[night86mare] Dreamscapes: A Photo Daily 2009 II

[night86mare]

:angry::angry:

koala emo liao.. :bsmilie:

 

[night86mare]

12 Sep 09

Blue Infinity​

 

[limwhow]

Night86mare, I like this shot very much. You have a unique technique for your landscape, I have noticed.
I have been trying to capture my seascapes like yours with ND4 stacked upon ND4 upon ND4 + GND. Sure, my exposure becomes longer and the sea becomes smoother.
But somehow I still have two problems: 1. colour wise I can't get it good. 2. Sea I can't get it as smooth as yours.
I am getting the ND400 in the hope to slow down even further.
What have I missed out, if I may ask for your advice? Or if you may share with me a few tips on getting these shots?
Thanks!

 

[night86mare]

Night86mare, I like this shot very much. You have a unique technique for your landscape, I have noticed.
I have been trying to capture my seascapes like yours with ND4 stacked upon ND4 upon ND4 + GND. Sure, my exposure becomes longer and the sea becomes smoother.
But somehow I still have two problems: 1. colour wise I can't get it good. 2. Sea I can't get it as smooth as yours.
I am getting the ND400 in the hope to slow down even further.
What have I missed out, if I may ask for your advice? Or if you may share with me a few tips on getting these shots?
Thanks!

hi limwhow, thanks for dropping by and your kind comments.

i'm not sure if i'm unique, but i do like long exposures and milky, misty water, so that's what i do most of the time. a while back i was obsessed about "being unique", then i realised it wasn't that important, and it was affecting how i photographed, i.e. i was just taking shots with the primary purpose of being different, which is a bit silly if you think about it. especially since it's all be done before. sometimes when we think we have gotten something unique, it isn't that unique at all. so i stopped caring.

for nd4 + nd4 + gnd, that should give you 2 stops + 2 stops + maybe 1 or 2 stops, that's at best 6 stops. an nd400 gives you 8 stops, nd110 (b+w) gives 10 or 11 stops (more like 11 from experience).

i'm afraid i can't really help you with color manipulation, that is something that can be helped with looking at more photos. here are some absolutely fabulous landscape photographers with online galleries that i enjoy looking at now and then.. perhaps looking might help you get an idea of "what palette to use". for my color adjustments i generally use color balance and/or channel mixer. once again, there isn't any "set workflow", i go through general steps but what i had in mind when i shot is what i seek to achieve and i follow that, so the values change fluidly.

anyways, the galleries:

adam burton
ian cameron
lee frost (needs no introduction, i hope)
marc adamus
patrick di fruscia
david clapp

some others that you can google - kah kit yoong and ej peiker (naturescapes).

for the sea, a certain amount of time is needed, that is also fluid, it depends on the waves, how tumultous they are, and how far you are from the water. getting closer means you need a shorter shutter speed to smooth it out. how the appearance would be like would be affected by the amount of motion. sometimes as short as 15 secs is enough, sometimes as long as a minute. it all depends.

for the above shot, i waited until after the sun went down, there was a slight afterglow that you see on the right. the sun location is actually further to the right of the photograph. no nd filters were used here, just a gnd to retain sky detail, and then stop down at lowest possible iso. here the settings are iso100, f/22, 180 seconds in bulb mode.

i hope this helped.

 

[limwhow]

...
i hope this helped.

Wah, this is more than help.
I really am thankful for such a long, detail reply with all your thoughts put into it.
And your links... that will keep me busy for days.
And I am sincerely more awed by the fact that you used only a GND. Goodness, if I were to do a 180 sec on f/22 I would have blown my exposure. But your remark triggered a thought in me - if I were to do this at such a long exposure, then I have to wait till it is really darker. Maybe, say, 7:30pm - 7:45pm, instead of 7pm - 7:15pm. I hope I am correct in assuming this.
Let me practise more. Then maybe one day I won't be so pai seh to avoid posting my pictures.
Really thank you!

 

[dingzyangz]

Stunning!

12 Sep 09

Blue Infinity​

 

[night86mare]

And I am sincerely more awed by the fact that you used only a GND. Goodness, if I were to do a 180 sec on f/22 I would have blown my exposure. But your remark triggered a thought in me - if I were to do this at such a long exposure, then I have to wait till it is really darker. Maybe, say, 7:30pm - 7:45pm, instead of 7pm - 7:15pm. I hope I am correct in assuming this.
Let me practise more. Then maybe one day I won't be so pai seh to avoid posting my pictures.
Really thank you!

photo was taken at 1922 hours.

there are no hard and fast rules, the light is different, cloud conditions are different etc.

anyways, before i do long exposure, i do a high iso, wide open test shot. this makes sure exposure is correct, then i change the iso and aperture settings, and compensate shutter speed accordingly.

note that when the sun is still going down, the light is changing rapidly, so your exposure when you click the shutter button might be off, i.e. not enough, because the light has died down further as the long exposure is proceeding. sometimes i just add half a stop (which is a lot in long exposure) just in case.

Stunning!

thanks bro.

 

[limwhow]

photo was taken at 1922 hours.

there are no hard and fast rules, the light is different, cloud conditions are different etc.

anyways, before i do long exposure, i do a high iso, wide open test shot. this makes sure exposure is correct, then i change the iso and aperture settings, and compensate shutter speed accordingly.

note that when the sun is still going down, the light is changing rapidly, so your exposure when you click the shutter button might be off, i.e. not enough, because the light has died down further as the long exposure is proceeding. sometimes i just add half a stop (which is a lot in long exposure) just in case.
...

Thanks for the additional advice. I will give it a go certainly certainly.

 

[night86mare]

Thanks for the additional advice. I will give it a go certainly certainly.

no problem , if you need help feel free to pm me. or ask here. or any of my threads.

 

[dingzyangz]

btw... bro, is this ponggol? hehe.

 

[soulFLY]

12 Sep 09

Blue Infinity​

Good work! Excellent control of exposure...

ps: thank you for sharing the location....looks pretty good for my minimal work....but would say, the fisherman around is the main concern....aih...

 

[night86mare]

btw... bro, is this ponggol? hehe.

this is east coast park.

Good work! Excellent control of exposure...

ps: thank you for sharing the location....looks pretty good for my minimal work....but would say, the fisherman around is the main concern....aih...

thanks thomas.

mmm, they arrived around 0730 pm.. they did leave me alone, just that i guess they are not aware that lens vey wide, so they put things in the picture thinking they're not in it, but they are, etc.. can't really blame them also. anyways, i had a keeper, so i was satisfied. life is more than just getting as many shots as you can, there is a balance, i would like to think, and i would not like to affect other people's activities just to indulge in my own.

 

[Slash56]

12 Sep 09

Blue Infinity​

Nice pic.. stunning indeed..

and thanks for the advice - i will also take note of it..

 

[night86mare]

Nice pic.. stunning indeed..

and thanks for the advice - i will also take note of it..

thanks for dropping by !

 

[night86mare]

13 Sep 09

Oriental & Classic​

 

[soulFLY]

thanks thomas.

i would like to think, and i would not like to affect other people's activities just to indulge in my own.

Yep agree with you...some of them is understand and move a little to let you get the shot and some dont bother...well, that is life and have to return many time to get the job done...

Cheers and have a good one yea!

 

[LeGozt]

13 Sep 09

Oriental & Classic​

nice framing bro! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

really enjoy your work. i've been reading your thread and will try your advice regarding the ND filters one day.

 

[night86mare]

Yep agree with you...some of them is understand and move a little to let you get the shot and some dont bother...well, that is life and have to return many time to get the job done...

Cheers and have a good one yea!

thanks

nice framing bro!

really enjoy your work. i've been reading your thread and will try your advice regarding the ND filters one day.

hi, thank you for your kind comments.

 

[night86mare]

14 Sep 09

Shyyy​

 

[limwhow]

Haha.... so cute... Cat also can be shy like that one meh?
Hahaha....