Lengthy publicity waterfall pictures does not all the time require the heaviest ND filter in your bag. The traditional knowledge of utilizing 10-stop filters for these silky-smooth water results is perhaps due for reconsideration.
Coming to you from Chris Baitson, this insightful video demonstrates how a lighter contact with ND filters can dramatically enhance your waterfall pictures. Baitson explains that whereas he beforehand relied on a 10-stop filter to realize 60-second exposures at f/10 for max water motion, his method has advanced considerably. Now he opts for a polarizing filter mixed with only a 3-stop ND, leading to exposures round 2.5 seconds as a substitute of a full minute. This mixture serves a number of functions – the polarizer removes shine from rocks, enhances visibility by way of water, and intensifies inexperienced tones on moss-covered surfaces. The shorter publicity time preserves essential texture and element that may in any other case be misplaced, notably on the backside of waterfalls the place extreme publicity can create an unrealistic swell impact that lacks dimension.
Baitson’s second compelling purpose for utilizing lighter filtration pertains to capturing flexibility. In areas the place tripod placement is inconceivable attributable to uneven terrain or precarious positions, the mixture of lighter ND filtration with fashionable picture stabilization know-how opens new inventive potentialities. He demonstrates this by capturing handheld lengthy exposures of roughly 1.5 seconds utilizing his OM-1 Mark II‘s spectacular 8.5 stops of stabilization. This liberating method means that you can shoot from positions that may be inaccessible with conventional tripod setups, considerably increasing your inventive choices when photographing in difficult environments with many boulders or uneven surfaces.
The sensible purposes of this lighter filtration method prolong past simply technical enhancements. By retaining extra element and texture whereas nonetheless attaining the pleasing movement blur impact, your waterfall pictures acquire dimensionality and realism whereas sustaining that dreamy high quality lengthy exposures are recognized for. This method represents a considerate evolution in method moderately than a whole rejection of conventional strategies – you are still creating lengthy exposures, simply with extra nuance and intention behind your filter decisions. The power to shoot these exposures handheld in sure conditions provides one more dimension to your inventive toolkit.
Try the video above for the complete rundown from Baitson together with pattern pictures that show these strategies in motion.
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