Monday, October 24, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Sunday Selections - Longer exposure
Another blog for Frogpondsrock 's Sunday Selections! Go and check out hers and all the others linked there!
In last weeks Sunday Selections I talked about aperture and depth of field. I briefly mentioned the use of varying exposure time to gain different results, and thought I would post a few photos I have taken over the years that use slightly longer exposure times.
To vary exposure time, your camera needs the ability to function in shutter priority (Tv or T) or full Manual (M) modes. ISO is also a key part of exposure. ISO relates to how much light is needed to correctly expose the shot. Film comes rated at a specific ISO (usually 100), but digital cameras may allow you to adjust ISO manually.
A good analogy is to think of exposure as a bucket (film or sensor) to be filled with water (light). ISO determines the size of the bucket. The smallest ISO, usually 80 or 100, is equivalent to the largest bucket. A small ISO is a good thing, as lots of light = lots of detail. Having a larger ISO allows you to capture photos in darker environments. A digital Camera may try and increase the ISO to allow a faster shutter speed, reducing the possibility of blurring of any movement.
Exposure time is measured in fractions of a second, or seconds in the examples I will show here. A typical photo might be 1/250, 1/500 or higher. At these speeds any motion is frozen, hopefully giving you a good sharp photo. Once you get below these speeds, it is more likely blur will creep its way into your shot, either through movement in your subject, or movement in the camera. For longer exposures, it is vital the camera be kept still, using a tripod, or some other handy object to sit the camera on.
Ok, enough talking, time for some photos. Oh, and please click on the photos to see them at a decent size!
This photo uses a longer exposure to achieve a good exposure in a low light situation, capturing the light from the environment. Exposure details for this photo of the Royal Tasmanian Yacht Club are: ISO 80, shutter 8 seconds, aperture f/5.6. A post used to rope off the yachts was used to sit the camera on for the shot.
In last weeks Sunday Selections I talked about aperture and depth of field. I briefly mentioned the use of varying exposure time to gain different results, and thought I would post a few photos I have taken over the years that use slightly longer exposure times.
To vary exposure time, your camera needs the ability to function in shutter priority (Tv or T) or full Manual (M) modes. ISO is also a key part of exposure. ISO relates to how much light is needed to correctly expose the shot. Film comes rated at a specific ISO (usually 100), but digital cameras may allow you to adjust ISO manually.
A good analogy is to think of exposure as a bucket (film or sensor) to be filled with water (light). ISO determines the size of the bucket. The smallest ISO, usually 80 or 100, is equivalent to the largest bucket. A small ISO is a good thing, as lots of light = lots of detail. Having a larger ISO allows you to capture photos in darker environments. A digital Camera may try and increase the ISO to allow a faster shutter speed, reducing the possibility of blurring of any movement.
Exposure time is measured in fractions of a second, or seconds in the examples I will show here. A typical photo might be 1/250, 1/500 or higher. At these speeds any motion is frozen, hopefully giving you a good sharp photo. Once you get below these speeds, it is more likely blur will creep its way into your shot, either through movement in your subject, or movement in the camera. For longer exposures, it is vital the camera be kept still, using a tripod, or some other handy object to sit the camera on.
Ok, enough talking, time for some photos. Oh, and please click on the photos to see them at a decent size!
This photo uses a longer exposure to achieve a good exposure in a low light situation, capturing the light from the environment. Exposure details for this photo of the Royal Tasmanian Yacht Club are: ISO 80, shutter 8 seconds, aperture f/5.6. A post used to rope off the yachts was used to sit the camera on for the shot.
This photo taken in Myrtle Gully, Cascades, uses a longer exposure to change the look of the water flowing in the creek. It gives the water a 'molten' look, which usually looks quite nice. ISO 80, f/7.1, 6 seconds. Camera on a tripod in the middle of the creek, me with frozen feet!
In a similar type of shot, longer exposures of waterfalls change the look of the water to produce a nice flowing effect. DEtails of this shot of Horseshoe Falls, Mt Field: ISO 100, f/11, 10 seconds
Moving away from water, longer exposures can also be used to show the movement of light over time. This shot of a rather nauseating ride: ISO 80, f/5, 3.2 seconds
And this photo of fireworks: ISO 80, f/7.1, 5 seconds
Similar to the first photo in the collection, the use of a longer exposure time allowed the capture of the early morning light, with the moon, stars and the imminent sunrise all visible. ISO 160, f/4, 10 seconds
And the shot taken a short time later showing the great colours of sunrise: ISO 100, f/5.6, 13 seconds.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Playing with Aperture & Depth of Field
Another blog for Frogpondsrock 's Sunday Selections! Go and check out hers and all the others linked there!
As an enthusiastic photographer I am trying to come to terms with some of the basics of photography, and specifically the three things that effect exposure: aperture of the lens, shutter speed and ISO setting (film or more commonly these days the sensor). I've loved longer exposure times for some time, particularly the effect of a long exposure on water in a creek, stream or waterfall. Will save that for another post I think.
More recently I've been thinking more about aperture, and in particular how this effects the depth of field (DOF) of my photos. In many ways I was forced into this position by purchasing a macro lens, which is quite brutal if you dont get your head around aperture settings! All but one of these photos were taken with this lens, a 100mm Canon f2.8 L Macro IS USM.
In the age of the digital camera most DSLR's and many high end compacts have settings to allow manual control of aperture, shutter speed and ISO of the sensor. I don't pretend aperture and DOF is easy, but I will pretend it is for the sake of me being able to write about it!
Aperture is measured in f stop numbers. The aperture is a mechanism in the lens that closes to varying degrees during exposure to vary light hitting the sensor/film. The smaller the f number, the larger the opening of the aperture, and the smaller the depth of field. Simple.
The photos below all have a small f number, thereby a small depth of field. The depth of the area in focus not only depends on aperture, but also the focal length of the lens (eg 50mm vs 100mm) and the distance between the lens and the subject. See, still simple.
To demonstrate, heres a photo of a butterfly. The aperture is f2.8, the smallest possible for the lens. The distance between the lens and butterfly was about the minimum distance possible, producing the greatest magnification, with the smallest DOF.
here are a few more shots, all with minimum possible aperture
Increasing the aperture a little now, giving a slightly larger depth of field, but still throwing the background out of focus - f3.5
And now to slightly larger apertures..
f7.1
f7.1
f9.0
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Easter Twitter/Facebook Lunch
Another blog for Frogpondsrock 's Sunday Selections! Go and check out hers and all the others linked there!
Last year I was lucky enough to be invited to a small gathering of twitter & facebook folks for Easter lunch by Stephen Estcourt. Having had a great time and meeting wonderful people, I couldn't help but jump at the opportunity to go again.
This year lunch was to be at The Source restaurant at MONA in Hobart. The Museum of Old and New Art is a recent addition to Hobart, and has been drawing huge crowds. Admission is free! Details on The Source, and MONA, can be found here.
The day started off with a brief look around MONA, before heading off for lunch. The food was extraordinary, and so too were the drinks selected by Stephen to complement the meals.
Last year I was lucky enough to be invited to a small gathering of twitter & facebook folks for Easter lunch by Stephen Estcourt. Having had a great time and meeting wonderful people, I couldn't help but jump at the opportunity to go again.
This year lunch was to be at The Source restaurant at MONA in Hobart. The Museum of Old and New Art is a recent addition to Hobart, and has been drawing huge crowds. Admission is free! Details on The Source, and MONA, can be found here.
The day started off with a brief look around MONA, before heading off for lunch. The food was extraordinary, and so too were the drinks selected by Stephen to complement the meals.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
My Favourite photos from Malaysia/Vietnam/Cambodia trip
Another blog for Frogpondsrock 's Sunday Selections! Go and check out hers and all the others linked there!
I have posted a few photos from my recent trip to Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia, but I thought it would be nice to do a post of my favourite photos. Some I may have posted before, some not. I will let the photos speak for themselves. Some might just be included to make you hungry though!
I have posted a few photos from my recent trip to Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia, but I thought it would be nice to do a post of my favourite photos. Some I may have posted before, some not. I will let the photos speak for themselves. Some might just be included to make you hungry though!
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