31mm – Tripod – Single Exposure Canon EOS 5D MkII Body and Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L Lens with Circular Polarizer and 6 stop ND filter. Photographed in Osceola, Wisconsin on 8-1-2014 at 5:00...
by chphoto | Jul 28, 2014 |
The upper portion of Vermillion Falls in Hastings, Minnesota. Taking long exposure photographs with a very dark Neutral Density filter (6 or 10 stop) can create some issues because it messes with the exposure metering system in your camera. It becomes easier for light to enter the camera through the viewfinder than through the lens. Sometimes I use an exposure calculator app on my phone where I can tell it an exposure setting without an ND filter and then calculate the proper exposure settings to account for the 6 or 10 stop ND filter. I have found that unless the viewfinder is completely covered it will dramatically impact the result of the image. I have been using a piece of black electrical tape which I place over the viewfinder after I have composed and focused. I take a test shot with no ND filter on and then use that for the baseline in my exposure calculator. I prefer to shoot with my camera in Aperture Priority mode and most of the time I can get it to work correctly with these ND filters, but only if the viewfinder is completely covered. The effect of the ND filters on the exposure calculation can actually be observed by noting the exposure reading once, while looking through the viewfinder, second by moving away from the camera leaving the view finder uncovered and third with a cover completely blocking the viewfinder. Most of the time (during daylight) you would see three different exposure readings. Only by putting a cover on the viewfinder can the proper exposure be calculated (as close as possible by...
by chphoto | Jun 27, 2014 |
Viewed from the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis the Sunset over St. Anthony Falls was very interesting yesterday. By using the multiple shot HDR technique I was able to capture the details of the buildings and bridge, made difficult by the setting sun behind them. Also the details of the clouds and the bright sun were all preserved to create this dramatic view of the waterfall at sunset. 3 Shot HDR with exposure times of 1/200s, 1/800s, 1/50s – ISO 400 – f/16 – 40mm Canon EOS 5D MkII Body and Canon EF 17-40 f/4L Lens. Photographed in Minneapolis, Minnesota on 6-27-2014 at 7:30...
