When I first started to take an interest in photography, I was fascinated by long exposure photos.
I couldn’t figure out how people were able to take photos of silky looking water and streaky clouds. I remember standing in front of a waterfall, trying to take a long exposure shot and it turning out completely white. I didn’t get it. I had just overexposed my photo.
And then I discovered neutral density filters. I decided that I had to have one. I opted for a 10 stop ND filter. It’s like putting sunglasses in front of your lens. There are a lot of different filters out there with varying degrees of darkness. A 10 stop ND filter is quite dark. It allows you to draw your shutter speed out for quite a long time, depending on the available light. When you draw your shutter speed out, you capture all of the motion in a scene.
See the photos below as an example:
See how in the first photo the water is rippled. In the second photo, it is smooth. The second photo is a 10 second exposure. By using my ND filter, I was able to capture all of the motion in the water and the clouds for a whole 10 seconds, without overexposing the shot. It’s a pretty cool thing to be able to do. It’s something you’d never be able to see in reality. And that’s what makes it kinda special. Along with the filter, you will also need to use a tripod to ensure your camera stays still for the entire exposure.
Here are a few more photos I've been able to take during the day, using my ND filter.
I'm still learning as I go, but if you have any questions, I'd be happy to help.
Also, I'd love to see your long exposure photos. Please feel free to share them with me below.
